Day 89: Wauconda Forever

One more pass complete! Wauconda is probably the easiest pass on this stretch as it isn’t super tall, the net elevation gain is a bit over 2,000’, and it’s a bit stepped (up then flattish) so easier on the legs. But hey, a mountain pass is a mountain pass and we made it over!

Food Gifts

Today was an early start to the day to beat the heat. The coffee shop MJ found yesterday opened at 6:30 and we were there a few minutes later to get some coffee and treats. I had a bagel and PB in the hotel so just got a flat white and a cinnamon roll, whereas MJ hadn’t had anything yet so got a breakfast quesadilla, a loaded cinnamon roll and an iced coffee. The owner, Travis, was super nice and gave us both muffins for the road. He also let us know his sister has a coffee shop in Tonasket, so we both knew where we were headed once we got to town.

It was about fifteen miles from Republic to the top of the pass. It alternates between going up and flattish, which was a bit easier on the legs. We were definitely both feeling the burn after yesterday’s marathon climb. At the coffee shop, they also warned us that a dog named Jack was going to chase us after the Okanogan sign (because he chases everything) and to yell at him and he would back off. After the Okanogan County sign, sure enough a dog came running down a driveway at me. I yelled “Jack! Go away!” and he backed off. Phew! Then we biked by the Okanogan National Forest sign and another dog came running. I yelled “Jack! Go away!” and he also backed off. Now I’m not sure which one was Jack, but I’m adopting this as my go to dog tactic. I used it on a coyote in the road a while later and it also worked. Three for three - not bad.

A couple miles short of the top we were taking a rest on the side of the road. A pickup comes flying by, then steps on its brakes, pulls over, and starts backing up toward us (and almost into the ditch). We’re both thinking “please don’t be crazy”. The guy gets out and just wants to make sure we’re okay and offers us a ride to the top - nice. We decline as we’re pretty close and just resting. After a few tire spins, he’s able to get out of the ditch and back onto the road, which was a relief.

After creating the top, we went down a bit to the tiny non-town of Wauconda. There’s an old purple cafe/gas station there that was in the process of being boarded up. We took shelter in the shade to have a quick snack and the guys doing the boarding were super nice. They gave us water bottles and chatted for a bit.

The descent was slow and stepped. We’d have a nice down then easy pedaling for a bit (though one stretch was longer and less easy). The last five miles to Tonasket were all down and windy with limited shoulder, which resulted in some cars getting stuck behind us and trying to sneak by when they really should have waited.

We got to town and headed straight to Travis’s sister’s coffee shop. It was in the lobby of a sub-contracted DMV office and maybe also a church? Super nice folks there and good coffee. We hung out for a while there before heading to the library to continue sheltering from the heat. I saw a farmers market sign on my way there so checked that out before heading to the motel. I didn’t find any fresh berries, but a nice farmer gave me a container of cherry tomatoes and asked me about my trip. It turns out he’s Dutch and loves biking and in a past life had toured around Australia.

MJ had already checked in to the motel and I went to meet her there. Slightly bad timing as she was in the shower when I arrived, so I couldn’t get in for a bit, but there was a nice bench under a tree around the corner. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening napping and reading.

Tomorrow should hopefully be an easy day to get to the other side of this very hot valley so we can start the next pass close to the bottom and pre-heat.