Day 7: Roosevelt, WA to Umatilla, OR: Long day in the sun

Updated: Jul 23, 2023

Sunday June 11, 2023, 55 miles (89 km) - Total so far: 329 miles (529 km)

Today’s Route:

Today's route took us up and down the hills on HW14 along the Columbia River until we crossed back over the river into Yumatilla, Oregon. While it wasn’t the longest day we’ve had so far in terms of miles, for some reason it was the longest day for both of us overall. It was a low energy day for me - perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was the “just ok sleep” in a tent, or maybe it was that I just didn’t have enough to eat for breakfast and lunch. Upon reflection, I think it was mostly the lack of food. One instant oatmeal and half a banana and half a cup of coffee just didn’t cut it!

It also didn’t help that I, the master navigator, failed to pay close enough attention and had allowed us to ride three miles beyond our turnoff for our hotel! This only made our long day longer. Upon checking in we quickly discovered that our room had NO hot water..my assignment was to rectify this situation. Before long, we had a new room with hot water. After showering we remounted our “iron horses” to find the laundromat and a grocery store. We also scouted out where we could find a proper breakfast the following morning. As the forecast was for higher temperatures tomorrow, we commited to an early start.

One very bright spot - we needed a break and decided to stop for lunch along the road. We were right across the road from the only house we had seen for miles. A young guy in a cowboy hat was working outside listening to music when he noticed us. A few minutes later he walked across the road, introduced himself as Romero and handed us four cold bottles of water. He wished us well and safe travels. Thank you Jose Romero!

Weather:

Sunny and very hot

Riding conditions/traffic:

Riding along HW14 was great. Relatively low traffic. The bridge over the Columbia River had a nice lane with a wall separating pedestrians from the traffic.