Touring gives one a chance to decompress, and really think about things. Life gets very simple, eat, ride, sleep, repeat. We had almost a week of this wonderful existence and had been asking questions like, "have we had enough?" and "what would you rather be doing?". After Omak we started out to Riverside and beyond and stopped at the Omak Stampede fairgrounds to see the famous slope that ends at the river and where horses on the annual Omak Stampede race cross the river. Maybe you've seen pictures of the riders and their steeds driving down a steep slope and across a river. Looking at the slope, it looks impressive.
An image someone else shot of the Suicide race:
riders-participating-in-omak-stampede-suicide-race
Well, what was also impressive was the bubble that had formed in Jennifer's front tire. It decided to go off like a firecracker when we reached the Stampede grounds, blowing out the tube and tire. Our progress for the day was halted since we'd need to go back a few mikes to a bike shop and work on the tire. Then my bike fell over and broke my mirror! We talked. Had we had enough riding? Yes, for now. Did Jennifer want to spend more time with her mom - yes. If we returned early we could meet her sister as she came back into town too. Another plan formed. We would return early, and ride locally, catch up with friends and family and avoid 300 more miles of narrow shoulders, long high passes and large RV's passing too close.
We had proved to ourselves that we could tour successfully together, and overcome long distances, low blood sugar, and harsh conditions. We had called the tour to an end earlier than the initial plan but only after proving that it was by choice and not through an obstacle that we couldn't overcome. Plans are made to be changed and re-made. We are planning for next summer already. Thanks for taking this journey with us.
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