2 days left!!!!! where did the summer go?

So i am alive. Past few days have been crazy and sorry for not updating more but camping and the Cascades have prevented me from finding a public computer.

Overview:
Republic to Omak - Good ride, easy pass (comparatively), then rain. then more rain. then wind... climbed to just over 4,000 feet but the pass was really not so bad. I was a sweep with Pen which made it nice to just take it easy. We took lots of breaks including one right after the pass at a local diner. The only bad part was that while being in the far back meant we got rained on, twice. At this point in the trip so close to our final destination rain is no longer a fun event, it is an annoyance and the effects of being wet can last for days. The scenery changed dramatically as we passed the pass. It immediately turned to desert. I was surprised at seeing a desert in Washington state, my opinion was that Washington got too much rain, (Thanks Grey's Anatomy)but apparently this area needed it badly. Figures, leave it to Bike and Build to bring the rain in an area which gets very little... Also, the wind, jealous of us being challenged by mountains and stupidly high climbs like Sherman pass, returned to impose her superiority over any obstacle we have faced. She remained to tortured us for a few hours just to ingrain in our heads that the one element to be feared and respected over all the others is wind. We plan to make a sacrifice shortly to the wind in honor of her power over us.

Omak to Camping Day number 1. uggg rain, again. probably a pass that was stupidly high. cant really remember. out of dessert and just like that in a forest again. Beautiful.

Camping day number 1 to camping day number 2 - uggg rain. cold, wet, hypothermia, 2 passes. (Washington pass - 5477 ft, Rainy pass - 4016 ft) cold. umbels. last 80 +_ mile day. --So much to say about this day but i will try to spare you the novel and keep it as brief as possible.-- We woke up in our tents to rain, then we left in the rain, then we climbed for 15 miles, in the rain and the cold. Though the ride up was spectacular views of endless mountains in cloud cover and trees. From the begining we knew this was going to be a hard day but we had no idea what was really in store for us. We finally made it to the top and we were cold while climbing up the mountain, which is a bad sign since we usually work a sweat in any temperature. It is so cold at the top some actually reported seeing snow flakes. Well we bundled up and started the decent knowing we would have to climb up rainy pass soon after the initial downhill. I was in my shorts and rain jacket and that was about it. After 50 feet people were jokily hugging to stay warm, little did we know that in another 3 miles people would be legitimately having initial stages of hypothermia. I made it to the bottom and i wasn't in too bad of a shape. I stopped to throw on almost every piece of clothing that i had in my camel back (thank god i have a massive and awesome camel back with tons of bandannas). So i had one bandanna covering my ears and head while another wrapped around my face and neck, i had my rain jacket (and my camel back rain jacket which is so cool i cant get over it) my jersey, and then i had my spandex shorts. i immediately started pedeling with the intention that if i just kept moving i would generate enough body heat to stay warm and for the most part it worked. I stayed warm enough that i could still control the bike enough to stay on the road... Others had other opinions on staying warm, most huddled shoulder to shoulder in a bathroom...again. I kept going though eventually to find the top of Rainy pass only to find Derek and about 7 bikes with no riders. The front riders had had enough of the cold and flagged down an RV to jump inside and get warm. They left their bikes and cruised in the RV down to our lunch stop. where they jumped into our van. So i take out my camera, snap a few photos with Derek, and decide to just keep on going. I figure i made it this far i can keep on going. So i continue. About a mile down i am shivering so bad its hard to keep the handlebars straight and i cant feel my fingers anymore so i am unsure on my braking abilities. Little did i realize 1,000 miles or so back that my 27 miles of riding no handed continuously would prepare me for a biking technique to stay warm for the Cascades. My new method for descending this rainy, miserable, mountain was to shove my hands in my pockets and just let the bike take me. The plan worked mostly and i regained feeling in my fingers at least enough to stop at the lunch stop. I ate as much as i could stand, and as much as i could make while shivering as much as i was. But really i was fine because about 30 min later i was back on the road using my theory that body motion meant body heat and this time it worked great, 3 miles out of lunch the rain stopped shortly and i was slowly regaining feeling. The sun came out briefly and the scenery was fantastic. I would say this place rivals Glacier national park in terms of beauty, absolutely spectacular. We rode along the valley with steep mountainsides on both sides of the roads with amazingly green trees and moss covering the wood. Waterfalls were stair casing down from the top spraying water into the clouds that were still hanging around. Despite the rain it was still jaw dropping to ride through. It was like this all the way through the park and into our next camping stop where Anson's Grandmother and uncle were there to warm us with delicious snacks and amazing food. All in all a good ride minus the hour or so I thought i was going to die.


Camping day 2 to Lynden. Beautiful. easy last 70 + mile day sunny.

ok got to go computer shutting down in t-minus 1 min ....59 sec...58....ahhh~!
thanks for reading this rediculously long blog! excited to be coming home soon!