The news noted a severe warning of a heatwave all weekend, with the temperature possibly as hot as 90F (32 C). So, I headed out with my newly tuned bicycle out to the gates of Rainier. I immediately ended up with a flat. On changing the intertube, I made a minor mistake and generated a pinch flat. Fortunately, I had brought two Intertubes along. Off I went, on a very hilly venture. The weather was quite hot, and I consumed a grand total of 9 liters of fluid. On the way, you pass a number of lakes, one being a large reservoir.
In Elbe, there is a cute little Lutheran church that was built around the turn of the last century.
Finally, you reach the gates of Rainier National Park (above) where you could observe a veritable traffic jamb of people trying to get into the park. Fortunately, bicyclists aren’t quite so affected by traffic jams. The way home was very hot, and yet another flat, for reasons I’m not sure of. My biggest problem this trip was a malfunctioning front derailleur. That evening, I took my bike into the shop and the bicycle repairman took me through tuning up a front derailleur, very useful skills for when one is on the road.
