This is a challenging bicycle ride in the midst of the splendor of the mountains in the State of Washington. New Halem is at the foot of the Cascade mountains, one of the many hydroelectric power stations being fed by high alpine glacial lakes in this area. My friend Tony and I bicycled along Hwy 20 which goes by Ross Lake, Diablo Lake, over Rainy Pass at 4,800 ft and then climbs again to Washington Pass at 5.400 ft. The overlook at Washington Pass is simply spectacular and I was there with my Dad when he visited me in the US for the last time. We went, in a single-day, from 100-degrees at Electric City-Grand Coulee Dam to the light snowfall at the top of Washington Pass. He said that it was magical. It felt magical to me once more, this time climbing to the top under my own power, thinking of my time with Dad amongst the beauty of the immense mountains around me. The total climb was almost 8,000 ft in about 90 miles. On the way down the winds were tremendous at times and had to keep working for most of the way downhill as well. I would ride into the spray of waterfalls just by the side of the Highway. It felt like I just walked through a freezer for a few seconds. The mountain air, the spectacular views, the sound of the river and waterfalls, the rush of the wind, snow capped mountains, a glorious day indeed.