Boy, a lot of climbing today. Must have pedaled uphill for 45 miles. Really sore. My legs don’t know what’s going on. They do not know about this trip yet. I haven’t told them. Maybe I’ll tell them next week.

Rode east from Concrete, past Rockport State Park. Saw the sign reading, “North American Alps.” Got above Ross Dam on Route 20 East, aka North Cascades Highway. Spectacular scenery. Saw many beautiful waterfalls. Logging country up here, though sadly, a lot of it has already been logged.

Not too much traffic today. A rottweiler jumped out on to the road, wanting to chase me. He just wanted to play…but he didn’t get too far. He was old.

I didn’t get eaten up by slugs. (They eat live things.) Kept a lookout to make sure all those slugs on the shoulder didn’t crawl up my bike.

Tomorrow will probably be 25 miles of climbing and roughly 30 miles of downhill. Looks like it will be fairly good weather. At the end of the day, I will have gotten through what is typically the rainiest part of the state of Washington–without hitting much rain.

It’s really, really great to be on the road, making a reality of all the planning, and meeting wonderful people.