Once we were far enough out of the city, the landscape was strikingly different from what we have seen in the last couple of weeks: Nearly treeless, nearly endless hills, most covered with grain in various states of ripeness from dark green to light yellow and everything in between. The farmhouses were usually far away from the highway. Sometimes you could only see the access roads. 

We rode all day (i.e. until 1:30 PM) along Highway 2 on a good and wide shoulder with moderate traffic to Davenport. Here again we saw many trucks and cars hauling boat trailers behind, coming and going to and from the various fishing and boating lakes in Central Washington and along the Columbia River. In Davenport the motel was just opposite the Safeway, so one and another beers were consumed. We had neighbors from California on their way to Alaska (in a car). They had been in Alaska several time on a motorcycle and could tell some nice stories about that big country.

Monday saw us with sunshine and a headwind on our way to Odessa on State Highway 28. It seems that the wind always knows in advance which way we are planning to go. It usually greets us every day in the face!! In the morning we again had huge grain fields. Later the landscape became more desert, like we know from the West, with Sagebrush and other dry plants. The last 8 miles into Odessa were on fresh chip seal, not really fun to ride a bike on. There were no stripes marked on the road yet. But the traffic was low again and we could choose the best suitable spur on the road. 

Again we arrived very early and found the motel closed until 4:39 PM. But there were table and chairs in the shade of a few big trees, so we first had our lunch and later took a little nap. It was so peaceful and silent in that town, you could sleep by the road. The name of the town is taken from Odessa, on the Krim-Peninsula in the Black Sea in Russia. Many of the people are of German-Russian heritage. They are very German friendly and in September each year they celebrate their "Deutschesfest". Sorry that we are not here then. Later we got a nice room for a reduced rate (German/bicyclists).

Tuesday the weather was again fine and warm. I don't have to mention the direction the wind was blowing. Unfortunately they had started 'chip sealing' at the county border some 14 miles out and had so far made some 3 miles back into town. So for the first 10 miles, we were nearly surrounded by chip hauling trucks going to the road construction and hurrying back. There was no shoulder on the road and every experienced bicyclist knows: Where do two cars/trucks meet? Just where YOU are riding. Several times we had to take off the road in order not to disturb the trucks in their race. 

When we finally arrived at the construction site, we found a crew of ladies who managed our transport in the pilot car (Maren and all baggage and the bikes) and me in another truck across this one mile of tar and chips and dust. After three more miles over fresh chip seal we finally reached good old asphalt again. There were no more trucks chasing us so we were able to enjoy the landscape. The hills were bare but the valleys were green, mostly due to irrigation water from the small rivers. At the end into Soap Lake, after 42 miles with no services, the headwind and the light descent balanced out, so we had to peddle downhill. 

Once you stop, you feel how hot it is. We took shade behind a little gas-station/convenience-store to cool down with some drinks. Then we finally made it into Ephrata, a town of some 6,000 people and several motels. Later that afternoon I went to a barber shop for a hair cut and beard trim. Bob, the owner, seemed to be so interested in our story that it took him a long time to shorten my hair and beard. At the end, the beard trim was for free and he wished me a safe trip. Nice, isn't it?

On Wednesday we finally made it to Mike and Marilyn's in Wenatchee. We had called the evening before and had decided that they would come in their car in our direction to pick us up. We started with sunshine and ....wind (you name it). Wide shoulder, moderate traffic and mostly flat until Quincy, where we had a late second breakfast. The whole valley seemed to be irrigated. Green everywhere. Huge fields with onions, alfalfa, potatoes, and later, even vineyards. Some miles after Quincy a long descent of 2 miles was announced. 

Dropping down off the Columbia Plateau to the Columbia River valley

 

That was the first time that we could see the mighty Columbia River in the heat of the day. A bit later a Honda came honking along. We stopped, greeted our friends and packed all the stuff in the car and were hauled to their new home in Wenatchee. Since then we are recovering and enjoy the amenities of a modern American home.   

 

We stop to get a lift from Mike and Marilyn

On Sunday we are planning to start on the last stage of our tour to make it
to Astoria in Oregon at the mouth of the Columbia River, where Lewis & Clark
finally reached their destination in the fall of 1805.