If you haven’t yet seen my 2008 entry, see below for Desert 100, Odessa 2008.
This year I was better prepared! I packed up already on Thursday evening; stuffed my 21”/18” knobby wheels on the back, packed a toothbrush and a change of clothes. Friday morning I rode to work as usual, albeit with a fully loaded bike. By 3pm I closed down the computer, left the office and set off for my adventure. My first stop is in Cle Elum at my favorite watering hole, the Pioneer Coffee Roasting Company. As usual I have a Latte, with that creamy frothy lather shaped in a acorn leaf. It is bliss after crossing the chilly Snoqualmie pass!
From Cle Elum I push due east with a short break at the Running Horses Monument by the Columbia River.
After this short break the route goes straight West to Moses Lake where I spend the night at a roadside hotel. It was a pleasant surprise to have a lake room and a beautiful sunset to relax with.
Saturday morning starts out with frostbite but a clear and sunny sky. Off I set towards Odessa!
Arriving at the temporary camp ground a few miles west of Odessa I soon set up my little “workshop” and change the wheels over to my knobbies. I befriend some of the other guys who have a more serious setup and leave my bags with them during the day.
The sign-up line is long and the 30 minutes it takes feels like an eternity. Eventually I am all set! And off I go! The dual-sport track consists of one (or two) lap on the family track followed by a number of road segments interspersed with single track exploration. The single track is really easy and pleasant, which is fortunate since the bike is a bit too heavy to haul around on serious single tracks.
The family run has its own challenges. This year I am taking it easy as I am dead set on not crashing and hurting myself. My dedication pays off since I complete the race no worse for wear, even though I wished I had been airborne a few more times like the first year. Well, age takes its toll and I am better off this way.
However I am not totally without incidents. The first and only drop was when the bike got intimidated by a set of big rocks with barbed wire string across. I don’t blame the bike for hesitating and deciding to lie down. It takes some coaxing but I eventually get the bike back on the track. However not much later we come across some bones left from last year’s race. Horrible to find remnants like this. By now the bike is really upset and we set off on the shortest route back! 🙂
The race and my off-road day eventually comes to an end. I am really satisfied with the adventure! Well, it isn’t fully over: now it is time to shift back to my street wheels, load up the bike and head home. It is with a great sense of accomplishment I set of into the setting sun (i.e. going West back to Seattle).
Unfortunately, as I stop by the roadside to complete my video documentary, I don’t close my backpack properly and actually loose the camera somewhere north of the I90. I discover it some 30 min later as I stop to check the packing before getting on the I90. Great sadness ensues, but I am too tired to return and look for it and since I wont get home until 10pm I really don’t want to add another hour. It just means I need to come back next year to get the video documentary completed! 🙂
Vackra naturbilder