Only 500 miles to go

Day Three is in the bag, and 201.9 miles are behind us. Five hundred more miles and we will be at the top of Logan Pass in Glacier National Park.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I faced this day with trepidation. I woke up at 3 a.m. in my bunk bed at the learning center, wondering if I could get over the two passes, if I could get by on the one water bottle I carry, if two or three Power bars would be enough fuel to get me to the top.

Well, it was a struggle, but I made it to the top of Rainy Pass (last one there, of course) where Don and Kathy had set up a great SAG stop -- drinks, fruit, chips, olives, all the salt and sugar a rider could want. I needed all of that to get over Washington Pass, which was a long four miles away. Long because we went downhill and lost most of the elevation we had gained riding up Rainy Pass and because Washington Pass (5,400 feet) was 600 feet higher in elevation than Rainy Pass (4,800 feet).

But we all made it up the 36-mile climb and over the passes. Then we had seven miles of downhill around Liberty Bell and down to the Mazama Store for lunch, on to Winthrop for an ice-cream stop and on to Twisp where we are staying in a great hotel and had an excellent dinner at the Twisp Pub. Weight loss on this trip? Not looking all that promising.

The whole gang is here now as John Barrett's wife, Millie, and his sister, Nancy, have joined us in their RV.

Here we are at dinner Monday night:

From left: Kathy Triesch-Saul, Nancy Johnston, Mary Jo Peairs, Millie Barrett, Don Peairs and John Barrett.                   Photo by John B. Saul

 Here are some other highlights from the day:

This was the view of Pyramid Peak on Monday morning.

John Barrett headed for the road

Those tiny specks on top of the dam are Mary Jo, John and John.

This is the view looking down the dam.

After a six-mile climb, you get to look down on where you came from.

Here's the view without the map. The haze is from forest fires.

John Barrett coming up Rainy Pass.

Mary Jo almost to the top of Rainy Pass.

Mary Jo coming into the Washington Pass SAG stop.

John arrives at the top of Washington Pass.

This is not the Supermoon. It is the evening sun shining through the fire haze. In real life it was bright orange. Not sure why it faded to white in the photo.