A New Low
Deserted road on a frigid day - near Ralston, Washington
The storm that Zilla and I had narrowly avoided with Captain’s help turned out to be much more significant than we thought it would be as it dumped several inches of wet, heavy snow. There was so much snow in fact that we were forced to spend the next day more or less trapped in our room. The weather for the week was supposed to have been in the 50’s and 60’s, so we were not prepared for a snowy day on the trail with below freezing temperatures and howling winds. By the following day, the unexpected snows had mostly melted, but the temperatures remained very cold. Even so, we needed to get back out on the trail, I had to keep my promise to Zilla to get to Idaho.
One thing we had going for us was that the trail was closed between Ralston and Marengo as the Cow Creek Trestle no longer existed so there was a reroute that followed local gravel roads for approximately 20 miles which meant that our ride would be much less bumpy than it had been recently. This would help keep our speeds up a bit which, in turn, helps me generate body heat to stay warm. It also meant a less bumpy ride for Zilla and that we were slightly less likely to hit any muddy or soft sections like we might on the trail because of all the melting snow. Besides, I really needed a break from the slow going and constant jarring. I was still deeply depressed with losing Captain and didn’t even want to be riding, so anything to help make the day go easier was much welcomed!
(click photos to enlarge and see descriptions)
Zilla and I grabbed a quick breakfast of sorts at a local chain called Zip’s Drive-In (it was ok, nothing special) before heading out for our ride. The menu was a bit confusing in that it didn’t give descriptions of the burgers (what’s on a Big Buster or a Big Zipper anyhow?) and the menu board was animated so that occasionally, a burger would fly out and fill up the screen making things even harder to understand. One thing I noticed though was that the burgers were cheaper than most places but the fries were almost as expensive as the burgers (and not that exciting). So I recommend getting 2 burgers instead of a burger and fries. Besides, we needed all the calories we could get as the temperatures were hovering just a bit over freezing, and when the sun went behind the clouds, it was cold enough that even I needed gloves. The winds were favorable overall though in that they were mostly non-existent.
There was still an inch or 2 of snow in most places, though it had thankfully melted off of the road that we’d be riding on. But it somehow made a desolate, barren landscape seem even more lonely. It probably didn’t help that we only saw one car the entire day. The Palouse to Cascades section of the Great American Rail Trail really goes through the middle of nowhere sometimes and I liked it!
As the day wore on, it seemed to be getting colder and colder. When the sun would disappear, we were in temperatures that were definitely below what I try to ride in with Zilla and I started to worry he might be getting too cold. This was confirmed when he started to uncharacteristically cry and bark from the trailer. Normally, he only does this when he needs to go to the bathroom, but it was becoming a bit excessive and worrisome. Since we had seen so little traffic the entire day, I decided to let Zilla out of the trailer and allow him to walk the road while I pushed the bike. Sure, we were going slow, but he got to raise his body temperature back to a comfortable zone.
It was still rough going though as the clouds decided to open up on us a bit as snow flurries began to fall from the sky. Sure, it was pretty, but it didn’t do much to put Zilla or I in a good mood as I began to focus on just getting the day over with as quickly as possible before another unforecasted storm might hit. Just as things seemed at their lowest, the clouds broke a bit and we were hit by a wonderful, warming ray of sunlight that instantly raised the temperature at least 10 degrees. All I could do was look at the sun, smile, and say, “Thank you, Pig” as once again, it felt like she was looking out for us.
We eventually made it back to the car, escorted in by the warmth of the sun. I immediately put Zilla inside and turned on the heat so that he could warm up. When I looked at the thermometer, it said 35 degrees. This was the lowest temperature I’d ever ridden in with Zilla, we’d reached a new low. Not one I hoped to repeat any time soon.
