27 miles

Today we were on the road by 8:30 am. I guess it takes about 2 hours to pack up camp, dress, and eat. It was an easy 15-ish miles of gentle terrain, bursts of purple lupins, butterflies, and the Cascades in the background. I guess I forgot that cascades are waterfalls. It’s indescribably beautiful here.

Before we set out, we stopped at the Chevron in Marblemount to stock up on water and snacks. There was an old man and a huge German Shepherd sitting (loitering?) out front, and we chatted for a while. His dog was creepily well-trained. 

We also met a couple there, who we continued to see throughout the day. The lady gave her name and number to Danielle and emphatically asked us to reach out if we should need anything when we get to New Hampshire, where they are from. They were visiting their son, who works at Mount Hood. They rented an RV for the trip. They are also cyclists. 

We got our first taste of long gradual climbs after that. It was a challenge. I wanted to push forward, but Danielle was tired, and we were both unsure of where we would camp. We speculated that beyond Colonial Creek Campground in the park, there might just be more cliffs on both sides of the road and nowhere to pitch tents, judging by what we’d seen of the landscape so far. Rather than passing the nearest campground and trying to push further along, we decided to stay the night and quit riding early, around 2:00 pm.

I read some of my book today. I stretched, and went for a nice walk through the trails here at the campground. It was very quiet, just the crunch of my shoes on pine needles and the sounds of birds high in the canopy. Everything here is covered in dense moss. It’s like a jungle, with ferns and flowery things everywhere. I want my home to smell like this.

Danielle and I ate some dehydrated mac and cheese and watched the sunset over the lake and mountains, talking about relationships. We’ll be riding over Washington pass tomorrow.