The day began gray at Carter Creek. I slept well despite a visit by a small critter outside my tent. In the morning I found a stroupwaffel in my handlebar bag. It all made sense. The morning prep was easy paced and steady.
I was on the trail by 8:17 on the nose. The sound of the creek pervaded the camp but as soon as you reached the trail you could hear I-90. It was a strange feeling being so physically cut off with the sounds of the modern world still present.
The trail continued up past the Lake Annette trail where I spent time with college friends, Kisho as a baby, and Jesse's family at various times. This was a different perspective having taken so long to reach it. I'd find that a lot of this trip. New perspective on familiar places.
I passed the snow shed where I'd been on my first bike tour and an outing with friends). Then it was the tunnel. After snacking, I headed in. I was amazed I could see the other end of the tunnel from the west portal. It's 2.5 miles! My new head lamp worked wonderfully. I can't say the same about my bike light. It took 12 minutes to travel the tunnel. That seems fast but at twelve miles an hour the math works out.
The mountain pass magic held. The eastern side was sunny. I chatted with a cyclist at the Hyak rest area. I left him when his buddy showed up. I thought they'd pass me, but no.
The ride to Lake Easton was pretty. I saw 6-8 hikers. I stopped to ask if they were thru hikers and, yes, they were. They were using the Cascades to Palouse Trail as a shortcut and for resupply. I also saw a couple groups of bikepackers. I wondered where they started from. It's harder to chat with cyclists because we're moving too fast.
At the town of Easton, a detour sign led me into the freeway! I got off at the next exit to see if I could take the trail and yes I could. Why are the signs there? I'll have to ask Washington State Parks. I chatted with a gravel biker heading west. He was from Florida and was having a ball with his daughter and son in law in Cle Elum.
Speaking of Cle Elum, I made it there about 1:00. I had lunch at Pioneer Coffee and charged my phone. I was back on the road at 2:00.
The trail down into Thorpe was amazing and everything I'd hoped for. I love this part of I-90 and have always wanted to bike this stretch The landscape got drier and the trees thinned out. I found a beautiful ruined house by the trail. From the looks of the path to it, I am not the only one.
Soon, I came to the Ellensburg basin. First, I came to Thorp. I stopped at the famous fruit stand for the first time ever. I only got a couple apples, but hey.
A short time later I was in Ellensburg! As I stopped to reinflate my tires after the long gravel so I could travel the pavement better, I noticed a key piece was gone. Without it I couldn't pump up my tires! It was now 5:00. Rather look in my frame bag for the missing piece, I rodeto a local bike shop to ask to use a floor pump. I stopped at Bicycles ReCycled (est 1971!). The good people there let me use their pump and as a bonus, I found my missing piece. I was impressed they have a chess set next to the window with a couple of chairs. Who plays?
After a quick stop at Fred Meyer for a micro USB charger (which I forgot to bring) I was on the road at 5:30. Riding the pavement felt like flying which I needed because it was still an hour to Umtanum Recreation area where I planned to spend the night. While riding I thought, maybe I could just stealth camp. Shortly before Umtanum I found a nice (ish) spot. It was kinda close to the road, but everything in that canyon is close to the road. I pitched my tent and made a night of it. I made one rookie mistake which was that cars could see my lights from the road so I had to cover them when I heard them coming. Luckily that wasn't hard. I hoped for a little beach, but it was all brushy, but you can't get everything.
Someone had buried a pet, Grizzly, near my camp. The site was marked with a cross. I wondered why Grizzly’s people chose this spot. I hoped I wouldn't be haunted by Grizzly’s ghost. I wasn't. The canyon was cheerful after the dark gray and green of Carter Creek. I felt relaxed as I watched the walls of the canyon fade in the twilight while the road traffic dwindled to negligible. Later I spent a long time reading in the tent. The big camp light I brought was nice to have.
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