Day 61 - Puttin' on the Ritz
Spokane, WA to Moses Lake, WA.
We stopped in a town called Sprague and Ev ran into the post office to drop off some postcards. Mike, Adj and I were hanging out in front of the post office when we met Mr. Frost, magician extraordinaire. He was in town for a magic show at the local library and asked us what we were up to. We began talking and we learned about his own connections to cancer. He gave us his cards (designed on playing cards - clever!) and told us to keep in touch. He was really nice and interesting to speak with but I was, as I continue to be, struck by how random it was that we were able to meet. Mr. Frost is not from Sprague and as you know, we were just passing through so it was pretty neat to be able to meet and learn about each other. Plus, he explained where we could find the gas station to fill up on water. As we were filling up on water, the water van happened to catch up to us and we were able to grab some snacks and put more sunscreen on.Â
We were on our way to the next town, Ritzville, but happened to pass Sprague Lake. Now, one "rule" (if you will) on our team was when you see water, you jump in. So naturally, this green lake was on that list. It was a scorching hot day out and I couldn't be happier to see water...that is until I touched it. It was filled with algae and not cold at all so it was something of a let down but it still felt good so Ev and I jumped in briefly and jumped out and we got back on our bikes. We still had not seen other groups so we weren't entirely sure what was going on with everyone but we found the next town and headed out. Unfortunately, our adventures with gravel were not quite over. Gosh, I really hate gravel. This time there was construction too. But we made it through with a few detours and re-routes. Having absolutely no signal or phone service is actually pretty tough because we didn't have maps either. But we made it to Ritzville and found a nice little diner for lunch. Hearing not only that we were biking across the country but that it was Mike's birthday, the diner opened for us and we had discounts AND FREE ICE CREAM. So thank you, Memory Diner in Ritzville, WA. We appreciate it :)
After that, we made a quick stop at Starbucks for Adj, Ev and Mike and saw some other groups begin to filter into the town. But we weren't there long before we were ready to continue on our way. We still had quite a bit of miles to cover and the day was going by pretty quickly. So we hit the road. And what happened next I would not have expected. I wouldn't say it is a 4K tradition but it is certainly a rite of passage to complete a naked mile (or more) on the 4K. Well, why not today. So in the middle of absolutely no where...we hadn't seen a car in ages...Mike decides it is time for the naked mile. Yep. It is EXACTLY what it sounds like. Not only are you riding a bike naked but all of the clothes and things you had in your jersey pockets, you have to carry! And that is tough too! But is was a lot of fun and we can officially say we have completed our naked miles.Â
Clothes back on, we continued on our way and pushed out some more miles but going unsupported through Washington desert leaves you empty on water very quickly. Not only that but you rarely see places to stop. Eventually, we reached a breaking point. Everyone was basically out of water and exhaustion was setting in on some group members so we pulled over under a highway overpass. Adj and Mike rested while Ev and I biked up the hill to the only house we had seen in some time. And we we lucky! There were horses and dogs outside as well as a car so we were hopeful as we knocked on the door. And sure enough, an incredibly nice woman opened the door (with more dogs inside!). She welcomed us in to fill our water bottles and even offered to bring some down to Mike and Adj. She and her son accompanied us down the hill to the overpass and filled all of our bottles again. We learned a lot about the area from her and about their life in the area. She was so nice to speak with and her son was cool too.
We still had no phone service so we needed to keep moving so we could meet up with the vans at some point. The woman told us about a rest area only a few miles up that we could get to and the van could reach from the highway, which might be easier. We expected that the other groups had all begun to shuttle so we were probably one of the last to be picked up. So we headed out into one of the most beautiful sunsets I had seen on the trip so far. The sky began as a beautiful pink/orange but blossomed into a stunning gold for a while before settling back into a gorgeous deep red.Â
We reached the rest stop and settled down into some incredibly lush grass (a rarity we hadn't had in a while) to wait for the van. We were able to make contact and now it was the waiting game. The van picked us up eventually and we headed to the host. We had made it quite far but even I was ready for a shuttle, which never happens, because it had been a pretty tough day. We made it into the host quite late and I ran through the motions of settling my bike in, grabbing some food, showering, and hitting my sleeping bag on the ground.
