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| Volcaones of Washington Bike TourSeptember 10 - September 23, 2003 |
The morning ride was relatively level and uneventful on the way to the lunch spot at Olmstead Place State Park. I did spot a large owl sitting in the open window of an old barn. We saw what I thought was an eggbeater windmill along the way. No one believed me that it was a windmill, but the previous link has a pretty good picture of what we saw.
The state park is directly adjacent to I-90. When the highway was built, the owners of the log cabin on the site refused to sell unless the state agreed to set aside some land and preserve the 1875 log cabin and 1908 farmhouse. Early settlers used to gather in the house, the largest in the area, to defend themselves from the irate local Native Americans. Some of our group wandered over to the farm to check out the antique tractor show.
Later we rode through the Yakima River Canyon for a long stretch. The river was lined with cottonwood trees amidst the bare surrounding hills. This is dry country, in the rain shadow of the Cascades. Many trout fisherman plied the waters below in elegant-looking drift boats. Mark would occasionally pass us to ride ahead and take photos.
By this time we were the last riders on the road, which occurred often during the trip. We prefer to stop often, take pictures, and try to see as many local sights as possible. We can ride fast and hard at home. When on vacation in an interesting, scenic location, it seems more appropriate to appreciate the sights than to compete with our fellow cyclists to see who arrives first at the inn.
The final 10 miles of the 80-mile trip to the Birchfield Manor involved riding on the interstate and through some of the less scenic areas of Yakima. Our leaders suggested that we all take the van to avoid this stretch. I was willing to ride as were some others, but interest waned after a while and we ended up putting all of the bikes on the van for the last miles.
The Birchfield Manor Country Inn was probably the most luxurious overnight stop. Our room had a large jacuzzi, decent beds, a two-person shower (it must have been the wedding suite) and a porch overlooking the valley and mountains beyond. Yakima, on the other hand, seemed to be a fairly unattractive industrial city. It was hard to get a feel for the city as we had our meals at the Inn, and the next day we rode through some of the not so scenic side streets to exit to the west.
One of my objections to tours like this is the inability to have time to explore the local sights. When I rode cross-country I would try to take as many side trips through the towns as possible, to get a real feel for the places through which we traveled.
At the wine and cheese party before dinner Mark led the impromptu group band in renditions of some simple tunes played on plastic tubes beat against the body. Sounds a little odd but it was fun. Just before dinner we all gathered behind the inn to watch the sun set.
I thought the food at the Birchfield was excellent: salmon wrapped in pastry, potatoes, zucchini, and a Caesar salad. After dinner we had our pick of Bicycle Adventure goodies: long- or short-sleeved t-shirts or hat.
