Moses Lake to Ritzville

Wednesday, June 18, 2004

Westbound: Ellensburg to Moses Lake Eastbound: Ritzville to Spokane Valley

In the morning the ankle was very tender. I prepared some more of my food, packed, and got ready to leave. It was a funny morning. I hadn’t slept that well, probably from worry, woke early, and then went back to sleep. Getting the bike out of the room was a bit of a challenge both because I was hurt but also because the room was two full steps above the outdoor hallway and the passageway was less than the length of the bike in width. It was a tight turn on a good day. I did what I had to.

The good news was that the morning was clear and cool, the traffic was light, and steady pedaling did not stress the ankle. The idea of keeping it warm, mobile, and well- profused gave me hope of not only avoiding further injury but also perhaps gaining some healing. The bad news was that starting up from a standstill hurt. Badly.

Well, I like to ride for several hours at a time. Avoiding stops gave me more incentive to keep going.

The trip to Ritzville was only about 40 miles. I had planned this short day as a rest opportunity to promote conditioning during the first week. Now it was a welcome respite from the injury. The trip down the Interstate was uneventful.

As I left the Interstate for Ritzville, I found a big diner-type restaurant. It was more than time for lunch and I was ready to eat. I took my time over a hot beef sandwich and enjoyed my book. When I was ready to leave, I asked if any of the motels was near a laundromat. The answer was more than acceptable and useful. The only laundramat in town was at the Empire Motel, where I had planned to stay. Excellent.

I rode slowly through town until I reached the Motel. The sign board gave more good news. The price was even lower than I had hoped and it included free use of a highspeed internet connection. What’s better than excellent?

The motel is older but quite clean with large well equipped rooms. It was as nice as any place I stayed. The internet connection was a Cat-Five cable in the office to which I could attach the Dell. That worked.

I got myself moved in, sorted my laundry, got that going, showered, and then checked out the internet for a bit. I then returned to the room, finished the laundry, and read until I was ready for supper.

I had taken most of the luggage off the bike. That allowed me to ride around town basically one-footed to reduce the strain on the bad ankle. I found a nice looking drive-in a few blocks to the east. There I had a good Barbeque Beef with superb French Fries. The woman in charge was quite friendly and wanted to hear everything about my trip. After a long chat, I figured I needed to get back to sleep, and she might need to run her business. I thanked her for a very pleasant meal. She asked when I was leaving. I said as early as I could. She replied that she would be on her way with friends to Spokane at 7 am and hoped to honk and wave as they went by. I rejoined that if they left at 7, they probably would be well ahead of me but I would be happy for the encouragement.

I got back to the room, read, and went to sleep.

44 miles in 3:59 on the bike for an average of 11 mph.

Back Up to Tacoma to Sandpoint

Westbound: Ellensburg to Moses Lake Eastbound: Ritzville to Spokane Valley