Walla Walla, WA to Pomeroy, WA. 69.5 miles.
After waking up in Union, OR, and eating a hearty breakfast of chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy at "Gravy Dave's", Todd (and Hazel) drove me back to Walla Walla to resume where I left off. After driving for two hours, Todd and I were both ready for another delicious sandwich at Graze. This time, he had the pastrami, and I had a turkey panini with pear and blue cheese. YUM!
Then, I said my goodbyes to Todd and Hazel, and rode over to Allegro Cyclery to get some air in my tires and put on sunscreen before picking up where I left off. The rain had stopped, and mostly sunny skies awaited me. The day of rest really helped my leg muscles heal a bit. I felt good, and ready to go.
It was 4:30 pm as I started out of Walla Walla, and I had my sights on a few towns that were in the 20-30 mile range, figuring I would just make a little progress this late in the day. My route took me off of Hwy 12 and onto Middle Waitsburg Rd, a quiet curvy road through rolling hills covered with beans, wheat, and, standing out especially when the sun was illuminating it, bright yellow canola. In the photo below, a small cemetery sits like an island, surrounded by beans. (you can click on the photos to make them bigger)
The road was a Porsche-enthusiast's, or Ducati rider's dream. The curves were gentle, banked, and for someone moving more than 12 mph, exhilarating.
The road I was on probably got its name from the first town I was to arrive at, around 20 miles from my starting point. The sign that greeted me as I pedaled into the tree-lined streets with old Victorian and Craftsman homes said, "Waitsburg Awaits You" (pop.1,217).
Off to the right, an open lot with horses grazing, and... ...a camel. Wait. Did my eyes just deceive me? Was one of those things I saw not like the others? I hit the breaks, rested my foot on the ground, and looked over my shoulder.
Yes, it was a camel hanging out with those horses. I stared for a few minutes in disbelief, then headed deeper into Waitsburg, wondering what else I was about to encounter. About a block down the road, a family was out in the front yard enjoying the sun. They were watching me as I was coasting by, smiling. I felt like I needed to say something to them. Without slowing down, I yelled, "There's a camel back there!" They laughed. The woman cupped her hands around her mouth to project her voice and replied, "That's Izzy". It was official. I wasn't hallucinating.
The main street in town is rich with history and full of character, dating back to the mid 1800's.
I stopped in the market to get a drink and the locals were chatting it up, talking a lot about nothing. I wondered if they had any decent coffee grounds I could buy to make a cup of joe on those days when I'm camping. I found a bag of locally roasted coffee. Perfect! As I picked it up, I could feel that it was whole bean. Darn! What are the chances that they have a grinder in this place that isn't used for meat? Hmmm. I'll ask up front. I interrupted the chatter as I was paying for my things to ask if they had a coffee grinder. One of the locals, a man with suspenders and a plaid shirt on, dusty from driving his tractor, interjected, "Well what you can do is take them there beans and go find yourself a rock and grind away". The front of the little market erupted in laughter. Silly question I guess.
About 5 miles further down the road was the Lewis & Clark Trails State Park with a campground. I pressed on. Arriving at the park with ease and still plenty of daylight, I turned my attention to the town of Dayton (pop. 2,526), another 5 miles down the road.
Dayton was bustling with activity. The annual crash derby was happening in town, and people from all over had descended on Dayton for the event. I considered going to check out the event, but lodging was scarce in this town.
From Dayton, the next town with services (Pomeroy) was another 36 miles down the road, or around 2.5 hours away. Hmmm. Do I go for it? I would likely have to ride in the dark for an hour. I was feeling great, coming off a day of rest, and decided to press on. What started out to be a leasurely evening ride turned into a 69.5 mile day, arriving at the Pomeroy Fairgrounds to camp late in the evening. The last few hours of my ride was all about the destination. But, I felt good about the progress I made.
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