I escaped the rain by heading East over the Cascades to scozims' hometown of Ellensburg thinking I'd go enjoy the beautiful Yakima Canyon by doing it in a loop with a large gravel section thrown in.
I'd had my eye on this new route for a while now and I rode it alone which isn't Ideal when you get into some of the remote sections but I was extra cautious when riding and I carried extra tools, food and water in a large hydration pack. I put my map into a zip lock bag and stuffed it inside one of the legs of my shorts and off I went heading South out of town.

The pavement ends after a few miles of climbing up this canyon, The gravel was actually in very good shape. I kept climbing as the land opened up around me.

After reaching Ellensburg Pass the road starts downward. Trees are more abundant on the other side of the ridge I had just climbed.

As I descended towards the Wenas Valley, I saw someone riding up in a horse drawn buggy.

We stopped and chatted for a while. She was camping just up the road from here..

I eventually reached pavement again and rode East to the entrance to the Yakima Canyon. I had a strong tailwind and booked along spinning out in my highest gear.

I was now in familiar territory having ridden the Canyon a number of times before, heading North to Ellensburg.

The winds weren't an issue today in the Canyon. This is not always the case. The clouds were thickening up and every now and then I felt a raindrop every so often. I was lucking out though…it never really rained.

I rode back into town and closed the loop at just over 69 miles. It was a nice little adventure.