8/23/05
WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we finally reached mount desert island on tuesday, august 17. 3,740 miles.
details will follow....
we are safe and sound at home...and missing our daily bike adventures. thanx for your support, your prayers, your mail,
your good wishes and good thoughts. an incredible summer voyage that has changed us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
look for the stories, now that we have internet access again.
about our updates:
6/13/05 we are often on the road all day long. getting to a computer is a challenge in and of itself. sometimes
the libraries have internet guards that prevent us from accessing our web site. sometimes we can get to a computer but
we don't have our journals, etc. with us. sometimes we are too tired to think of finding a computer. i could go
on with all the challenges but you probably get the picture. noah (aka jordy) has given me my own page on his web site which
i have titled "a different perspective" i will include mileage as well as narrative, when it is possible.
we are having a GREAT time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! scenery beyond my description. wonderful people. bike angels in abundance.
weather has been cool, mostly. we are finally "getting the hang of it". the ritual, the rhythm, the team work, the focus,
the fun and the tiredness at the end of the day.
please keep the e messages coming. we thrive on your notes when the going gets tough. order will come
of the updates...in a shirl kind of way
mileage data:
calendar days
wklytot wklyavg triptot
5/22 5/23 5/24 5/25 5/26
5/27 5/28
55.18 0 41.41 33.05 37.03
50.0 rest 216.67 30.95 216.67
5/29 5/30 5/31 6/1
6/2 6/3 6/4
24.88 32.00 31.61 29.68 35.16 56.01
31.05 240.39 34.74 435.77
6/5 6/6 6/7 6/8
6/9 6/10 6/11
54.70 53.0 10+ 56.45
26.03 40.68 288.97 41.28 750.43
6/12 6/13 6/14 6/15 6/16
6/17 6/18
67.17 0 40.72 45.24 49.61
0 34.9 247.6 35.39
998.08
6/19 6/20 6/21 6/22 6/23
6/24 6/25
73 26.4 55.6 53.2
0 79.5 20.7 308.4
44 1306.08
6/26 6/27 6/28 6/29 6/30
7/1 7/2
70.5 55.2 0 59.6
49.8 5 0
240.1 34.3 1546.58
7/3 7/4 7/5 7/6
7/7 7/8 7/9
0 12 0
42.6 39.4 60.9 34.0 188.9
1735.5
7/10 7/11 7/12 7/13 7/14
7/15 7/16
60 39.7 81 26
49.7 51.5 81.6 389.5
2125.0
7/17 7/18 7/19 7/20 7/21
7/22 7/23
34.9 77.5 46.4 12 82
74.9 46.5 386.2
2511.2
7/24 7/25 7/26 7/27 7/28
7/29 7/30
40.1 66.6 28 52.8 85.2
62.6 35.5 370.8 2882.0
7/31 8/1 8/2 8/3 8/4 8/5
8/6
50.5 54.0 51.4 67.7 44.0
49.1 52.8 369.5
3251.5
Scenery/Lessons Learned/Strength.Endurance/People&Bike Angels/Mechanics
Week 1
DAWN RIDER
we struck camp @ 4 in the morning, much to the chagrin of our nearby camping neighbor. the early morning light on
the west side of san juan island was gray and misty. as this was our very first day on the road, really, EVERYTHING
was a first. the weight of the bikes, although carefully controlled, was ominous, requiring both strength and agility.
we had inquired the previous day about departure times of the ferry. our plan was to catch the 6 am ferry to anacortes
knowing that there was another one @ 8 am. alas, we missed the 6 am departure by about 20 minutes. our ride to the ferry
was a bit longer in miles than i had calculated. and of course, it took us longer. when it became apparent that
we would NOT make the 6 am ferry we stopped pushing ourselves. (an important lesson to learn). en route we saw
eagles, a kit fox and numerous songbirds. the wind that morning was gusty and brisk. we ate breakfast while waiting
for the 8 am ferry. the ferry rose and fell with the swells. we arrived anacortes, mounted our bikes and struck
off with maps at the ready, only to make a wrong turn at the first opportunity. the first of many "wrong turns" as it
happens. we were not prepared for the wind, the steep hills, the nearly non-existent shoulders and the nutso traffic
of anacortes. oh well. away we went. my legs were screaming by the middle of the morning. i pushed up the
steepest ascents when i could pedal no more. the painfully difficult miles now bear the names of many of you who have
sent me "energy". on two occasions, i ditched my bike: the first in the early dawn ride to friday harbor.
(i slipped off a log the night before, aggravating my already sensitive ham string). when i put my right leg down to
support myself it would not hold me up. braaaakkkkk right into the berry bushes. actually, i think it was really
funny. fortunately, no harm done to myself, my bike or my cargo. the second ditch was a little more dramatic...i
made a 4 point landing into the hillside OVER the handlebars of my bike. the bike was in a culvert. still, no
harm done to life, limb, bike or cargo. good thing i can laff at myself! we crossed a terribly scary bridge called
bayview. the crosswinds were still gusting ferociously. we had planned to bike over the bridge, however, there
was another biker ahead of us and he was walking his bike. NO WAY would we dare to pass him with the traffic zooming
by us at break neck speeds. we continued our trek into sedro-wooley where rain was beginning to fall. again, another
"wrong turn" that took us at least 10 miles round trip beyond our campsite destination. on the way back, noah's
front tire was slashed by broken glass on the road way. we were so tired, so hungry and sooooooooooo not ready to fix
a flat tire at the closing of our first day. we were hurrying to get to the campground before dark (we were on the road
from 4:30 am til almost 7 pm that day). we had to walk the bikes the last 2.5 to 3 miles to the campsite. we made
it at last... a lovely, safe little place to pitch our tent and get some sleep. 55.18 miles today
A SIDE TRIP TO THE ER (it's a bus stop on the SKAGIT Transit)
Our first order of the day was to get the tire repaired. we certainly had tube patching materials but NOT a spare
tire (yet). we were able to take the public transit system to a great bike shop (the first of MANY) where the tire and
tube were replaced quickly and expertly. we boarded the next bus to get to Wal Mart where we could finally get some
fuel for our campstove. no problem...got the fuel cartridge, walked across the street to wait for the bus. no problem.
why would i bring my first aid kit, we were only going to wal mart? while sitting on the curb waiting for the next bus
to arrive, my 14 year old son was using his new knife to cut the plastic tabs off of the packaging around his new tire pump.
zing! the knife slipped and instantly, there was arterial blood spurting EVERYWHERE. no first aid kit with me. think
fast, what is sterile and handy? a package of kleenex to the rescue. (to be continued)
23 june 2005 continued
kleenex compress in place, we boarded the next bus back to the mall so we could transfer to the bus that stops at the hospital.
compress in place, we grabbed a slice of pizza and a fruit smoothie at the mall, waited at the bus stop with our transfer
tickets and took the transit to the emergency room where we waited... and waited... and waited. (we were worried about
being able to get back on the transit before the bus service ended) needless to say, stitches were required. hospital
staff were WONDERFUL! after stitching said thumb, they signed noah's t-shirt and encouraged us to keep on pedalling.
skagit transit folks were also incredibly kind and accomodating. we were able to hop back onto the transit and make
it to our little campsite safely. full moon. bike angels on duty.
OLD GROWTH FORESTS
flopped my bike in the middle of a four way stop intersection. love public humiliation! couldn't release my
foot from the pedal. (it has been suggested that i should have a counter/clicker installed on my handlebars to keep
track of my flops...similar to an odometer. not a bad idea but i would rather stop flopping!)easy pedalling on the road
out of sedro-wooley, wa.along the skagit river. beautiful scenery...eagles abundant. GOOD NEWS no steep
grades. BAD NEWS no shoulder. logging and concrete trux were scarey. arrived at USFS campsite in Rockport.
exquisite old growth forests...what stories these trees must have to tell. our campsite was enclosed in a circle of
these majestic mysterious sacred beings. pay showers... 3 minutes for 50 cents. unfortunately, the one in the
mens room only ate money without producing warm water. met a VERY CUTE puppy at the post office. i miss my eevee
girl. noah's thumb was securely bandaged. NO complaints, no problems.
BIKE ANGELS
ride was relatively easy though very hot. stopped at Newhalem Nature Center where i dumped my bike AGAIN in
the parking lot. this time, no apparent witnesses to my clumsiness. serious road rash this time. ugly. rode
to Seattle City Light where we met one of our Bike Angels ...J. Since we bought some gifts in the book store at the
nature center and were headed up to Rainy & Washington Passes in the northern cascades, we wanted to mail our gifts home.
we entered a lovely little store. we inquired as to the whereabouts of the post office and the storekeeper directed
us. "is it still open?" i asked. "it should be", J responded. we hopped on our bikes, rode back to the post
office where we noted that the post was closed. returned to the store where J greeted us..."did you get your things
mailed?" "it was closed." we responded. "Well, i'll just call her up and see what i can do to help you.
you don't want to carry that stuff with you over the pass." J the Bike Angel called her friend at the post office and
began to problem solve. since J's store sells fudge by the pound, she offered to weigh the parcel "slow boat or airplane? "
she asked us. the post mistress quoted the cost to J. while holding onto the phone, J the Bike Angel told us that
she would pay to mail our parcel as her contribution to our breast cancer fundraising. The postmistress reminded J on
the phone that accepting parcels from unknown persons was forbidden by law. J the Bike Angel responded to her friend
on the phone, "It's a puzzle and books from the nature center. These folks are raising money for breast cancer and they
are riding their bikes to Maine." and so it was that this kind and generous person sent our parcel home the next
day. (thank you, J.) noah was especially missing his friends this night. he rode his bike around the
campground, did push ups, sit ups, etc. following this, he locked his bike to a tree. only problem is, the lock
jammed on his new bike cable and now we could not get it unlocked. hmmmmm... more problem solving. he first walked
to the ranger station to inquire of any tools they might have to help him. no luck. they suggested going to the
corps yard at Seattle City Light the next morning. (we needed to be on the road at daybreak to cross Rainy and
Washington Passes). not the best solution but at least, an option. "mom, do you think it would be offensive if i went
around the campground and asked people if they might have a saw or equipment that i could use?" more problem solving.
camp by camp, he began to explain his dilemma and seek assistance. while making his rounds in camp, more BIKE ANGELS
came to our rescue. this time they were Florence & Denny. Denny came with a hammer and a hatchet and within
three minutes he had expertly solved our problem. big relief. minus one bike cable but, oh well. thanx Denny
& Florence! the bike was free and noah's face lit up like a christmas tree!
THE BIGGIE
uphill ALL DAY (33 miles) we were on the road by 5:45 am. the climb was VERY demanding. at the beginning of the climb
i was able to easily swing my right leg over my cargo to mount my bike. and although exhausting, i was able to SLOWLY pedal
at a snail's pace up the grade. we were on the road 11 hours that day. by the middle of the day, i could barely
lift my leg over the top bar to mount my bike and when i pushed off with one foot to mount, i could barely get my backside
onto the saddle. it felt as though i was pedalling with the brakes on. noah was a power house. he would muscle
up the grade and then wait for me at pull outs. at times, all i could manage was to stop and hang across my front pack
gasping for air. not only did we have the grade to surrmount, but we also had altitude, very hot temperatures
and severe cross winds. by the end of the day we were wiped out. thanx to our sweet water filter, we were able
to re-fill our water bottles along the way. the scenery was absolutely magnificent. the craggy peaks of the north
cascades are indescribable. (noah has some great fotos that you will enjoy when we are able to get them uploaded onto
the web site.) late in the day, not knowing exactly how far we were from the summit, we decided that it was not safe
for us to continue. we found a semi-concealed area where we pitched our tent. cooked our supper, strung up our
food bag and crashed into our pads for sleeping.
RAINY PASS AND WASHINGTON PASS
our first significant milestones. we rose early to beat the traffic and the heat. we were on the road by 5:30
am. my legs were still leaden from the day before. there was virtually NO traffic on the road at that hour.
we continued to trudge up the grade. we camped within 1/2 mile of snow on the ground. the climb was still grueling
but we made it...first up Rainy Pass (elevation...four thousand feet ?) followed by a delicious but daring descent and then
up again to Washington Pass (five thousand feet ?), the summits were actually anti-climactic. we posed for the
foto sessions, taking turns with each other's cameras and prepared for the descent on the eastern side of the mountains.
while savoring our success, a little gray bird flew up and landed on noah's bike, as if to bring us a message. it cocked
its head and looked at us and then disappeared. the road down was a 12 mile , 7% grade with a hairpin turn early in
the descent. road railings on such passes are rare. we feathered our brakes, holding our speed to 20-25 mph.
we stopped numerous times on the way down to rest my wrists and our brake pads. it was downhill all the way to mazama,
wa. HOT today. we celebrated our first major accomplishment with refreshments at the mazama store. we continued
on to our friend's home 5 miles down the road. we were exhausted but safe and successful. after unloading the
bikes around noon, i rode into winthrop (11 miles one way) to pick up our first mail drop. riding into town was almost
easy without the load on my bike. what a delight to receive letters/cards and goodies from so many at our first mail
drop. thank you zillions. you have NO IDEA how important these encouragements become to us on the road.
A POEM by DAWNA MARKOVA as seen in "Heron Dance"...A work of love, issue 47
i will not die an unlived life
i will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire
i choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible;
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
i choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on to fruit.
dawna markova
Week 2 (29 May 2005-
MECHANIX
we rose early to begin our second week of riding, starting to beat the traffic and the heat. we left laura's house
triumphantly, sailing down goat creek road to sr 20. PLANG!!!!!! PLANG!!!!! "what was that?" we pulled
off the road into a gravel bank by the methow river to assess and problem solve. two outside spokes in noah's rear wheel
had broken. should we try to fix them on the side of the road? we had spare spokes and tools. should we
go back to laura's so we could be off the road and in the good company of dear friends? would the bike shop in mazama
be open? after considering the options, we decided to push our bikes UP the 2.5 mile hill we had just zoomed down. on
our trek up, two local cyclists inquired of our well being and asked if we needed help. to laura's surprise,
we were back. we had left so carefully and quietly, not wanting to wake anyone at the house. laura called the
bike shop in mazama and drove us to D-Tours bike shop where dave replaced the spokes. thanx laura. thanx dave.
Bike Angels are apparent AGAIN. take two, another chance to zoom down the hill to state route 20 where we headed off
to twisp. on the way, as we were riding along the river, i noticed a small, crescent shaped, transparent item flying
past me in the wind. ARGH! it's noah's retainer. i shouted for him to stop but he could not hear me with
the wind blowing. pedal pedal shout shout. don't forget where you saw it fly by. we again pulled over off
the shoulder to begin the search for the retainer. (we have an extra but...we didn't want to lose one, especially so early
in the trip). again, Bike Angels disguised as young river rafters, stopped to ask if we were ok and did we need help?
after several minutes of searching, noah spotted the retainer on the side of the road. back on the bikes to twisp where
we encountered the first of many delightful exchanges with fellow cyclists on the northern tier. we spent the night
comparing tales of our ascents up Rainy and Washington Passes, camping equipment, and other topics of interest with Nate,
Steve and Ken.
LOUP LOUP PASS
another early day to traverse yet another mountain pass. my quads were tight and my hip joints screaming. it
was warm, but not scorching. the grade was steady but do-able. we were rewarded at the top with another delightfully
long downhill grade. just a couple miles short of okanogan....PLANG!!!!!!!!!!!!! another rear spoke, this one was an
inside spoke. dang! noah loosened his rear brakes, wrapped the broken spoke and we wobbled into okanogan.
HOT again. bike shop was closed...it is a holiday. ate lunch and checked into a local hotel....thunderstorm
is threatening. hotel is HOT and rustic but safe and protected from the storm. i crashed for a 2 hour nap.
noah was asleep by 6:30 pm. guess we were tired.
MECHANIX continued
noah was at the bike shop when it opened. thanx to sarin, noah's wheel was rebuilt. i met "katie" the
dog...very well mannered, bike shop doggie. i miss my eevee girl! we tried to update the web site at the library...unable
to do so due to internet access guards. met patsy, another bike angel who inquired of our journey and our purpose.
she not only donated to our fundraising but also gave us her phone # in case we got stranded on the way. thanx patsy!
while in the bike shop, we met a "local" who suggested an alternative route off sr 20 and out of the traffic. we stayed
that night behind an ice cream shop in tonasket...unfortunately for us, we arrived after closing time and left before it opened.
we ate in a restaurant and met brad and barb, who also affirmed that the alternate route was one of exquisite beauty.
CHESAW, WA
wow! what a day this was. started out with a booger of a grade uphill out of town. not 100 yards into the climb,
noah had a nose bleed. of course, we were on the side of the road, loaded bikes, hotter than heck early in the a.m.
we were already tired. we began what turned out to be one of the most exhausting rides so far...20 miles uphill grade,
"grueling" in the words of a local whose hometown is kennebunkport, maine. we agree. scenery was again, incredibly
beautiful but remote, remote and really remote. definitely, off the beaten path...not a bad thing. (note the split boulder
in noah's fotos). on this route, we saw a snake (again, note fotos) AND of course, we needed to have another little
mechanical reminder of the zen of things so we got another clunk...this time it was not spokes but the bolt on noah's blackburn
rack. we unloaded his bike, dug thru our tool paks (thanx to andrew and chris we had spare nuts/bolts of various sizes)
and noah proceeded to replace the broken bolt. as we have become accustomed, more potential bike angels stopped to inquire
of our well being and to offer help. for all of these Bike Angels and for all of you who are praying for our safety,
we are grateful. we continued on this slow but awful ascent until i was again, almost in tears. the day seemed
endless, the grade perpetually ongoing with no end in sight. i wasn't sure i could continue. we finally arrived
at a village (consisting of a church and two houses with american flags.) i inquired at the church where 3 men were
working on a sidewalk, as to whether or not we could spend the night behind the church. yes, they agreed, we could do
that, no problem. <to be continued>
CHESAW continued
honestly, i wasn't certain that i could even hold my bike up, much less pedal to an unknown destination. my thoughts
at the beginning of the day were that we would ride beyond chesaw, about 15 miles to a campsite near a lake, reported to be
incredibly beautiful. noah thought we should push on. we discussed the concept of "a bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush". one of the men at the church in havillah told us that it was "mostly downhill" from havillah to chesaw.
(yah, right, i thought to myself). we continued up the hills. finally, i had to push then pedal, push then pedal
my bike in intervals. a school bus passed us and pulled off onto a side road to wait for the children's car ride to
arrive. we looked at the road sign and followed the directions. the bus driver got out of her bus and approached
us saying "that road sign is wrong. it will eventually take you to chesaw but it is the long way around." (another
bike angel disguised as a bus driver) we chatted at length. "where are you going to stay?" she asked. i
explained that i had hoped to camp at beth lake but i knew i couldn't make it that far. "there's nothing in chesaw," she informed
us. "a grange?, legion hall?, church?," i asked hopefully. "nope. nothing like that in chesaw." hmmmmmm
we'll figure it out when we get there. the bus driver drove away and we continued with her guidance on our "alternate
route". FINALLY we found the "downhill most of the way" that folks had been telling us about. we began to enjoy
our "dessert" after trudging uphill all day. the road was narrow, no shoulders, but the descent was long and we could
see far ahead of us. the temperature was pleasantly cooler. as always, thunder clouds were looming above. pastures
were filled with beautiful, healthy cattle. the woods were woven along the edges of the road, a stream zig zagged its
way down the canyon. this was truly a most unexpected delight. the geology of this area was distinct from the
rolling hills and open spaces we had climbed up all day. at a level spot, we encountered our bus driver again, this
time in her pick up truck. she stopped her truck on the road and got out to greet us again. "you can stay at the rodeo
grounds!" she announced. "i don't know why i didn't think of it before." she explained what and where. she invited us
to get water at her house which was not far from the rodeo grounds. she turned around and disappeared in the curves
of the ravine. we whooped triumphantly as we continued to zoom down toward our rodeo campground. it was one of
the sweetest and most beautiful of all our travels. in chesaw it was easy to find the rodeo grounds. across the
road was a store and a bar. quickly, we pushed our bikes around the back of the corrals to the announcer's
booth as the sky opened up to let her water go. the rain pelted our shelter with great force. we were safe
and dry in the rustic surroundings of the rodeo grounds. once again, our needs were provided for. we put on another
layer of clothes and began to cook our supper. never has a box of soup tasted so good! that night, from the bottom
of the ravine we watched a herd of deer graze its way across the ridge. the beauty of our surroundings was beyond
description. the tedious climb of the day was worth every ounce of energy to get to this remote and sacred place.
in my opinion, chesaw is one of washington's best kept secrets. thanx carol for helping us find our way! we slept
soundly in the safety of chesaw's ravine.
THE NEXT DAY: CURLEW
we stopped at the chesaw store before we left. while noting what they had for snackables, we saw a large greenish
egg-shaped object in the refrigerator section with the cheeses. at first, i thought it was an oversized avocado.
we inquired. it was an emu egg. apparently, it is quite a tasty bargain. we opted for our ususal breakfast of
oatmeal and gorp. we had to climb out of chesaw for several miles but most of our day was downhill through the
canyon. we saw beth and beaver lakes along the edge of the forest. stopped to chat with a guy who was going fishing
with his dog. most of the day was cool in the shadows of the mountains. we followed the kettle river into curlew,
wa. our biggest excitement of the day was "dog bait" our code word for "look-out-there-is-a-dog-coming-after-us".
nothing pumps adrenaline like being chased by a dog while riding your bike on the highway. we tried the stern command
"NO" to no avail. we tried again, this time much louder. dog still chasing. pedal harder with all your might!
this dog is not giving up. we escaped or the dog gave up. we arrived at curlew general store by early afternoon.
after browsing in the store and purchasing my daily ration of crunchy cheetos, we made our peanut butter sandwiches on the
bench in front of the store. we were unable to find suitable camping arrangements so we stayed in a little cabin/motel
room with all the amenities (kitchen/tv). since we didn't have water to wash our dishes in chesaw, it was
a big relief to be able to scrub them in the kitchenette. noah was able to get some of his "electronic" needs
met by watching "home alone 2" on the vhs.
THE NEXT DAY: CURLEW continued (update 3 Sept 2005)
chesaw and curlew are just below the canadian border in northern washington on the edges of the okanogan and colville
national forests. although the comfort of the room and bed were a welcome change, my sleep that night was restless...perhaps
anxiety about our next mountain pass. we were on the road by 6:30 am. the ascent to boulder-deer creek summit
was twelve miles. i felt stronger and maintained a steady, albeit, painstakingly slow pace. NO MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray! the pass was followed by a delicious ten mile down hill on the other side. YES. traffic on 395 was
pretty bad. we had to get off the road numerous times for logging or gravel trucks. we followed 395 down to
kettle falls where we crossed the columbia river on a bridge. i am certain that the river was beautiful, however,
my energy was focused elsewhere. a storm was chasing us into colville, washington. we encountered a
very dangerous stretch of road construction. we learned later that another biker on the northern tier had a very serious
accident at this site. noah lost his saddle bag along the way...fortunately, we were on a road with minimum traffic.
this was the first of such occasions. we kept pushing because of the storm. just after we crossed the railroad
tracks on the way into town, we took shelter. we hastily parked our bikes under the eave of a feed supply store.
good thing! the rain began to pommel the streets. we browsed the store, enjoying the fragrance of the feeds while
we inquired about food and the location of the fairgrounds where we would camp for the night. after the rain
let up we biked into town where we ate at unmistakable THE BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN WASHINGTON. we must
have been a sight as we entered the restaurant wearing our wet bike clothes and helmets. oh well. we only had
one thing on our minds....eating. and eat we did. noah finished his meal with fried ice cream! we pitched
our tent in the campground just before the sky opened again. we exchanged knowing smiles as we snuggled into our nice
dry sleeping bags for the night.
next morning we browsed the farmers market and picked up food supplies at the local safeway store. on our way out
of town, we stopped at the skate park where noah chatted with some other teens and took fotos. the day's ride was moderately
difficult, mostly uphill. only 31 miles today. my hips are screaming and the numbness in my right shoulder, arm, hand
and fingers are annoying. met a couple travelling west to east on the northern tier. camped at beaver lodge.
moose in this area.
OUR FIRST SERIOUS RAIN STORM
we were on the road by 7 am. we started the day with our usual coffee, hot chocolate and instant oatmeal. nice
downhill early in the day. we had breakfast at a restaurant in ione. we are acclimating to the stares as we enter
the restaurant. three egg omelette, potatoes and toast are my usual. noah had pancakes or french toast.
the "news" is blaring from the television. we try not to notice. although we read our map at breakfast, our route
direction was unclear. weather is predicted for the day. we head down the road but intuitively, it seems like
the wrong direction. we turn onto a side road so we can check the map. while attempting to make a U turn, i flop
my bike in the middle of the road SPLAT! just before i went down, i noticed a beautiful little girl, probably about 2-3 years
old walking with her mother and grandmother. as fate would have it, my accident occured right in front of the first
congregational church of ione and the pastor is greeting parishoners as they leave the services. great! i love
public humiliation. nothing like an audience when i smear myself on the asphalt. i get up slowly to assess the
damage. bike is ok. didn't lose a thing. my leg which is still not healed from the first accident (in the
middle of a four way stop at sedro-wooley) now looks like ground meat. bloody. full of gravel. the pastor
crosses the street to offer assistance...seems he is a minister of the medical sort as well as the spiritual.... he gently
persuades us to use the church basement to dress my wounds. (i had planned for such events...i had all the necessary
materials to cleanse and bandage my wounds). while swallowing my pride, we chatted with several folks who stayed to
find out about our bike trip...where were we headed? where did we start? etc. we were filled with their love and
encouragement. we asked again about the weather and the route and headed down the road. we had only gone about
a mile when the wind began to charge us. we were barely able to make forward progress, the headwinds were so strong.
we laughed. we sang. we were silly. then the rain came. the winds were so strong that the rain stung
our faces. the area was not densely populated and there was no place to take shelter. we continued to pedal in
the rain. finally, we found a campground. unfortunately, there was no shelter. he huddled under the eave
of the map station where we added some layers of clothes over our soggy wet ones. we heated water for tea and hot chocolate,
mixed our instant soup and waited for the rain to let up. we mounted our saddles again. not much singing and silliness
now. we are tired, wet and cold. we took a break at Usk where we had soda and chips. not much in the way
of fresh produce at these remote "convenience" stores. we inquired about campgrounds and hit the road again. noah
stopped and dropped his bike abruptly. he ran into the grass on the shoulder of the road. he flashed a grin from
ear to ear. in his hand was a $20 dollar bill. funny how these things happen. we rode the three remaining
miles to our campground. "when the situation is desperate it is too late to be serious. be playful" (author
unknown) 54.7 miles today
SANDPOINT IDAHO
continued on route 20 into idaho on route 2. beautiful scenery. drivers are not the most generous.
shoulders on roads are non.existent. state route 41 was too scary....we got off our bikes, pushed them facing traffic
for the 1.5 mile hwy stretch. commercial traffic, uphill, curves....logging trux, etc. no thanx. we will
not tempt the gods today. priest river....into sandpoint. pedestrians here are recognized. layover day...we
stayed in a motel to dry out our clothes and equipment. got bikes serviced. met adventure cycling folks.
another deluge while we were in the library. continued to meet bike angels and amazing folks along the way. sagle
bike path into sandpoint....what a relief.
not in idaho long. Hope, Idaho....
stopped here for a break. met the following bike angels...al & julia, caroline. they treated us to breakfast.
what a wonderful time we had with them. thanx, bike angels for your encouragement, hospitality and generosity.
we will never forget you. another bike angel...katie at sweet bicycles & marbles, clark fork,
idaho.sawtooth mountains~scenery idyllic. crossed into montana. noah got muscle spasms...stopped to body fuel
on the side of the road. very remote. no place to camp...keep pedalling onto big eddy campground. mountain
time change.
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