Today’s ride was moderate in distance and climbing. The challenge came from being the third day in a row, and weather.

As we got started, the temperature was hovering around 40 and overcast. This is colder than we’ve trained in, though I’ve had some experience commuting. We layered up (including Max with his pajamas under his bike clothes) and prepared to go.

We didn’t sort out lunch last night, so we biked across the street to the market. Anne went in and ended up finding some breakfast sandwiches we could stash.

Nearly the entire day was on the Cascade Lakes scenic byway. This cut through the forest with only light traffic. We rode past rivers and lakes, with mountains in the background.

It never really got warmer. It sprinkled a tiny bit from time to time, but not enough to really matter. We put up the green torpedo on the trailer to help keep Max warm. Ruth was jealous.

We had a number of small climbs, with descents to break it up (and get cold).

Lunch was at a pullout, and cold. Since we stopped moving, we put on more layers to try to stay warm. The kids seemed snug, but I was cold.

The sun came out for a while later in the day, which helped. Max got a turn on the tandem, letting Ruth enjoy the green torpedo.

We arrived at the Elk Lake Resort with just enough time to shove everything in the cabin and take quick showers to get to the restaurant before last call. Eating in the room wasn’t appealing, nor was eating outside (have I mentioned it’s cold?). So we ate in the restaurant. It’s the first time any of us has done so in 15 months. We are truly exciting people.

I’m looking forward to our rest day tomorrow. It’ll probably be too cold to do anything on the lake. But just hanging out and giving our bodies a break sounds pretty good.