Kettle River
I went out to the Kettle River (the northeast corner of the state) to visit John and his family. They have a nice piece of land that is right on the river, next to a 3 mile dead end road that goes through national forest, and with almost no neighbors. Great dirt road and paved road riding abounds, and when you get back and it is hot and sunny you can jump into the river and go for a float.
We went on two rides. The first was an out and back on a dirt road going up a mountain. We saw 0 vehicles but about 20 cows that wouldn’t get out of our way for a few miles. The second ride was a loop that went a little over 20 miles and we saw 10 cars, despite being on paved roads. It had one climb, lots of rollers, and better scenery than I can find near Seattle. I’m surprised that there aren’t more cyclists heading out this way for vacations.
In the evenings I had fun hanging out with John’s family by the fire and eating some excellent food. It also helped to see a bit more blue sky than we’ve had on the western side of the state this year.
I enjoyed this view for much of the weekend.
This view is across the river and up some hills from the fire pit
Liza enjoying some time by the river at one of the fishing spots
I took this photo because the sky and landscape looked awesome. When I got back to the house Liza (who was riding behind me) said "Did you get a good photo of that moose?" They thought I had stopped for the Moose, which you can see if you look carefully to the right of the road.
Full moon, river views, good company
'Stine, who used to work at Free Range Cycles, now lives in Eastern WA. She dropped by on Friday and made a very nice paella on the fire.
There seemed to be an endless collection of fire roads to explore
These cows insisted on riding with us for about 5 miles. It was slow and smelly,but they finally found a field to stop at
I brought my new folding kayak and paddled down the river a couple of times
An old farm that we rode past on a ride. We headed into the valley beside it...great riding and no traffic.
wildflowers and a barn
Lake Roosevelt was created by daming the Columbia River. There are some lost towns under it.
This trike is many sizes too large for Maddie,but she handles it better than any of the adults
Stunning!
What kind of bike is the red bike with the fat tires and drop handlebars…that’’s a pretty neat looking ride:-)
That is a Rawlands dSogn. They aren”t made anymore, but the rSogn just came out and is similar.
Awesome pics, Alex.
That picture of the campfire with the full moon and its reflection on the river is amazing. What kind of camera captured that image?
Panasonic GH2 with the 14/2.5 lens at f2.5. I like this photo even better, but it didn”t fit into the blog as nicely:
http://alexandchristine.smugmug.com/Travel/Washington-State/Kettle-River-July-2011/18109106_NXv5×4#1389505115_L4Kb7dq
dang! Your camp meals look better than the stuff I cook at home! Can I come camping with you next time??
Nice photos too! Definitely a step above looking at cornfields, and as nice as the view of cranes and assorted waterfowl along the Illinois River.
Steve in Peoria