Team 1 Day 6 (Kayla)

Today we would climb pass #3 - Wauconda Pass. Knowing I would be slow, I got a 30 minute head start from Liz and Keelin but this time I had company. We had made friends with a fellow northern tier cyclist, Fisher, a few days prior and camped with him in Omak and Tonasket. Unfortunately he was experiencing pain in his ankle, but that meant that my 5 mi/hr climbing pace was perfect for his recovery. We rode together through range land - dry rolling hills of grass and sage brush. The sun was finally out and was bearing down on us with a fiery intensity, making the climbing that much more exhausting. When we stopped in the shade about 13 miles in keelin and Liz caught up and we cycled the remaining 13 mi to the summit reunited as a group. As we climbed the dry farmland gave way to evergreens, and soon we found ourselves in a forest again, which helped provide some relief from the sun. After a nice lunch break of peanut butter tortillas (or just plain tortillas for Liz) we coasted down the back side of the pass into republic. Once in republic we quickly spotted a brewery with a natural foods store next door. Through the window I could see some beautiful fresh watermelon and I knew that was exactly what I needed. We bought two (along with some sore muscle relief balm) and sat outside the store, each with a half, blissfully spooning out the fruit.  Once we finished our watermelons we went next door to have a beer, where we quickly discovered that our tolerance was non-existent. Slightly tipsy off our one beer each we got back on our bikes to finish our route, straight up for a mile, to the home of our hosts for the evening. The Slagle’s graciously open their homes to northern tier cyclists and had hosted several prior years of uconn students. We were treated with warm showers, laundry, and a home cooked meal of lasagna, salad and beans with brownies for dessert. The day concluded with 45 minutes of full body massage in their wonderful massage chair.