Day 18, 5/26/10 - Wilbur to Davenport, WA

Just the Basics: Today we only rode 29 miles and climbed about 700 feet; it was our first day of riding mostly in rain - albeit, a light rain. Our rain gear was adequate, so the rain was no problem. We also had a head wind much of the time - it was supposed to average about 10 mph; we guess that was true. Quite a bit of traffic on US 2 but shoulders and visibility adequate and we are very conservative riders, stopping and pulling off anytime the traffic so dictates.

No photos today - it was raining!

Most of our ride today was through agricultural land which looked much like the Palouse or the Horse Heaven Hills near Richland - vast fields of wheat, some cattle, some sagebrush. We have begun seeing pine trees, too! The motel manager told us that Lincoln County, where Davenport is located, ranks 2nd in wheat production in the state.

For some time to come our riding distances will pretty much be dictated by where there are places to stay and eat! If you read our blog yesterday you will know that we will layover in Davenport tomorrow due to anticipated rain all day. Early Friday we head to the White Willow Motel outside Fruitland where we layover until Tuesday morning, 6/1/10 - we don't want to be on the road over the Memorial Day weekend.

For Those Who Want More: Nice memories from today include:

• A breakfast of cold pizza and apples in our motel in Wilbur with coffee from the office in ceramic mugs and a nice chat with the male half of the managerial couple, both of whom grew up near-by;
• Stopping for BIG bowls of hot oatmeal with lots of raisins and brown sugar in Creston, at about Mile 10;
• Stopping for a peanut butter cookie break by the roadside - 3 very curious horses came thundering up to the fence on the other side of the road to check us out - Riley was tempted to go offer them cookies but we didn't think we could get close enough to the fence;
• Stopping for a banana break and pit stop at the only roadside rest between Creston and Davenport, at Telford - it's on the map, although we saw no sign of a settlement;
• Enjoying a very tasty Mexican dinner at Davenport's only regular restaurant that serves dinner - there's a Subway and a burger place and a little cafe which offers breakfast and lunch, but not dinner. Nice chatting in Spanish with our waiter, who hails from Veracruz.
• Watching the News Hour in our cozy room, sitting on a comfy couch and looking forward to tomorrow's layover day!