Memorial Day River Run

This time of year the rivers are really beginning to pick up speed as they begin to dump their melt from feeders into the mighty Columbia. We decided to make a run up the Methow and see what we could see and play tag with the rains as they worked their way though the valleys.  So Mrs. RedTigre, Karen, and I mad a dash up river for lunch and see how long we could stay reasonably dry.  We stopped for some lunch in Pateros and was jaw-dropped at the size of a motel (resort?) that had gone in over the winter... can't stop progress I guess.

Below is Joan's "what is this progress business and where is my view of the river" face.

So with the bikes parked off we went to get a bite. There is a great deli/bakery there and the Methow River Cream Ale is a treat!

So well fed, we decide to head up the Methow river, but before we do, Karen gets to do the "missing key dance" (been there, done that, got the t-shirt).  If you've ever been out on a ride and had to dance this dance, you know the anxiety of it! Funny thing is we were talking before we left about always carrying a spare attached to one's-self and if there was ever a time to remind us the value of the discussion, today was it. Always have a second key, always have it attached to you in a way that can never get lost or misplaced, and especially not locked in a saddle bag or trunk when you absolutely have to have it!

But she is getting faster getting her rain gear on and off!


So we got all the way to Winthrop with only some minor squalls, and decide to loop down the other side of the river by Bear Creek Lumber and the USFS Smoke Jumper training school because it looked like we could skirt the storm when the rain decided to be a poor sport about the whole thing. Of course, Joan says "I thought you said we'd probably skirt it" as we get hit hard by the rain.

Yep, time to get wet.  Next time I'll under-promise and over-deliver.

But as rains come up and down the Methow this time of year we are out out it within about 10 minutes and the rest of the down-river journey was without accusation (the intercom became disconnected somehow) and we took a break at Well's Dam to stretch.

They have one of the turbine screws out on display and Mistress is dwarfed by it.

There are also some very cool pictographs from the tribes that were here a long time ago, and the earliest here in North America were dated 4500-6000 BC.

The ride back along Apple Acre Road, Chelan, Navarre Coulee, Entiat, then home... and we missed all the caravans to boot!