Day 12
May 28th
Thursday
41 Miles
From Republic to Kettle Falls over Sherman Pass
Today's ride was on the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. We had a pleasantly cool start to the day. The climb to Sherman pass started immediately then leveled out into a very pretty valley. This will be the last of the five passes we cross in the Cascade Mountains.
We enjoyed riding through a valley lined with alfalfa fields, and green meadows with horses, and cows. As the road became steep and winding we were riding through beautiful pine, aspen, and cottonwood trees. At one point the cottonwood tree blooms filled the air like snow. Part of the day the road followed a small river. During a rest stop, Ronnie spotted a beaver rolling in the grass on a sunny bank. Thunderstorms rumbled around us, the clouds provided shade but we were never rained on. Close to the top, we passed the White Mountain Fire area where you could see for miles how it changed the landscape.
There were a lot of logging trucks traveling the pass. Many of the trucks passed us several times as they retrieved a load, delivered it then repeated the process. They all moved over, never crowding us. Many of the drivers waved or honked and waved as they went by. We also had a man in a pick up pull over to encourage us by saying, "you are doing great, almost there" When we arrived in Kettle Falls we saw that all the logging trucks were delivering to a massive plywood mill owned by Boise Cascade. We felt very tiny standing next to the mountains of trees stacked up with giant sprinklers constantly spraying water over the top.
We camped at the Kettle Falls National Park located beside the Columbia River / Lake Roosevelt. There were several bald eagles soaring overhead as we set up camp. It was a nice park with very tall pine trees.
Overall today was an excellent day as we finished our 5th and final pass in Washington. The smell of fresh rain on pine trees made us smile as we topped Sherman pass.
Today's ride was on the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. We had a pleasantly cool start to the day. The climb to Sherman pass started immediately then leveled out into a very pretty valley. This will be the last of the five passes we cross in the Cascade Mountains.
We enjoyed riding through a valley lined with alfalfa fields, and green meadows with horses, and cows. As the road became steep and winding we were riding through beautiful pine, aspen, and cottonwood trees. At one point the cottonwood tree blooms filled the air like snow. Part of the day the road followed a small river. During a rest stop, Ronnie spotted a beaver rolling in the grass on a sunny bank. Thunderstorms rumbled around us, the clouds provided shade but we were never rained on. Close to the top, we passed the White Mountain Fire area where you could see for miles how it changed the landscape.
There were a lot of logging trucks traveling the pass. Many of the trucks passed us several times as they retrieved a load, delivered it then repeated the process. They all moved over, never crowding us. Many of the drivers waved or honked and waved as they went by. We also had a man in a pick up pull over to encourage us by saying, "you are doing great, almost there" When we arrived in Kettle Falls we saw that all the logging trucks were delivering to a massive plywood mill owned by Boise Cascade. We felt very tiny standing next to the mountains of trees stacked up with giant sprinklers constantly spraying water over the top.
We camped at the Kettle Falls National Park located beside the Columbia River / Lake Roosevelt. There were several bald eagles soaring overhead as we set up camp. It was a nice park with very tall pine trees.
Overall today was an excellent day as we finished our 5th and final pass in Washington. The smell of fresh rain on pine trees made us smile as we topped Sherman pass.
Columbia River / Lake Roosevelt
Our campsite by Lake Roosevelt
Giant water sprinklers on the tall stacks of tree logs
waiting to be processed into plywood.
Log mover
Logs
Ronnie's favorite saying!
Pass number five done!
White Mountain Fire Lookout
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