Day three and the hot weather has begun! It was in the high 80's with sunshine galore.
We started by crossing the Columbia River Bridge, a huge structure that spans the river, providing a majestic view. A view I was unable to capture on film due to the competing emotions of, Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful! and Good grief! I am going to die crossing this bridge in heavy traffic! (A family we met, who had crossed the bridge the day before while traveling from Canada on their bicycles, said they just closed their eyes and went as fast as they could!)
Climbing out of the Columbia River Gorge, the view presented a beautiful scene exemplifying the power of water to shape the land, as the Columbia River snaked its way though rock forming deep canyons. However, soon we were in a big band of irrigated cropland. Irrigation brought by Roosevelt's Grand Coulee Dam, (see link above) meant to tame the Columbia and provide food for a growing nation. We passed miles and miles of crops being irrigated by a variety of man-made devices, from huge traveling sprinklers over potato plants, to drip irrigation attached to individual grape vines. Apparently, this area is at the same latitude as Bordeaux, France but produces 5 times the volume of high quality grapes. Additionally, the county with the USA's highest potato production is located within Washington's vast irrigated land.
We climbed into the high desert land and another scene change, wheat fields. Not acres of wheat, miles of wheat. The land moved from sharp climbs to rolling hills. Unfortunately for me, the heat, a slight tail wind, and a few poor choices on my part combined producing heat exhaustion. No lasting damage and we finished the day, but I sure learned the drink lots of water, and yes, sports drinks are needed, rule while bicycling through a desert!
We spent the night in Odessa, a welcoming town of 1000 residents. Passing out a 7:30, I awoke a little wiser and ready for the trip to Spokane.
We started by crossing the Columbia River Bridge, a huge structure that spans the river, providing a majestic view. A view I was unable to capture on film due to the competing emotions of, Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful! and Good grief! I am going to die crossing this bridge in heavy traffic! (A family we met, who had crossed the bridge the day before while traveling from Canada on their bicycles, said they just closed their eyes and went as fast as they could!)
Climbing out of the Columbia River Gorge, the view presented a beautiful scene exemplifying the power of water to shape the land, as the Columbia River snaked its way though rock forming deep canyons. However, soon we were in a big band of irrigated cropland. Irrigation brought by Roosevelt's Grand Coulee Dam, (see link above) meant to tame the Columbia and provide food for a growing nation. We passed miles and miles of crops being irrigated by a variety of man-made devices, from huge traveling sprinklers over potato plants, to drip irrigation attached to individual grape vines. Apparently, this area is at the same latitude as Bordeaux, France but produces 5 times the volume of high quality grapes. Additionally, the county with the USA's highest potato production is located within Washington's vast irrigated land.
We climbed into the high desert land and another scene change, wheat fields. Not acres of wheat, miles of wheat. The land moved from sharp climbs to rolling hills. Unfortunately for me, the heat, a slight tail wind, and a few poor choices on my part combined producing heat exhaustion. No lasting damage and we finished the day, but I sure learned the drink lots of water, and yes, sports drinks are needed, rule while bicycling through a desert!
We spent the night in Odessa, a welcoming town of 1000 residents. Passing out a 7:30, I awoke a little wiser and ready for the trip to Spokane.
1 comment:
Margarita, Didn't we all admonish you to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!?!? Girlfriend, drink like a fish (and nothing from those glorious grapes you passed!) Be careful! Lots of people care about you and don't want you getting heat exhaustion! Hugs!
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