John’s Ramblings

Day 6 – Crow Butte Park to Walla Walla – 89 miles
(or, Let’s see what a real bed feels like)

Friday was the last day of RAW. The weather was again cooperating, with 100% blue skies and a gentle tailwind as we started our riding day. Our route was the same as it had been for the last few: East on Hwy 14. For 20 miles, anyway. The highway did a bit of rolling, with a net gain of a few hundred feet of altitude over that distance, giving us some nice views of the river.

As we turned off Hwy. 14, the organizers placed a rest stop and sani-can, which proved to be a very popular attraction. The line to get into the sani-can was long, perhaps a wait of 15 minutes or more.
	Some folks got more creative, and utilized the adjoining corn field for relief. These folks got back on the road WAY faster.

We crossed back over to the Oregon side of the river, using a bikeway on the I-82 bridge. After turning eastward again, I was soon on familiar territory. As it turned out today’s RAW lunch stop was at Hat Rock Park, the same stop as on the Saturday 100 mile ride for the Century Ride of the Centuries, which I rode Memorial Day Weekend. Having a sudden craving for grits, I had to settle for a cold burrito (complete with cold refried beans).

After lunch, we followed the Columbia until it turned northward. We continued east on US Hwy 12. The folks I had been riding with referred to this section of the river as “The Gap”, which later research reveals is actually the Wallula Gap, a natural formation 16 miles south of Pasco, near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. As we parted ways with the river, our climate immediately changed. We had lost our tailwinds for the last time, as well as the cooling effects of same winds. The last 30 or so miles would be quite warm, and there was a fair amount of climbing to be done for the balance of the day. As the road kicked up, I lost my little riding group as I went into “spin mode”, trying to conserve energy. Although this RAW route had (in the opinion of the seasoned veterans) been the easiest ever, I was definitely feeling the fatigue of having spent 6 consecutive days in the saddle. Soon enough, I was passing wineries with greater frequency, a sure sign that Walla Walla was near. I passed the folks I had been riding with earlier. Byron, Helen, and Sherry were stopped 3 miles from the finish line, asking the locals for directions to the nearest espresso stand. My focus was on finishing, so I did not join them in their mocha-quest.

The ride finished at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds. Some of the support volunteers and early-arrivals were there applauding folks as they crossed the finish. More importantly, there was cold beer in a cooler just inside the gate. Terri arrived shortly thereafter, having made the solo drive in order to meet me here for a wine-tasting weekend. We opted to skip the steak and country music finish line party, and headed to the hotel for a shower. At Russ’ recommendation, we had BBQ at a local place called Mr. Ed’s (the pulled pork was lovely, thank you).

Overall, kudos to the folks that organize this ride and keep the whole train moving. Although it may have been the “easiest” RAW, I looked upon it as a nice introduction to multi-day biking and camping, with an emphasis on relaxation. Yes, I’d do RAW again (provided I can get a week-long hall-pass).

Terri and I hung out in Walla Walla until Monday. We did a little wine tasting on Saturday and Sunday, and we watched a bit of the meteor shower on Sunday night. We also made a little side-trip to Pendleton to have another one of these:

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