I discovered a slit in the rear tire sidewall - guess I must have ridden through some major pile of glass, or maybe I just hit it right. I called ahead to the bike shop in Colville to see if they had a replacement tire. They had a 700x28, not the 700x32 that I'm running on the bike right now. I picked it up anyway as a just in case. The slit doesn't seem to be through the tire, and it doesn't seem to be splitting further. So I'm going to leave the current tire on the bike and take the 700x28 as a spare. I'll switch it if I need to - but I'm hoping to pick up another 700x32 when I get to a bigger town in a few days. The bike shop was about to close for the holiday weekend, but they had a big sign on the door giving an emergency phone number for cyclists with bike trouble. That's nice to see, gives me a good feeling!
I climbed Tiger Pass in light rain. I think the grade was probably 6 to 8% for 4+ miles. I made a big mistake - I had stopped for a rest and a snack on the side of the road, and a very nice woman stopped and offered me a ride. I turned the ride down because the rain had tapered off and I figured the day was improving. Unfortunately I figured wrong. A bit further down the road it began to absolutely pour. And I'm positive the temperature didn't get much above 50 degrees (fahrenheit) today. I was pretty chilled by the time I hit Colville. I stopped at a gas station for some hot chocolate and just stood there shaking while I drank it. A campground wasn't even an option today. I checked into the Comfort Inn - and stood in a hot shower for 15 to 20 minutes before my feet warmed up. I need to figure out what to do - there was snow today on Sherman Pass and others over 5000 feet. I'm seriously thinking about getting a rental car and driving across the North Cascades. The passes really scare me in this type of weather - and the weather isn't supposed to change for at least 2 more days - more cold, rainy days. There are no rental cars here - I'll need to go back to Spokane, which is 70 miles down route 395. I'll decide in the morning.
I had a nice conversation with a woman at the campground this morning. She told me that she was in her mid-60's. She didn't seem even close to 60, which is more proof that staying active helps keep you young. She gave me a hug after we talked, and then she told me not to hesitate to knock on a stranger's door if I need help. She was concerned about my riding over the North Cascade passes in this crazy weather - and after today, I am too.
