Day 3 - Winthrop WA to Coulee Dam WA, 98 miles, 6500' cumulative climbing

 After yesterday's long, rainy, windy, cold climb I was glad that today would have just one mountain to climb and half the elevation gain than yesterday, a total of 4000'.
But NO!  As you can see the route was updated due to road construction, and we now had two big climbs in front of us.  And lunch was at the top of the second pass, so no negotiating out of it!  Climb or go hungry.
My legs were definitely feeling the previous two days' 225 miles as we set out from Winthrop, but there was a 10 mile mostly downhill stretch before we reached the first ascent to warm up.    

Our little group of five riders was glad to have a chance to loosen up before the hard pedaling started.  On the climbing portions we stayed together and rode conservatively to get to the top.  It worked very well, as the motivation of a group nearly always spurs you on to greater heights (sorry!).  And the downhill runs, especially after reaching the first summit, were so much more fun than yesterday!  No wet roads, little wind and light traffic gave us the opportunity to fly downhill at 30-40 mph.  Sweet!

The lunch trailer was a welcome sight at the top of our final big climb for the day.  As usual, Susan and crew prepared a roadside feast, which today included grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, chicken salad, fresh fruit and vegetables, and caramel brownie bars.  And we had earned it too.  Pushing gears up hills burns a lot of calories.  The good news after lunch?  No rain in sight and a relatively easy final stretch home.  

More pictures from another scenic day: