Tucked away in the northeast corner of the state, where tourists seldom travel and locals are far and few between, is Washington’s own Shangri La. If you want to be one of the few to experience the great beauty of this area, sign up early for RAW 2010: Remembering the Forgotten Corner.

Broadly interpreting the phrase “Ride Around Washington,” RAW 2010 starts at the Idaho border, and travels north into Canadian territory. Beginning in Newport, and ending at Soap Lake, the Forgotten Corner includes many amazing, but little-known treasures, including Manresa Grotto, Lake Curlew, and Dry Falls. The ride will feature a variety of climate zones, from the green, ponderosa pine country along the Pend Oreille River to the arid prairies of the Inland Empire. Along the way, you’ll travel through towns you’ve probably never heard of before, let alone visited, such as Metaline Falls, Ione, Kettle Falls, Echo, Laurier, Bodie, Wauconda, and Republic. Veteran RAW riders will recognize some of the route from RAW 2002, but this year’s version has been fine-tuned to maximize scenery.

The ride will include some challenging distances, but with reasonable training and a decent level of fitness it is quite do-able. The average daily distance on this six-day ride is 71 miles, with one day being an optional loop ride on a layover day. This route averages about 3200 feet of climbing per day - making it an outstanding choice for first-time RAW riders.

For those unfamiliar with RAW, it’s a week-long, camping tour - but we really camp in style… all your luggage and camp gear is carried by our gear trucks. Riders are provided with three healthy, nutritious meals per day. Hot breakfasts and dinners are served in camp, and lunches are served at scenic lunch stops along the way. A deluxe hot shower truck follows us to every campsite. Due to our low number of riders, we never have long lines for anything during the week, plus we can offer much better campsite venues than most large tours! This year’s beautiful venues include a two-night stay at gorgeous Lake Curlew State Park.

Each night there are fun activities, which in the past have included wine tastings and the ever-popular New Belgium happy hours. Maybe a post-ride rub down from our fabulous traveling Washington Sports Massage team will really hit the spot!

We are confident that RAW is the best supported, most economical, week-long camping style ride in the United States. It is produced "by cyclists, for cyclists." So we urge those of you who have not done RAW (or any other multi-day ride), to give Remembering The Forgotten Corner a try!

RAW is limited to only 230 cyclists. A non-refundable $300 deposit (which does not include any discounts you may be eligible for), will hold a spot for you. You can save additional money by paying online, in full and in advance. Registration will be open for all Cascade Bicycle Club events on January 4, 2010. You may join the club when registering for the event or in advance by visiting our membership page.

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