Day 5 - Yakima, WA to Kennewick, WA - 81.5 miles - 1827 ft of elevation gain

Each day I’ve had a song pop in my head while riding. Today’s song was a little random, because it’s not exactly one I sing regularly.

“You take the good, you take the bad
You take them both and there you have
The facts of life, the facts of life…”

Yet another morning where we stepped out of the hotel to rain. We were assured that the rain would end, so we headed out with light jackets and a view of clear skies way off in the distance.

The first 10 miles were flat as we exited the town, then we started our steady climb for the next 10 miles. At some point the rain stopped and the wind picked up, thankfully it was on our backs. Some of our water/snack stops don’t exactly have good places for the “ladies room,” I should have considered a portable tent, especially for the desert. After the one stop I took off ahead of the group in hopes of the trees ahead being a good ladies room, they weren’t, so I rode on. I figured the group would catch up, but with minimal effort I was hitting 21 mph. I backed off and the wind just kept pushing me forward. Eventually they caught up!

There was one more hill climb before we made our 50 mile descent to the town of Kennewick. It was a fast moving day, partly because of the wind and partly because of the terrain. Most of the 81.5 mile ride was spent in the desert. The roads were long and straight. Our lunch stop was a mile off the path but the only oasis available at the 60 mile mark.

As we approached town, we jumped on a bike path that avoided the highway and took us near the Columbia River. There is just something about hiking or biking near water, given the 88 degrees in town it just seemed cooler.

This was our longest ride yet, but the first ride that everyone did start-to-finish! We might have also defined our tan lines today. I don’t know if the word has spread, but tan lines are in style this season!

After showers, we loaded up in the van for another field trip to hit some bike shops and an REI for supplies. Then it was pizza and a movie night in Al and Mike’s room.

Two more ride days before a rest day!