Today, Jay stayed with me. I didn’t ask him to, but we needed to extend our stay at this location, and the RV Park needed us to move. Jay had walked over to the new spot and knew it would be a difficult pull-in. A backing site, for one. And very tight. Although I started out hoping to show him how well I could do, I failed. It was tough even for him, and he’s been a truck driver for thirty-six years. He had to get out several times to check his location. I have to be honest, I stepped out as soon as I got to the site. There was an electrical pole, trash cans lined along the road, and a berm built up directly in front of the site. It was crazy! I was freaking out, knowing full well I’d never get us in the spot. Finally, Jay managed.
It was a good thing also because the guys had wrapped up a hose and wire holding tube that was hanging near the middle jack and stairs. Apparently, it caught on a bolt, and when I triggered the dining room slide to come out, it pulled and popped. No electricity on that slide. Right where my computer and Starlink are powered. Thankfully, Jay was able to repair it within a few minutes. The electrical tape bulge is where the repair was done. Yes, that’s my stupid finger in the picture – LOL!
Now it looks like this, and it’s messy under there:
Jay took Art back to Iron Horse Trail, where he had ended two days ago. This trail has been really awful. And nothing about it changed. He continued over rough terrain. Look at all those rocks:
Someone stole Art’s front saddlebags at our previous spot. Sadly, we think it was another RVer who actually came over and helped us get parked in our place. He’s the only one who would have noticed them on the locked-up bike. It was so disappointing. We were staying at a city RV and camping area called Game Farm RV Park in Auburn, Washington. Art got a great deal on some used ones to replace them when we got to Cle Elum. Here we’re staying at a park called Whispering Pines. It’s beautiful, and just outside of the town of Cle Elum itself. However, Art had to ride a bit without the weight distributed on his recumbent. He had to ride around all these large rocks to prevent his bike from thrusting up in front and causing a possible fall:
Here is another picture along that trail:
At a fork in the trail, Art saw a road leading off to the left. It appeared that it was still part of the Iron Horse Trail. He followed it. As he got down a little way, it dead-ended at an ATV riding course. You can see ATVs are driving on this based on the tire marks. He had to turn around to get back on the trail. What a day!
Look at this cool “tree tunnel” Art got to ride through:
That’s one of the things I’ve loved about Washington State. Having never been here before, I had no idea how green and full the forests are. And until today, we have had sixty degrees Fahrenheit weather almost every day. Today, we had to run the air conditioner. It’s around eighty-nine degrees.
He passed this gorgeous lake:
And another:
And then a hidden gem. This waterfall:
And look at this photo of the mountains shrouded in clouds and fog:
Art took a “rail trail,” which many of these have been. They are old railroad tracks/paths no longer in service. He came upon an area with a sign to explain what the wooden structure was running over the top:
It’s hard to read, but it’s been built to prevent any avalanche from blocking the tracks or hitting a train. Here’s a picture of it:
These avalanche structures often provide shelter for wildlife during bad weather or when giving birth. I thought it was some pretty cool history.
But nothing beats this next incredible point of his journey yesterday. The train tunnel:
Without a good headlight on his bike, this would have been pitch black. You can’t see a thing. And you can’t see the end of it, either. It was two and a half miles long!
He saw the light in the distance and thought he was near the end. But as the light got closer, it split into two. He thought it might be a car and realized there wasn’t enough room to be safe! Alas, it was only two other bikers riding side by side. And as they passed, there was only darkness ahead of him. Where was the opening on the other end?
He finally reached it, hidden around a curve!
Ahhh, sunlight and freedom from the unknown!
Art rode a total of forty-nine miles and pulled into Whispering Pines RV Park while we were at the dog park with the dogs. He was beat! But, hey, he has met every one of his goals. Every one!
Next Up: Day Eight – A Riding Buddy, Part Way
On Hummingbirds Wings 