The distance of our days' rides is partly set by the location of towns where we can stop for the night. Today was a fairly long haul, 66 miles plus another 5 in town here to shopping and dinner. Tomorrow, on the other hand, we plan to go only about 30 miles because the alternative is more like 80. So today was our longest so far, and also had the most climbing, 4000'.
Leaving Walla Walla this morning, the terrain was rolling, and instead of yesterday's desert, there were wheat fields as far as we could see. After about 20 miles we were back in desert/cattle country except for the green stripes along creeks. Our elevation gradually rose to 2100', but then gave 500' back on a fast descent to the small town of Dayton. There we met three 20-somethings also heading across the country by bike, two girls and a young man who was packing a large revolver "outside his pants for all the honest world to feel". They left a few minutes before us, but we quickly overtook them. One of the girls remarked on the tough hill we were climbing- she has some nasty surprises ahead of her.
The last part of the ride was steady but easy climbing in somewhat greener land, with wheat and other crop fields.
In Pomeroy we connected with a woman running a B&B, and relaxed over wine in her garden before riding to dinner. At the restaurant (THE restaurant) we met two men cycling cross country, hoping to finish in one month. One of them was icing a sore knee. Superstition keeps us from feeling too smug that our knees don't need that.
Pomeroy is a struggling town of 1500 with many nice Victorian houses and many closed shops.
For a few miles today we actually had a crosswind, breaking our perfect record of a sustained tailwind since we began. The weather is too good to last, but we are grateful for it.
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