Report by Marj Murphy and Garfield Clack

Jaaaa….Marj and I are now back a day or two from the ten-day cycle tour of the Eastern Washington State wheatlands. And an excellent tour it was. Some attachments for fun.

There were twenty two of us, with women in the majority. The planning, organization, leadership, and just plain attention paid to our comfort, was superb. Even the constitutionally grumpiest and most demanding could find very little to chew on or stew over. Operating from three plus hubs provided rectangular rides over varied terrain. We had special access to a museum, and a most informative session with one of the local wheat farmers. Not much wild animal life but plenty of big and small birds to be seen.

There were strong winds, steep hills and descents over generally rolling farmlands. Someone with an altimeter noted that we had climbed over 16,000 feet during the tour. The wind received the most mention: it was always strong and steady. By definition, each ride faced a headwind, two crosswinds, and a glorious tailwind – not always in that order. In the mornings, the winds required warmer clothing and wind-breakers. Two days of rain were refreshing. About one inch of an annual rainfall of 12 inches fell during our longest ride – of about 100k. We also saw a lot of sun, and took it all in our stride.

For our money, the tour was one the club would do well to consider repeating.