Northern Tier Day #56 Colville, WA to Republic, WA
Northern Tier Day #56
July 15, 2019 Colville, WA to Republic, WA 58 Miles
Ride Time 5:03
Tour Total 4380 Miles
Truth be told, I didn’t pay to camp in the RV Park last night by the Stevens County Fairgrounds. I sneaked in after dark and was out of there by 6am. I also didn't pay for electrical power. Last night I located an outlet, and ran a line into my tent. All of my devices were at 100% this morning. I didn’t have the code to the bathroom, so I went searching for a gas station first thing this morning. My tent had a lot of moisture from condensation, and I rolled it up and stuck it in my bag.
I stopped at the 76 Station, aka Whitty’s Mini Mart, and got a Starbucks Frappuccino, an orange juice, and mini powdered donuts. I finished the rest of my huckleberries as part of breakfast. It was a chilly morning, so I added my leg-warmers, sweater, and jacket. On my way out of town I passed a colossal lumber mill. I was in a large valley with grass to both sides, surrounded by mountains in the distance.
I cycled west down the valley of the Little Pend Oreille. I was on the south side of the valley, up against a large rock face. I was on a local road with no traffic. US State Highway 20 was on the opposite side of the valley with acres of grass between us. It was mostly cloudy and the sun was doing its best to break through. The route dumped me back out onto heavily trafficked State Highway 20, where I had an 8 foot shoulder with the occasional piece of tree bark and small roadkill to dodge.
The shoulder narrowed down to 40". The sun was still on the horizon and my shadow was cast into the four-lane highway. I took a left on Greenwood Loop Road to get off the horrible highway. I rode through cow pastures and fields of grass. I spotted five wild turkey hens and a smelly roadkill deer.
I elected to not go into Kettle Falls, population 1,595, and stopped at a junction outside of town to remove my leg-warmers and jacket. A big black dog started barking at me from the other side of the road and began to pursue me, right as an oncoming car was approaching. He stopped, but I already had my pepper spray in my hand.
I was admiring a sand dune to my right and turned my head to see the Columbia River come into view through the trees, 2 miles away. I hadn’t seen the Columbia since Astoria Oregon last year at the end of my Trans Am tour.
I had a screaming down hill to the river. In the valley before the bridge was a massive Boise Cascade lumber operation. They were spraying enormous piles of timber with water that emitted a nice wood aroma that I could smell from a distance. I asked a worker about the spray, and he replied that it was to keep the wood from checking in the sun. The piles stay for 6 months and then they rotate it before it’s milled. Trucks were arriving with timber at one gate and departing from another with dimensional finished product.
The river was directly to my left and a large green painted steel truss bridge came into view. The mighty Columbia was before me. The long bridge was narrow and I had to share it with lumber trucks, who were fortunately polite and slowed down. Nonetheless, I raced across it as fast as I could. On the other side, along the turn-off to the pass, I noticed the ‘Secret Herb Shop - Living the Dream’, which was open and had an ATM. I had a conversation with the bartender last night about legalized cannabis. I hadn't been aware that it was available in the eastern part of the state. I ventured across the street to the Exxon Colville Fuels Station where I got an egg sandwich and orange juice. I removed my sweater and was down to my cycling shorts and short-sleeve jersey.
I was back on State Highway 20 West, also known as the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. There were warning signs for the construction ahead reading, ‘Roadwork next 41 Miles’. I had a 5,584 feet of climbing ahead of me. I put my chain into the smallest front ring and started to climb. I had a 32 inch shoulder as a UPS truck zoomed by me with barely 3 feet clearance. I later had to ride around a piece of bark that was almost as wide as the shoulder.
One after another, empty lumber trucks climbed the mountain besides me. Full trucks were returning on the other side. I was also passed by large construction equipment. For some reason the side of the road had been logged. A lot of places leave a roadside curtain of trees for appearance purposes. I could see the Columbia River in my rearview mirror.
I passed an area of forest that been selectively trimmed with a prescribed burn. There were dozens of large dump trucks pulling equally enormous trailers, flying down the other side of the road that were ostensibly part of the road construction. I was doing a slow steady climb and was in my middle front ring. It was overcast with a slight drizzle, as I entered the Colville National Forest.
There were tall straight pine trees in every direction, and I could make out a ridge to the left and another one straight ahead. I lost cell phone service pretty early in the climb. South Fork Sherman Creek was to my left. I encountered a series of orange warning signs. ‘Roadwork ahead’. ‘One Lane Road Ahead’. ‘Be Prepared to Stop’. ‘Flag Person Ahead’.
I got to the flag person and heard him on his walkie-talkie. “What are we going to do about the cyclist?”. The person on the other replied, “Let him through”. The flag man said, “Copy”, and I continued through. No gaps. They were laying down new asphalt pavement, and it was fresh on the other side of the road. My side was less recent. Mmmmm! The delightful smell of tar! On the next section of new asphalt it was fresh on my side.
I passed a sign saying ‘Vehicles over 10,000 lbs Gross Weight Should Carry Chains November 1 through April 1. I passed the pilot car leading a train of motor vehicles the other way. It was great to basically have the road to myself. Eventually in the distance I could see the flag person on the west side of the construction area with a line of motorized traffic behind him. I wanted to strangle the barky little dog squawking at me through an open window of one of the queued cars.
The group of motor vehicles that had been penned up behind me was finally let loose. One after another, large construction trucks, RV’s, campers, an oversized load, motorcycles and straight-up motor vehicles passed me. I could hear Fritz Creek to my left.
Down the road, or I guess I should say up the road, I encountered another series of signs. ‘Road Work Ahead’. ‘One Lane Road head’. ‘Be Prepared to Stop’. All of a sudden I saw the flagman in the distance with a stop sign and flashing red lights. I didn’t want to repeat my episode from last year’s TransAm crossing on the Lolo pass. I’ve learned my lesson. I stopped and talked with the flag man, who wanted me to put my bike in the back of the pilot car pick-up truck. I explained that I was riding my bike across the country and that I had already pedaled 4,300 miles. I wanted to be able to say that I had pedaled the entire route and I couldn’t have a gap. I asked him what time work stopped, and said that I’d be content to wait.
The flagman was a nice guy with some good stories. He had camped in his truck at mile post 315 and, in the middle of the night, had heard a large prowling cougar. The growling noises continued for an eternity, until finally the cat was scared off by a semi-truck blasting it’s horn. He had recently seen a grizzly bear at mile post 306, which was almost in town. This morning the pilot car driver had seen a bull moose. He said that they were doing chip sealing up ahead, and that I had to speak with the pilot car driver.
When the pilot car driver arrived, he wanted to put my bike in the back of the truck and drive me through the construction. I explained that I couldn’t have a gap, and that I was prepared to wait until the workday was done at 6pm. He said that it was dangerous ahead with heavy equipment and deep holes. I set my bike down preparing for a long wait. He told me that he would talk to his supervisor. A few minutes later, who should arrive but fellow Brooklynites Chris and Brian. They had seen my stickers down below and talked with the earlier flagman about me. Now there were 3 cyclists who didn’t want gaps. The flagman repeated his cougar story and then the pilot car returned. He gave us permission to cycle through the construction and recounted his bull moose story.
It was a 9-1/2% grade. Three miles from the top, it started to rain. I was hot and sweaty and the cold rain felt good. I was going to need my jacket on the way down though. Finally at 12:30pm I saw a downhill sign up ahead. Chris was roadside with his camera. He and Brian were humming the Rocky theme song as I arrived. I had made it to the top of Sherman Pass. We took numerous photos in front of the sign.
It was freezing cold coming down the mountain. I was wearing my jacket, but my fingers and legs were cold. There was new asphalt for a stretch which was pleasant. The rain finally let up, and I passed two female cyclists climbing up the other side. Further down into the valley I spotted two other cyclists climbing from the other direction and pulling bob trailers. Sherman Pass saw several cyclists today.
As I entered the valley, O’Brien creek was to my right. It was still overcast as I passed a warning sign, ‘An Abrupt Lane Edge. Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution’. The sign meant that there was brand new asphalt and they hadn’t yet drawn the white line. I stayed far away from the abrupt edge. I didn’t want to end up in the creek. Republic had a population of 1,073. There was more construction and another flagman at a bridge crossing entering town. I passed both an obelisk and a cube to represent the gold that had been mined from the nearby Kettle River.
I headed straight to the Republic Brewery, where Patrons’ steins were hanging from hooks. Chris and Brian joined me for a pint and sandwiches, and I ordered several Rusty Bucket Ales. The bathroom sink had a tap handle for the water valve. It was a great brewery, and a wonderful town. I went to the drug store next door to meet my Warm Showers host for the night. My TransAm friend from last year, Brian, stayed with Rob and Patty last year.
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