Day 79 - North Roosevelt, WA

slept like a rock last night, which has been easy to do all tour long; 6-8 hours of saddle time make it easy to physically spent each day, but seldom so trashed that the next days ride is hard as a result .... it rained during the night, plus I was up late fixing the front flat, so for me, the early departure wasn't happening. I used both new tubes and was able to repair only one, so traveling lean. Josh was able to accomplish the early get-going, so he was off ahead of Dana and I. she and I got going with the goal to catch up with Josh in Biggs Junction, about 85 miles away. the early start was intended to get in miles before the vaunted headwinds kicked up. these wind conditions thru the Columbia River Gorge are legendary: stiff and sustained, with gusts that can stop you cold. nasty, especially with all the exposed surface areas of the bike and panniers. anyway, Dana and I met up with the winds and settled in a good rhythm of swapping pulls every few minutes. along the way, I got ANOTHER rear flat, again of the slow-leak variety (compared to the instant large puncture PSSSST... ). i had to use my last tube. i discovered then that the winds had caused carnage to my bike bling (the USA and Texas state flags that had been prominent on my rig since Day 1): the USA flag had been blown off. Texas would have to fly alone.  by the time we reached Roosevelt, I needed a water bottle reload and some food. Dana had already packed best westerns so we expected a quick turnaround to continue the 8 mph grind to Biggs. we happened upon a bit of a social event (see below), so we settled in for a beer or two with lunch. ended up staying all day and tenting in a yard out back. a tough ride today, but not as many miles as hoped. we actually had caught up to and visted with Josh, but he decided to pass in the festivities and head for Biggs on his own. hopefully we'll reconnect before the coast. he gave me a new tube, so I could breathe easier till I repaired one of my own or got to an upcoming bike shop.


today: 50 miles
to date: 4352