Season 4 Episode 3. What now?

Season 4. Episode 3. What now?

7/22/24 continued. 

Within 10 minutes of leaving the encounter with the fire fighter boss, I started replaying the exchange and conversation in my head. I thought of all the more appealing things I could have said to persuade him to let us through. I was beating myself up on “failing this negotiation”. I know you can’t negotiate with fire (even Moses lost his “negotiation” with the burning bush in Exodus), but I thought I could have achieved a different outcome with the fire boss. 

Heather was kind to tell me there was no way he was allowing us to pass through, and I should stop dwelling on it. I still couldn’t help thinking I failed. But I decided then and there to let it go and move forward. Everything that happened now was our path forward and the adventure we were meant to have. 

We settled into the AirBnB in Marblemount. We had lots of work to do. Heather tackled laundry - lucky us there was a washer and dryer. We have a 3 day supply of bike clothes and needed a refresh. 

While we had retreated back west to indoor lodging, we had no plan. There are only 3 real ways to cross Washington west to East. SR 20 (closed now), and Highway 2, and Interstate 90 (I90) a bit to the south. I knew a bit of the route of trails and farm roads that parallels I90.

We now had various factors to consider:

Our originally planned end date of September 25th has 6 days grace until the hard stop date by which we must be home. If we maintained our originally planned pace, we would “lose” 3 days now and it was ONLY day #3. That did not bode well to finish the ride as there were so many ways we could lose more days with 10 weeks still to go. 

Adrenaline and motivation were high now to try to ride greater daily distances to try and make up time so to cut our loss to only 1 or at most 2 days. We are still fresh without weeks of accumulated fatigue and aches. This risks burn out and injury. We need to remember the long game - it’s a marathon, not a sprint. 

We could rent a car and drive around the closure to resume our route. This made sense as it was easiest to get back on our planned route without researching new routes for riding distance and elevation as well as checking new lodgings. But this option had little appeal to us. It felt like cheating and would be a last resort only if there was no riding option. 

We did not want to choose an option that could get blocked again by fire, but that’s literally trying to guess where lightning will strike which is what causes many of these fires. 

Before going to bed, I spent hours checking Google maps and Ride with GPS, an amazing planning app. Though it is much harder to use the app on my phone than the full size website on a laptop. We decided on future trips we need a laptop. It’s worth carrying the weight. I also was tracking fires using https://inciweb.wildfire.gov which is a site I’ve used for some years but now also using Watch Duty that the fire “boss” had told me is even better (see, it was a helpful encounter). We were also consulting www.airnow.gov for air quality. The problem with fires and air quality is you cannot forecast a week ahead like you can with weather. 

While we prefer having a full trip plan set out in advance, we now had to go a day at a time. I went to bed much too late but at least with a vision for how this could play out. We decided tomorrow we would ride south to Snohomish and that would position us to choose riding either on Highway 2 or the I90 path. 

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7/23/24 Marblemount to Snohomish, WA 80 miles. 1408’ climb. 

Before riding, I was checking out breakfast options at the roadside coffee stand in front of our house. As is my habit, I was asking questions of the server when after about a minute of such conversation, I hear a familiar voice from behind me say “Mark”? I’m thinking who the hell knows me in this town? 

I turned around and though it’s out of context I recognized John, the park ranger from Colonial Creek. He had been very supportive and helpful yesterday. In fact, yesterday evening when he saw us riding on the highway past the campground, he asked if we were just going to get groceries - he’d be happy to help, but we told him of our encounter and we were reversing course with the closure to be at least 4 days. 

Now I was thrilled to see him. He likes the coffee here so he went for a drive. We had a great conversation as I shared our various considerations mentioned above. 

His sage advice was if this is a once in 20 years kind of bike trip, then depending on how important “finishing” is, why don’t we meander and enjoy riding out west and we can always explore the eastern part closer to home another time. I liked that thought and it cemented for me no car hop unless we must do so to skirt another fire. I also thought that if we finish riding somewhere in upstate NY I could easily shuttle home and then return upstate to complete the full ride another time. 

I called John a wise elder to which he questioned my term. I think he thought I looked older than him. We quickly established we were born 3 weeks apart, him first. He laughed and said “I guess I am the elder”.

John the sage Park Ranger, a wise elder. 

I returned to the house and Heather said “wow you’re in a good mood”. I told her about my chat with John and she should come say hello. 

Heather, John and I chatted about forest fires and he told us about when he lived in Colorado and twice was nearly evacuated from his home. He explained the 3 stages of government warnings you get: READY. SET. GO. In the ready and set stages you decide what you would pack up and take with you. Isn’t that an interesting question to ponder? Silverware or photo album? He would pack up some of the artwork his kids made when younger. What’s irreplaceable? When we live out of two cycling panniers, it’s easy to see there is not much stuff that’s all that essential. 

Our house in the woods behind the gas station. 

Back along the Skagit River for about 8 miles. 

Mt. Baker approaches. 

Logging Mills near Darrington, WA.

Mt. Baker up close.

We rode by and discovered the memorial to the Oso landslide that buried a town. It was the largest in US history and was only 10 years ago. Why didn’t I know of this disaster? I don’t even remember hearing of it then. An entire town taken out. It also made me wonder about the stability of some of the mountain ridges we ride across. Surely more landslides will occur somewhere. 

Beyond the memorial you can see where the mountain “broke” and slid down.

Not quite Haystacks by Van Gogh but reminded me of it. 

A mile before our hotel we made a critical stop. Towards the end of yesterday’s ride, I lost use of about a third of my gears and it had been the least of my concerns, but we now found a bike store. The repair was my first of the trip and Heather needed one too - her third. But beyond the maintenance, a bike shop is the best place to get route advice. The staff were emphatic that we avoid cycling Highway 2 and outlined our path the next few days and probably towards Spokane. This idea appealed as Spokane would give us options of a car rental, flight or Amtrak train if we needed to leap past fires in Idaho. Plus, being close to I-90 provided the option always of riding an interstate rarely closed due to fire, although that’s exactly what happened in Oregon today! Nowhere is immune when the west is burning up. 

Aron and Greg, bike mechanical wizards and navigation experts. 

After dinner in the historic downtown, riverside area of Snohomish, i “needed” comfort - so it was cookie Monster- 2 scoops!

After flying to Seattle, renting a car to drive north to Bellingham, cycling east towards Mazama, we now have pedaled back southwest towards Seattle. Another long day!

Copyright Mark Segal 2024.