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Ride across America

The Northern Cascades: a beautiful series of never-ending blind summits

Iain Lauren Bike across America


  • Day 4: July 10th - 65 miles
  • Day 5: July 11th - 43 miles
  • Total: 296 miles

July 12, 2023 | The Northern Cascades are truly beautiful but they do seem to go on forever, especially when you are climbing on a bike.  We completed our fourth straight day of mountain passes today (in order: Washington; Loup Loup; Wauconda, Sherman) and feel like we have finished a major section.  Over the last four days we have climbed over 18,000 feet.  We crossed the Columbia River today and the next few days will be much easier on the climbing legs.

Iain Lauren Bike across America


As you are climbing one of the passes, you can see a bend ahead and it looks like the road starts to level out.  But then you make the turn and the road goes up again…and again…and again.  Today was 18 miles of climbing five to seven percent grades with no break.  But the good news was that a) it was cool and cloudy and b) we had an epic 25 miles of downhill on a well paved, quiet road :-)

Last night we stayed in Republic, WA with a Warm Showers host - beautiful house and very nice couple who fed us dinner and breakfast.  Tonight we are in a ‘resort’ (that is a stretch….) so we can do some laundry. All our clothes (seen below) were getting pretty smelly.

Iain Lauren Bike across America


Oh, and it rained!  Coming to the top of Wauconda Pass on the way to Republic, it started raining and then on the descent into town, it got much colder.  We actually had to break out the cold weather gear to stop shivering.

OK, final point - a pop quiz:  how many towns in the U.S. are called ‘Republic’?

Iain Lauren Bike across America


Iain Lauren Bike across America



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