Biking, Day 3: 7/19/2009

Day 3: Twisp, WA to Wilbur, WA
Distance: 122 miles (should have been 95)
Route: Rte 20E to Rte 153. First attempt: Benson Road to NFD 4150, note to self: NFD=National Forest Drive and is all sand. After 3 miles, retreated and went back to Rte 153. Time lost: 2 hours. Went Rte 153 to Route 173 to Route 17 to Route 174 into Grand Coulee Dam, then 174 to Wilbur, WA.
Lodging: Willows Motel, Wilbur, WA (www.willowswilburmotel.com)

Today was frustrating. From the start, things did not go well. I left at 6am and 3 miles in took a left onto Benson Rd, which is what Googlemaps 'walking' told me to do. I hit a hill that I literally could not climb on my bike. I walked my bike up the hill. About 3 miles down Benson, the road changed to sand. I figured eh, a few miles on sand, I can do that. About 3 miles in I looked at my directions and i was supposed to stay on this 'road' for 11 miles. I didn't want to do that. I turned back. I used googlemaps driving to get me back on track. The route was now 110 miles, not the original 95 (which included some serious bush-wacking), not including the 15 or so lost in the woods and on the road leading to the woods. But I figured I could stay in Grand Coulee, WA, which is like 20 miles before Wilbur if I got desperate. I got back on Route 153 at around 8am.
I was frustrated because I get up at 5am so I can hit the road early. It gets hot and the morning is when i really want to log most of my miles. In my head, I had hoped to get to Wilbur by 1 or 2pm. That was not to happen.
Back on the road I was still having some serious seat issues. I'm not sure how I'm going to remedy this. I know that the muscle soreness gets better over time. But the skin irritation I'm not so sure about. I readjusted the seat a few times - I would stop every 20 miles or so to shift the seat so I wasn't hitting the same spots. It helped, I think, but it still hurt a lot.
Because of the mental challenge of the morning and my seat issues, I decided I would take the day in chunks. Not too fast and stopping every 15-20 miles. I still wasn't sure whether I would stay in Grand Coulee or Wilbur.
Things were fine until it heated up. Days are HOT. I went through two small cities. In the second city, Bridgeport, I got some water. From Bridgeport to Grand Coulee it was going to be about 40 miles. There was a road change about halfway and I figured I would be able to stop there to get water. WhenＩgot to the road change, there was nothing but road. I kept riding. It was windy and hot. I would drink water and 3 seconds later be ridiculously thirsty.
I kept going down the road and was thinking about the cold beverages I would have in Grand Coulee. Oh, I was so, so thirsty. A car with a young couple passed and offered me water. I declined. Then, I cursed myself for 10 miles for refusing water. I was rationing mine. Go a few kilometers, drink water. It was hilly. Finally, I hit the top of a hill and saw to the left a huge dam. The Grand Coulee Dam! I'm not sure where I heard of this dam, but there it was.
I rolled into town and went to a grocery store. I got lemonade, an apple, a cherry coke zero, a water, and a chocolate bar. I sat outside and tried to find a motel. But my phone wasn't working. I tried to get someone to find a motel for me, but to no avail. after about an hour, I decided to just forge on to Wilbur. I knew once I was out of Grand Coulee (low lying area), I would have cell service.
I left and headed out route 174 East toward Wilbur. After about 10 minutes,Ｉwanted to die. It was straight up. Like a huge hill. This went on for, oh, I don't know, like 5-7 miles? it was ridiculous. I really wanted to cry.
Finally, I hit the top and it was pretty flat (well, rolling) from then on.
I got to Wilbur around 6pm. My motel was lovely. The guy running it was great. As I left the little office, a guy started talking to me. Just an innocent older guy looking to make conversation. He rides railway cars. Like, leases rail time and then rides these rail cars. He was very passionate about it. I was very dirty, very hot, and very hungry. He was also drinking scotch. He invited me to come out so he could show me the best way for my next day of riding. And he wanted to grill for me. I enthusiastically agreed to join him and his group of people. I went into my room and never came back out.
I slept wonderfully.