Then we headed down the road to Twisp. I took my time, but my knees were still really hurting. During a break I took a few advil, and put on some suncreen (yay the sun finally came out!) and pushed on.
Not one of us, but another cross country rider and his dog. His wife is carrying all of his gear in an RV.The next hurdle was the Loup Loup pass, about 12 miles of very steady climbing. Every push of the pedal was painful, and I was afraid that I might not be able to finish the ride. I took some more Advil, and some Tylenol along with a snack, hoping to dull the pain enough that I could ignore it. That worked with the help of Jeff, who rode beside me keeping me in a conversation the whole way up the mountain. Then we had another steep downhill, and we were in Okanogan. The ride through town was easy, but it never seemed to end, finally we rode into Omak our final destination for the day.
We set up our tents in an RV park at the city fairgrounds, a decent campground, but pretty noisy and very busy. We also decided to take a day off to rest and recuperate before tackling the last two passes in Washington. Hopefully this day of rest will allow my knees to heal up, otherwise my trip might be in jeopardy.
Tomorrow, we've got a 70 mile ride and a pass to go over. Hopefully my knees survive that.
Concerned that your knees are giving you so much trouble. Motrin is perfect for the inflammation. If you can also use ice, that will help too. If you can't get ice, try to buy a package of frozen peas, ice your knees with it, then use it for dinner!! Really...not a joke. Your mom & I are now in Yakima visiting Mary & nephews & head home tomorrow. Good luck riding up those last 2 passes. We're pulling for you. Love, Dad
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