We had a short, pleasant ride this morning, assisted by a brisk tailwind. We passed McNary dam on the Columbia and soon afterwards entered a basalt canyon similar to the Vantage and Grand Coulee areas. Since it was early morning, the sun was blocked by the hillside and we enjoyed the cool shade alongside the rock walls. A few miles before camp, we left Oregon and the Columbia River in our rear view mirrors.
Yesterday we saw our first magpies, rock wrens, and quail. We see dead rattlesnakes on the road, and I have no desire to wander into weedy, brushy areas to look for more. Let it suffice to say that along the edges beyond the lawns of our campgrounds, it looks definitely "snakey". The host at today's campground warned us to rattle the thresholds of our tents before crawling out and to be sure to use a flashlight if we are out and about at night.
We heard the yips of coyotes at bedtime last night. This morning a skunk romped by our camp, but fortunately was not interested in investigating us.
One of the joys of a trip such as ours is the conversations with people we meet along the way. Most are nice, some are cranky, and a few are more than a little bit "off". Last night we exchanged stories with a fellow bicycle tourist, a Brit traveling westward alone, who works as a gardener in Switzerland. He loves Switzerland, but can't speak German, so that is the only job he could get.
Back in Hood River, we enjoyed the hospitality of someone we never met: the friend of a son of someone DeeDee knows who was gone for the weekend and let us stay in his townhouse. Tomorrow night we are staying with a Warm Showers contact of Perry and Carol--very generous of someone to host 7 cycling strangers. He may even cycle out on the highway to escort us into Walla Walla.
It is wonderful to hear from you. Being out of contact from friends and family is the downside of a trip such as ours.
-Sue
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