Day 7 – Walla Walla to Clarkston, WA – 86 miles

They say if your marriage survives the “7 year itch” there’s a good chance you’ll make it for another 7, 14, 21 or even 49 years. The same must be true for long distance cycling but on a different scale – days instead of years. Today was day 7 and we survived.

We’re both a little bit cranky with many of the Washington truck drivers who really cut it close when passing. We knew this would be one of our biggest hazards but now that the honeymoon period of the first 6 days is over, we’re seeing the stark reality of danger and have come up with new truck management strategies.

Today’s ride was a mixed bag of pretty scenery (not the blow your socks off kind, however), depressed and dying farm towns, scary portions of the road with barely any shoulder so we didn’t see the scenery and finished off with a beautiful Snake River approach (and 14 mile downhill run into headwinds) into Clarkston, Wa.

Here are some impressions from the day’s long ride:

We’re tired.

We had very little cell coverage and our music stopped around mile 8. I must’ve heard UB40’s “I’ve got you, Babe“ about 11 times before I realised technology was not my friend. Mark had the same problem.

As a result of the above issue, it gets pretty lonely out there. I was doing lots of math in my head figuring miles done, miles to go, eta at the hotel – all were pretty much incorrect due to headwinds and whizzy trucks.

Not every day is going to be a scenic beauty pageant. Some of the places we’ve gone through make you downright sad and show us how lucky we are. However, that may all be relative.

Mark has done an amazing job on these long climbs – his endurance is incredible.

We miss our people. And our summer in Utah. But we can’t believe how lucky we are to be spending 2 months travelling the country with 2 of the nicest, most patient, encouraging and accommodating people you’ll ever know. Brad and Sue have been the BEST.

One of the highlights of the day came when we had finished checking into our hotel and the delightfully friendly reception manager said to Sue, “can you just stand here and talk?” She absolutely adored Sue’s British accent so we hung out at front desk for another 15 minutes comparing English English, American English, expressions and accents. So fun!

Clarkston is our last town in Washington. As of today, we’ve finished 2 states, ridden 493 miles over 7 days and done a total elevation gain of 21,674 feet. Not bad for a couple of wrinklies. Oh, and we’re BOTH wearing sunscreen. 😎