PAC Tour 2021 - Day 4 Coulee Dam to Spokane, WA

 Garmin

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/7120757684

Relive

Check out PAC Tour 2021 Day 4  Coulee City to Spokane on Relive!
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Today started with a parking lot breakfast.....the usual if the motel doesn’t provide one.  A light ash was on all surfaces as there was a forest fire just north of Coulee Dam that started yesterday from a lightening strike.  In fact they closed the road just after we all had cycled through. The same thing happened 2 days ago when they closed the North Cascades Highway west of Winthrop just after we passed through. This is too scary and weird to be just ahead of these fires and road closures.  I don’t know what happen if roads were closed as we have confirmed reservations at every stop along our route over 34 nights.

Anyway, there was a light smoke layer in the air making the sunlight a rosy color.  We started early at 6:30 with a 1000+ foot climb over 5 miles onto the plains and wheat fields of Eastern Washington. The smoke was still with us but bearable.  Unfortunately the heat was still with us with temps approaching 100f.  Funny thing is that we’re getting acclimated to it as well as doing the appropriate things like drinking lots of fluids (water, Coke, water with endurance powder, etc), popping electrolyte tablets, eating at rest stops (bananas, salty snacks, cookies, etc) and pulling out the tube socks for ice necklaces when it gets above 90f.

The ride for me was good.  Mike suffered more in the heat and did the ride on his own.  I managed to grab some wheels and rode fairly strongly on my own as well to clock my fastest average speed so far. Got into Spokane before the motel/luggage vehicle and so I went to a nearby Wendy’s for a frosty and lemonade.  By the time I finished, my rear tire was flat...so I walked the bike back to the motel and changed out the tube in the shade.  A really small piece of wire from a blown truck tire was the culprit. 

Got all washed up and organized before going out to dinner with longtime friend, John Hansen and his son, Mike at Anthony’s on the River.  Great dinner and time catching up with the two.

So tomorrow is another “easy” day (anything under 100 miles) before a grueling 146 mile day into Montana.  Something to look forward to:). Just hoping for cooler weather!

Note, if anyone is reading this (besides Laurie) and has any questions or comments, I believe you can leave them on the blog.  I’ll try to answer them.