Apple Century

[bikerHen]

WOW, was that an interesting ride! Four of us made a camping weekend of it and really had a good time. Two gals did the 50 and my sister and I did the 100. Took me four hours to do the 50 miles out and 2.75 hours to come back. We of course had a headwind going most of the way UP the canyon and part of the way back down. Didn't see any deer. But I must say those last few miles up to the turn around were brutal. It's just beautiful up there and I was going slow enough to enjoy the views.

I was very lucky on my return. When I got back to the highway there was a VERY strong tailwind that pushed me back into town. I don't think my speed dropped below 20MPH. This was by far my strongest finish. My friends who did the 50 weren't so lucky. They had a headwind along that stretch and had to fight their way back into town.

I must say the wind is very interesting in Wenatchee! It blows hard and every which way in those canyons. One minute the wind is howling and next it's perfectly calm. It definitely added a little spice to the weekend

One Sunday we did a couple of lap around their river loop trail. It is a super nice trail to ride. Another great weekend of riding. Now I'm staying home and riding lots of miles to get ready for my next adventure, STP! bikerHen

[ttaylor508]

Boy, you aren't kidding about the weird winds! We started at about 7:45am and had a nice tail wind out of town on Hwy 97. Wind died down once we turned onto the Entiat river road which I really enjoyed since you miss so much when you are driving it. We stopped at our cabin on the way up to let the dog out and grab a bite to eat and then got back on course. We made excellent time on the way back down the river as we had an awesome tail wind and hooked up with a couple of pretty strong riders for the entire way down river. By the time we turned onto Hwy 97 back towards Wenatchee, the wind was brutally in our face. That last 18 miles was tough with the wind. We finished at about 1:20pm so total ride time was 5:11 with about a 15 minute stop at the cabin. Beer tasted really good in beer garden, but the band was a bit loud for me, guess I am showing my age. I am very proud to say that my buddy finished her first century, YAH! She road with her husband and finished around 3:45p. I was so proud of her and she even had a smile on her face at the end.

Sunday we took a hike up to the waterfall behind our property. I have never been up that far before, pretty cool views. Here is some photos from our hike.

[bikerHen]

I kept hearing those waterfalls, but could only spot one up in the cliffs. Such a pretty canyon! Quite the contrast to the stark Columbia River Valley.

Great ride time! You must have been one of those smiling, happy rider blowing down the road as we were struggling uphill into the headwind. Sounds like you caught the same headwind my friends did on the hwy. For what it's worth, they said the band was a bit loud too and not that good. Maybe we're all showing our age. The band was packing up when I got back so I was able to eat in peace. bikerHen