Today we would cross the highest pass on our trip, Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park. There is complication because the Park Service does not allow bikes on the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ from 11am – 4pm, so to make it up the pass in time from our camp in Apgar Campground we felt we needed to leave about 4:30am.

We have heard different stories of Ranger Enforcement depending on who stops you if you are still on the road at11:00am. Some may give you, your bike and gear a ride to the top; some may fine you $75; and some may fine you $75 AND make you ride back down to the bottom again. The 11:00am curfew is only for riding UP the road.

Best plans . . . Mike, Mike and I were the first out at 5:30am!!! It was dark. Good thing we had our lights onboard!

Nice of the Park Service to have facilities staggered along the way . . .

. . . unfortunately, I guess you need to be a ‘card carrying; member to use them They were all locked along the way!!!

Lots of streams’ like this along the way . . . falling water is a powerful thing, look at all the uprooted trees!!!

What?  . . . is that Hannibal Lecher in front of me at 5:45am in the morning, on a dark desolate road . . .

. . . no ends up it is just Joe, from Nashville, who is also doing part of the Northern Tier. He found the mask in Maine and attaches it to his bike when touring. A great conversation starter!!!

One of the two tunnels we will pass through today . . .

Had some neat cut outs that let the light through.

Eventually the sun popped over the mountains about 9:30am it was just like someone turn on a a floodlight . . . FANTASTIC!!!

. . . and you could finally see all the waterfalls you could only really hear when it was dark.

Lots of snow left in the park.

This was a really cool natural feature . . .

. . . a lot longer than just this, it gives the cars quite a spray as they travel downhill . . . loud too!

Great peaks and a Kodak moment around every corner!!

As we climbed and climbed and made another corner we saw far below McDonald River which we had biked along at O’ dark thirty this morning!

Nice!

Looking down the valley from another angle . . .

Still lots of snow. That is one reason the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ did not open until Wednesday, one of the latest seasonal openings ever!!! It had been open to just bikers and hikers for the last two weeks. If we had ridden up on Wednesday, rather than today, we would have had the WHOLE road to ourselves. No traffic . . . but we were two days too late. The traffic really didn’t start building today until about 9:30am.

Higher and higher, Baby!!!

This was a little interesting section of road construction. Wonder what will happen if that natural rock pillar gives way!!!!!

5 hours and 15 minutes after leaving camp at 5:30am, we passed over the top at 10:15am, well within the 11:00am curfew for bikes. I think the Park Service ties critters out for the tourists!!

I took this same photo last year with Connie when he mbbt rip traveled the opposite way rom Waterton National Park in Canada  to Glacier, but she was unloaded and we were heading down the pass. This year it was UP the pass 11 miles, at 6% grade and fully loaded. She is a good old girl and performed well. She may retire after this trip . . . we’ll see!!!

YES . . . made it by 10:15am.

WOW  . . . looks like a bike convention!!!

Of course we had to have a group photo. Everyone made it to the top. Some took a ride up, some had their gear hauled up and rode their bikes up and some of us came over the top fully loaded!!!!

There was a great ceremony going on at the pass. The opening of Logan Pass for 2017 was dedicated to the first Park Ranger from the Blackfoot Tribe. It was quite the ceremony. LOTS of speeches!

Francis Guardipee.

And take a look who was there covering the big event for NPR, Nikki, our overnight hostess for the night we stayed in Whitefish. Yeah . . . she had stopped at our Apgar camp about 7:00am and hauled up, in her car, all the panniers folks did not want to carry today.

Soon it was time to load everything and head over the top and onto our home for the night at Johnson’s RV and Campground in St. Mary. Here is Mark riding though a recently plowed section of the road!!!!

We biked along St Mary’s Lake and it was another BEAUTIFUL day!!!!

I came around a corner and up from the edge of the road, just like a deer, popped up a brown bear. I was as startled as it was!!! He looked at me and stopped briefly but then scampered across the road in front of me and up into the woods on the other side of the road. By the time I got my camera out all I could see was it’s butt!!!!  YIPPEE, finally a bear sighting for me. Bear #1.

Another mile down the road was a typical ‘Yellowstone style traffic situation’ so common in that park, as well as here in Glacier, I guess. When someone see some wildlife EVERYBODY just stops where ever they are. Even the middle of the road . . .

. . . what were they watching? a bear up in the field, about a half a block away . . .so Bear #2  for me but I pedaled on . . . not as impressive as another quarter mile down the road when . . .

. . . I saw a grizzly and her cub coming up through the grass. The mother had a tracking collar on and when she saw me she stood up and looked around. By the time I got my camera out again she had turned her attention back to the road . . . wanting an escape or me as a meal? . . . tough decision.

. . . they scampered up the ditch onto the road . . .

. . . and she gave me the ‘evil eye’. I stopped and considered backing up but when an oncoming car startled her,up into the grassy field she and her cub went. The cub was really cute . . I would have like to given her a big puppy hug  . . . but it may have been the last thing I ever did!!! Video in the works!

It was quite a day . . . riding loaded over Logan Pass on a picture perfect day and seeing four bears within a mile of each other. If only Smoochie could have been here, too!!!

Today was a layover day on Glacier so everyone slept in until  about 6:30am.!!!! Corvin and Allison are on breakfast duty and since we had Nikki’s car to use for shopping yesterday it included fresh pastries, eggs and hashbrowns!!!

Corvin and I hung at the HQ last night using their wifi and I left first. Said I would see him in the morning. When I got up in the middle of the night to make a ‘nature call’ I saw his tent had been removed from the pad he was sharing with D_____E. I thought he had abandoned us!!!

. . . until it was daylight and noticed he had moved his camp about 15 feet from his neighbor. Ends up they snored a little too much and he moved about midnight . . .

. . .  but they are still steadfast buddies!!!

Allison and Rod get the scrambled eggs going . . . .

. . . we have a neighbor from Canada in the Biker/HIker site with us and he has quite the rig. Will be interesting to see how he packs up and carries his cowboy hat!!!

Rod and Wade discussing the upcoming climb over Logan Pass.

Bob walked by with Chelsea and Steel, both 13 years old. Very gentle and friendly dogs who both still enjoy their morning walk.

Somebody had an ‘accident”!!!!

Corvin, the ‘King of Hashbrowns’ added  a touch of German cuisine to his recipe!!!

He and Doctor Mike discussing the finer points of cooking over a roaring blowtorch without burning anything!!!

Time for eggs and hasbrowns. custard filled pastry and muffins too. We are living large!!!

Yum . . .

Lunch fixin’s for those who are not eating out today . . .

. . . discussion regarding our 4:30am departure tomorrow to get over Logan Pass by the mandatory 11:00am curfew for bikes on the road. 23 miles of flat before we start a 11 mile climb!  Gulp . . .

. . . but lets’ forget about that for now and enjoy the sunny, bright day!!!  Allison proposed an ‘apple bob’ in the lake but after Doc Mike described his dip in the icy glacial fed Lake McDonald yesterday, there were few takers!!

‘Cleanup Corvin’ faces the aftermath of the morning breakfast and lunch making rush. To quote Marlin Brando , ‘The horror . . . the horror’!!!

There were even a few viddles left for over for Chelsea and Stella!!!

We are sort of trapped in the Twilight Zone today because bicycles are not allowed along Lake McDonald from 11:00am-4:00pm and believe it or not the free park shuttle doesn’t start until July 1!!!! Talk out customer service . . . right your Congressman!!!!

I sat in the shade of the bus stop at the HQ typing away and noticed June, her son Kitar and his friend Gustavo, hanging around and chatting about what they were going to do today. Only when Allen stopped by and we discussed the sign regarding no shuttle did they realize they were waiting in  vain. But they have a car and live in the area so can  come back again.  None of us had a pencil for them to write down my URL so they memorized it. I gave them several verbal tests to see if they remembered it. Ahh . . .to be young and have a mind like a steel trap. Very pleasant and polite young men!!!

Time to get out of camp . . .

Some connected with their home base via Skype . . .

As I was typing away on the journal, I listened to Ranger Bob scare the the heck out of his audience with his bear talk. . . which concluded with a live demo of bear spray (bear not included)

Some exercised another set of muscles before the big climb tomorrow, both young . . .

. . . and old.

. . . eight of us lunched out at Eddie’s and I worked out with my jaw muscles. Got to ‘load up’ for tomorrow! YUM!!!!!

II woke up early at Nikki’s this morning. Allen and Mark had the hot water going for coffee by 5:30am. I got out of camp early too because I wanted to ride around downtown a bit and see some of the places we visited last July on our Banff-Whitefish bike trip. Interesting art scattered around town . . .

. . and here was our favorite ice cream shop . . . I think we went there both of our overnights last year.  Not open until 11:00am today!

Soon it was time to head from Whitefish to Glacier National Park, our home for the next two nights. Interesting way the Whitefishonians try to disguise their cell phone towers with fake branches. Wonder if they put lights on it at Christmas time!!!

Along the way to Glacier there was this artesian well . . . but I don’t think any of us took a chance  drinking from it !!!

More interesting art along the way  . . . but no chickens!!!

We crossed a bridge over an interesting crossroads, where thee North Fork and the Middle for of the Flathead River come together. The Middle Fork , on the left, had a much more blue turquoise color.

. . . with some geological action too, right around one of the bends.

As we neared Glacier we were able to see some snow capped mountains again. First ones we have seen since he Cascades!!! Nice.

The final four miles into West Glacier had a bike path which was really nice to get us off of Hwy 2. With the ‘Going to the Sun Road’, constructed in 1932, finally opening today for the 2017 tourist season, the roads were VERY full.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to exit!!!

Of course, the first thing the six of us rolling along together had to do was stop for chocolate milk and treats!!!!

. . . and of course for the obligatory destination shot. Mark, me, Anne, David, Denise and Wade

. . .we rolled through the main gate as a group. Allison had already called ahead and made our reservations. The US Park Service knew we were in town!!!

. . . but hopefully the bears don’t!

We have two ‘Hiker Biker’ sites. Only $5/night per adult, good deal. But NO SHOWERS anywhere in the park. Some are talking about jumping in the lake!!! Jennifer, the Ranger Lady as we called her, stopped by to make sure we were settled in OK.

She was very chatty and welcoming. As season campground host that is what she does! Her and her husband both retired from the military after 37 years !!!

Snafu on the food today (we probably left tonight’s dinner at Nikki’s) so we had to eat out again. . . .yippee, huckleberry peach pie for  dessert!!!s

Morning came too soon after our first night in three weeks on a regular bed, with a regular pillow and regular sheets. Big thunderstorm last night so it was  great we were inside. We all covered up our bikes before bed . . .

. . . and so did the boys on the first floor. They stayed up a little later than us and were not up yet by the time we left.

Time to saddle up Connie for a 59 mile ride to Whitefish.

Mike and Allison had the kitchen duty and one last thing the cooks need to do each morning after breakfast, and before handing over the reins to the next crew, is . . . take out the garbage!!

m m m m . . . would have like to meet this dude but the shop was still closed!!

. . . as we rolled out of Eureka, the rest of the crew saw the city  campsite Allison, Mike and I had visited the day before. Would have been a a nice place if we had solved the water issue.

Still some storm clouds around from last night that hid the sun and the temps were much more moderate. Great riding today for the first 22 miles before we got back on Hwy 93.

Not sure if we made a wrong turn into Canada, or not, but suddenly there was this USA and Montana border type crossing!!!!

These folks had a GREAT setting including their own lake!!

You know you are in a remote area when they have air medevac landing zones!!!

These rigs looked AWESOME and are probably a blast to drive in the winter. Would be a tough sell at this time of year!!!

Some great local art popped up as we biked along . . .

Hey, what’s this  . . . a bunch of bikers outside a bar at 10:00am in the morning . . .

. . . No, a bunch of bicyclist outside of a pie shop at 10:00am in the morning!!!

They also sold plants that were grown in their own covered bus greenhouse. One of the most creative use of old machinery we have seen on the trip so far!!!!

Joan was working the counter this morning . . .

. . . while Sally was on pie duty. Bad reflection off the glass panel used to drooling bicyclist away from the goodies!!! They were very interested in our ride about.

10:00am, 22 miles under our belt, strawberry rhubarb pie, alamode, with coffee and half and half . . . all is good!!!

But you don’t want to sit too long or the old legs stiffen up and you need to warm up all over again.

Before leaving though, we had to check out the ‘collectables’ available next door . . .

. . . some of our more discriminating shoppers were waiting for the place to open.

David found a ‘slightly used’ bike pump for 50 cents . . .

. . . while Mark was figuring out a way to attached this to his Topeak trailer. Since Allison had bought a second French Press to use for our morning coffee we decided to pass on buying this.

All of us who stopped had to take the secret ‘Rolling in Dough’ pledge before we could leave . . .

Five riders have seen bears on the road while riding. Similar to the experience I had on the mbbt ride last from Banff to Whitefish, I am still batting zero in the bear spotting department.  Except for this one.

We biked by this VW which is very similar to the one I had in the early 70’s. Brought back a flood of memories from that time period, as I biked along singing ‘Cherish’ by the Association!!

As we returned to what might have been the scariest section of road so far on the trip, 10 miles of uphill, twisting, narrow, no shoulder and busy Hwy 93, I saw what I think might be the ugliest house, in the wrong setting, I have ever seen!!!

. . . looks like it is for sale too. Wonder why?????

Soon we arrived in Whitefish and were happy to get off of Hwy 93. Tonight we are staying at Nikki’s house, a friend of Allison’s.

. . .where I set up camp under a tree in her backyard. Sweet!!!

Garden party at Nikki’s . . .  with beer!

David, our English gentleman, bought a Thank You gift for Nikki for putting us up overnight! Great gesture of appreciation.

Allison and Nikki spent 6 years together teaching on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.Nikki is now a Regional Correspondent for National Public Radio.

Mark  and Allen made a great chicken, pesto ,Parmesan Alfredo. And we had ice cream for dessert. Nikki’s dog Neko was VERY interested in Allen’s ice cream!!

Here is a shot of the whole group except Mike N. who was visiting relatives tonight in Whitefish. We are all holding a feather David procured for each of us. It is intended to replace the railroad spike Wade had procured for each of us to carry across the USA!!!

 

Déjà vu All Over Again . . .

About a year ago 6 of us from mbbt rode from Banff to Whitefish hitting all the Canadian and American National Parks along the way. We also stayed in Whitefish for a couple of night . . . it was a different type of trip. Motel stay and the food . . .

 

 

There also was some shopping done in neighboring Kalispell. I walk into this store with shorts and flip flops on and walked out with knee high boot socks, new boots and boot cut jeans. NO LARGE BUCKLE BELT though!!

Today will be our second 70 miler in a row. I forgot to mention yesterday most of the riders were very tired right out of the shoot because of our night in Clark Fork, We were set up right under a  huge Maple tree at the High Scholl but neglected to check that the restaurant right next door was also a bar that had karaoke on Sat night. So we were all in bed by 8:30pm and then is when the driving around the school by all the high school kids started , oh and with the squealing of tires too. Soon the fireworks next store started and as the evening went on, the karaoke that was happening on  the deck of the restaurant got louder, louder and the singing worse, worse. About 11:30pm the kids started running through our camp on the mini-bikes and on foot. Lucky that none of them hit the guys ropes from our tents!!! Finally at 2:00am Allison went over and asked the owner when the whole thing would end. The woman was understanding and shut the whole works down.

When we woke in the morning we discovered someone had zip tied our bike together, zip tied the chainrings to the pedals and used baling wire to attached the chain to the sprockets.

Getting coffee at 6:30am at the gas station, Wade asked the cashier if he had some naughty kids in town and describes what had happened. She rolled her eyes and said, ‘Oh, that’s our Joey’!!!  Lucky for us Joey did not do anything to damage our bikes. Slashed tires would have presented a problem being that is was a Sunday and we were 40 mile from Sandpoint which probably had the closest bike shops.

so . . most of us started out the 70 mile ride with about 3 hours of sleep!

The lake produced by the Libby Dam would be the main route we would bike today. 50 miles of lake shore to admire as we biked along. The road went up and down, up and down. over 3,500 feet of climbing and we landed at the same elevation in Eureka!!!

The start of the lake behind the dam . . . would run for over 50 miles

We think this might have been a pier for employees of the dam company to use on weekends with their families’. Nice!!!

The lake made many bends and twists as we biked along it. More elevation than yesterday, just as hot BUT overcast sky’s made the biking MUCH more enjoyable. Still . . .  really pushed the liquids!!!

Really nice biking.

All the up and down we did was because of the desire not to ‘flatten out the road’. Here is one place where they did blast though the surface to avoid an uphill. Yeah!!!!

After 73 mile we reached Eureka. Some biked over 90 miles because they missed a turn right out of Libby. But we had a surprise when Allison, Mike N. and I reached Eureka. The city park was still there for us to use  . . but the city hall staff would no longer ‘loan’ out keys for groups like ours to get in and use the facilities’ through the night and to get potable water. So having restrooms that closed at 4:30pm and would not open until 8:00am tomorrow morning was not going to work for us. Weird thing was Allison had checked with them last week to verify our reservation and  everything was peachy keen!!! Now it was MOTEL time!!!!! . . .

On the way to the motel we met Hank and Aaron, two riders who were doing the ACA Great Divide Ride which goes from Banff, AB to Baja, Mexico. They figure it will take them two months. Safe riding!

Luckily Allison was able to get us into the Ksanka Inn. 8 rooms available. . . .Yippee!!!

Brenda ran the Exxon stations and the motel operations was super helpful in getting things squared away for us

Tonight Allison and Mike N are our cooks and they are using a jar of some peanut butter we have for lunches that is too soupy, to make peanut chicken pad thai. Turned out wonderful and we had ice cream for dessert!!!

D. heard it was time or appetizers and showed up ready to go . . . everyone was hungry and the food quickly vanished.

Shouldn’t be any trouble sleeping tonight!!!

Today would be all about the mileage. 70 miles in VERY hot temps and about 2,600 feet of climbing would land us in Libby, MT, our home for the night.

Yesterday Mark and I headed to our favorite laundermat and had barely put our load in when two vans pulled up and about 24 short, dark skinned Spanish speaking guys jumped out and took over the rest of the machines. In talking to Jeff Jeffery’s, the guy on the left side of the picture with Hugh yesterday, we found out they are Peruvian masons who work at Stutzke Stone works cutting and splitting flagstone. None of them were over about 5 foot 2 inches!!!!

Some of their handy work at the entrance to the quarry . . .

. . . soon to be at your Home Depot or Lowes store???

There was also QUITE the collection of old cars, truck and most kinds of motor vehicles proudly displayed and rusting in the sun!

Most had the windows broken out.

Soon we entered Montana. I stopped and took this shot and soon a woman and man drove up in a van from new Hampshire. We had a nice chat about our ride and I asked her if she would take my picture of the sign with Connie. She took several but once she left I found out she had been pushing the On\Off button!

Beside passing into a new state we also passed into a new time zone.

Not sure what this is all about but we will find out!

Interesting, first time I have seen this. Nice service provided by the American legion.

It is apparent many people in MT think the same as those in ID and WA regarding trespassing!

This poor fawn could not have been more than a couple of days old. Beautiful animal . . . looked like it was sleeping.

Typical of the view today . .  a Kodak moment around every turn!

Wide open spaces, lots of sky and LOTS of sun. Very hot today. At times 95 degrees in the saddle. Hydration and the supple of available water became an issue.

Must have been one horrific accident here at one time. Sad.

We arrived at Kootenai Falls 12 miles before Libby and it was a great rest stop. You can see the swinging bridge in the foreground that over looks the falls. Mark went over to it and found it had a capacity rating of five people . . . and there was a huge crown out on it. He did venture out onto it!

The falls were FANTASTIC and once again was a great example of the power of moving water. Can’t fight mother nature!

As I entered Libby I saw this unique store and stopped by . . . already out of business

. . but there was ‘Robby the Robot’ was keeping an eye on things. FUNNY!

On our last big descent into Libby there was new pavement ON A DOWNHILL! Smooth as a newborn babies butt. The heat reflection off the new pavement pushed the tempts on the bike up over 100 degrees. Where’s that water bottle!! Most of us today carried our usual three water bottles and two quart bottles of Gatorade. Barely enough!

Was this our place for the night with the fancy sign . . .

No, we were down the road at the Two Bit Outfit!!! It was OK. You can see one of our ACA provided safety triangles in the l lower left. Anytime someone wants to mark a tricky turn or the campsite or a Dairy Queen, etc. they put out their triangle and the last person to ride by picks it up.

With the time change today, and the gruesome ride, it was too late to cook by the time everyone was in camp so we went out to eat. Good move. We had our map meeting at the restaurant and still didn’t get to bed until 10:30pm MST.

Another big day tomorrow as we pedal on another seventy miles to Eugene, MT.

Team Estrogen had dinner duty tonight, Denise, Anne and Allison jumped in to help stir the jambalaya . . . shrimp , Andouille sausage, beans, rice, secret seasonings . . . yummy!

Followed by a DELIGHTFUL little trifle with chocolate sauce. Are we roughing it or what.!!!

Some of us headed downtown to sample some of the local brews . . . and had  a nice chat with our server Chelsea about the brewery business and the many jobs she holds down in order to live in the area.

The morning routine . . . all this has to fit in the panniers and back on the bike, every morning . . . and it always does.!!!

Today would be a short ride, only 30 miles. We are doing a ‘rolling rest day’. Thursday we only had 30 miles into our rest day town od Sandpoint so most of us were there by noon. We spent all day yesterday in Sandpoint. Left this morning and only had 30 miles to Clark Fork. Got in before noon. However . . tomorrow we are back into it with two 70 miles days back to back. Great view this morning though as we rode along the lake. . .

As we climbed higher the views became more spectacular. Great riding: low traffic, blue sky, cool temps no wind and no bugs!! Too bad it was only 30 miles. Lake Pend Oreille has a 200 mile perimeter.

A lone kayaker out for a morning glide . . . nice!!!

Some great historic displays along the way. The cowboys of the era were pretty dapper, even wearing a tie when out on the range . . .

. . .and the Native Americans had a unique way of constructing their canoes.

Only 30 miles DOES NOT mean one cannot enjoy a little break along the way. Yum!!! 1% chocolate milk is my new during and after ride drink of choice. Donut holes optional!!!

This is probably the most elaborate ‘cut out’ type metal fence we have seen. Unbelievable detail. Must have been cut with a laser.

We got off of Hwy 200 for about 10 mile to pass through Hope, pop. 87 and  and East Hope, pop 204. The Idaho DOT has a sense of humor as they routed us on ‘Business 200’ through the two tiny villages!

Glad the ‘Big Hill’ was closed. Wellington was a nice series of roller right into Clark Fork.

Tonight we are staying at the Clark Fork High School. Great site but no water or bathrooms available so we will need to shower and use the bathroom two blocks down at the  laundermat!!!

Doc Mike and I are cooking tonight so it was done in the parking lot in front of the laundermat!!!

Lot of action there while we were cooking. The laundermat seems to be the social meeting place for the town, although we had pretty much taken it over. Here Hugh discusses our route with a couple of the local boys.

Heddy LaMarr showed up to make an appearance . . .

Soon dinner was served . . . find a seat!

Chilled shell past a with a variety of veggies, served with garlic grilled toast breads.

Come and get it . . . we also purchased two pies for dessert. It all went!

Rod gave out a few awards including this key to Allison for her to unlock the mysteries of her life!!

And this special seat for the Doc. . . .

. . . for which he quickly demoed the ‘balance approach to life’.

Seventy miles tomorrow!!!!

Allison surprised us with a map of our accomplishment so far. You can see the detour we had to make south, at the red dotted line, because of Loup Loup Pass being closed. One state down and over 500 miles bicycled. Yippee!!!

Leona also surprised us with a bag of goodies her daughter thought we needed from the local health food store. HOW NICE!!!

Rest days are all about maintenance, cleaning, laundry and RESTING . . .  The bod REALLY needs some down time after climbing like we did. I slept until 7:00am and only woke up because the sun was beating on my tent so intensely! Above is one reason you need to routinely check all connections. This rack bolt on my left front pannier was just about out and GONE.

Some do laundry in camp . . .

. . . while Doc Mike and Allen headed down to the local laundermat. And it was time to tool around town a bit.

BIG weekend in town for yard sales. In Sandpoint, they have a unique way of advertising them by clumping the signs on street corners every three or for blocks apart!

Quite the tree house under construction. Looks like the owner may have run out of energy . . .

Great murals around town painted by local artists on fences. This one must have something to do with killer bees!!!

Exotic!!

I was on a shopping mission for a new bowl and towel. My old Shuttleguy bowl had cracked and every time I had cereal with milk or oatmeal with hot water I had it running down my arm . . .

. . . a trip to Safeway produced this little kit made by Rubbermaid and “Mom Approved’!!!!. Denise told us anything you use on a trip should have two purposes. So . . . I will use this for my nightly meal, and then carry my sandwiches during the day AND per Allison’s suggestion also use it for holding leftovers when you go out to eat. Of course she weighs about 90 pounds dripping wet and may have leftovers when she eats out. For me  . . .  the the case is not the same in the weight department or leftovers department!!!

I’ll ditch the blue cold pack. Too heavy and no refrigeration!!!

Sandpoint is hopping with tourists and the city has a great beach for them to use . . .

. . . of course at this time of the year the water is still cold. Didn’t stop the kids from jumping in and splashing around.

I saw this chopper on the way into town yesterday and stopped by today to take a photo.  As a kid, the  Sikorsky helicopter was one of my favorite models so it was neat to see one in person.  This one had never seen combat but had flown in Europe AND WITH THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD!!! A sign said the local VFW had acquired it to restore and bring awareness to the importance of helicopter use in battles. Looks like enthusiasm and fund raising  must have evaporated for this project.

Soon it was time for lunch and a bunch of us settled in at the Pie Hut. a place Doc Mike was nice enough to sample yesterday to make sure it was ACA worthy.

I had the #3 special which was half a sandwich, a bowl of soup and a slice of any pie. The soup was Dill Pickle! Hugh and I were interested and were provided a sample. We both went for it!!!

A bowl and half a Cubano sandwich quickly appeared . . .

Now which pie . . . ????

. . . which of course are all handmade,onsite, in the back by Jenny . . .

. . . I chose the chocolate peanut butter cream. YUMMYYY!!!

Happy bikers with full tummies!

The owner, Heather, stopped over to make sure everything was OK . . .  Hugh thought the rhubarb pie he had was the BEST he had ever tasted and it nearly brought a tear to his eye . . .

. . . in fact, there was only one piece left in the tin so he bought it for his dessert tonight!!!

I still needed a new towel. We ‘rented’ towels at the club yesterday for 50 cents and it brought back what a nice feeling it is to towel off after a hot shower with a full size towel rather than an hand towel sized one like the one I bought for this trip at REI.

So . . . of to 40 North Outfitters, three miles north of us in Puderay. Very much like our Farm & Fleet but bigger and with more stuff!!

On the way I passed this cool roadside coffee stop. Closed today . . .

On the way I passed this cool roadside coffee stop. Closed today . . .

. . . even had a handle!!!

In the ‘camping department’ there were four aisles of ammo  . . something for everyone and every purpose!!!

. . . but I was after a regular size micro fiber towel (not chamois like) that as you can see is MUCH larger than the current version, and still 5X more absorbent than cotton. It may seem like silly thing but on the road it is the simple things that make your day.

Tomorrow we are back on the road to  Clark Fork, ID and then on to Libby, MT the next day. FORWARD!!!

We had a great stay at the fire department training center . . . but it was soon time to pack up and move on to Sandpoint, ID. Allison, our tour guide, has spent MANY hours lining up our accommodations but when something better presents itself, she takes the bull by the horns. Here she was on her way to the school admiration office with some flowers for Christy, the administrator,  as a thank you for making room for us in Newport.

She pulled some more tricks out of her hat and tonight instead of staying at the County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint, which there was only a water spigot and porta potties, we are staying at the Sandpoint West Athletic Club and we will have the run of the place!!!

We were teased yesterday with our 1/2 excursion into the State of Idaho, but today we say goodbye to Washington and bicycle into Idaho and points east.

I guess gun ownership must be a big deal in ID since I came to this sign, pasted to a state DOT speed limit sign,  in the first quarter mile after entering ID . . .

. . . probably placed on the speed sign my the same group who posted this sign right across the road!!!

More Logging trucks in Idaho!!!! Hope they are more courteous to bikers than those in WA who seemed to thrive on seeing how close they can get to bicycles, especially when there is no shoulder. The locals even comment that the timber haulers think they own the road. Rumor is they call bicyclist ‘limesicles’ like popsicle but lime because of the safety lime green vest and jerseys we wear SO THEY CAN SEE US!!! Here is what is loaded on their trucks each morning . . .

. . .  and here is the final product!!!

Great riding today along the river as we head to Sandpoint. Blue sky again, no wind, low traffic  and only 40 miles. Lots of osprey along the way. This platform was empty but a neighbor was sitting on the adjacent pole . . .

. . .for some reason in this section the utility did not want birds sitting, roosting or nesting. They placed plastics covers over the lines and on this pole had a plastic owl!!!

. . . but here was a happy family!

Good for Idaho, working to keep invasive species out of their waterways!

Time for an impromptu lunch stop at ‘The Crossing’ . . .  hopefully we will not drive down their property values during our short stay.

Not sure what Lucky the flying cow is all about but . . .

. . . here was another chicken for emJay!!!

After 35 miles we were entering the greater Sandpoint area. We exited  Hwy 95, which we had been on for 15 miles, and got on a GREAT bicycle path. It looked like it had been just sprayed, the weeds were all covered in tar . . .

. . . and sure enough four miles down the trail were Larry and Jim sprucing things up for us. I asked if the city fathers had heard the ACA Northern Tier was coming to town and wanted to put out the ‘black carpet’ for us. No . . .it was just time for normal maintenance.

. . . we have been out of the ‘news stream’ for several weeks now . . . wonder how the whole ‘Rebuilding America’ thing is going?????

The path turned into a full two lanes when we crossed the two mile bridge into Sandpoint, ID. . .

Hello Sandpoint . . . the end of our Map 1, a new state to explore AND a layover day!!!

The city got us off the main drag with this nice path along the river right into the downtown area! Big city for us . . .over 7,500 happy residents.

Not too far from the athletic club was this gun store . . . quite the prop. I assume that is what it is????

Thanks to Allison’s extra efforts, here is our home for the next two nights! Swimming pool, Jacuzzi, hydro massage and all the workout equipment.

Everyone must check in at the club with Leona, who has worked at the club for 26 years. As a shower present, for the delivery of her first son, she was given a free visit. She liked the place so much she asked for a job and has been here ever since!!!

The staff told me one of the women who was teaching a kids class spoke German. Soon her and Corvin were talking it up in German. Diana’s mother is German and her father American. After living in the US for 46 years they are retiring next year to the Motherland. Corvin seemed very happy to speak his native tongue for the first time in several weeks!!

Our camp. The club closes at 10:00pm but we will have a key to get into the bathrooms. AND they had REAL shower towels to rent for fifty cents!!!!

While I have been bicycling through the great State of Washington  enjoying the environment and scenic beauty that has been preserved by federal, state and NGO’s  . .

emJay has been in Washington, DC helping continue the cause!!!!

 

We were sorry to leave Linda and Dave’s RV park this morning. They were both up early supply us with carafe after carafe of coffee. But soon we were on thee road. If you were not getting your coffee fix from Linda and Dave . . .this was the place to be in Ione!!! The sheriff was just leaving on his way to work and the USFS had just pulled in next. Ahhhh working . . . what a distance memory.!!!

Still rolling in Ione, WA!!!

We road across the bridge to the other side of the Orville River over an open expansion decked bridge. Sort of creepy looking down and seeing the water as you roll across . . .

. . .better to look downstream and the beautiful view that was awaiting us today. We would have a 52 mile ride down the River, and through the Kalispel Indian Reservation. We had heard they had a buffalo heard and were anxious to see it. We also heard the 8.5 mile of LeClerc Road that runs through their reservation is a famous ‘speed trap’. Shouldn’t be an issue for us.

But what about bicyclists!!!!

BEAUTIFFUL riding, no traffic, cool temps and great scenery. This is what bicycle touring is all about.

Soon I met Elaine who was out for a walk with her pup, Rags. I asked Elaine about the buffalo herd on the Kalispell Reservation but she had never heard of it. We’ll see!!!!

In the middle of nowhere was this Washington State version of Stonehedge. No sign or information . . . just out in the middle of a field!!!

Another unique mailbox. I guess the USPS must allow any kind of mailbox decoration as long as it is at the proper height. Wouldn’t work in our neighborhood!

Having been in the fire business I had to stop and check out the local fire station, where as most volunteer fire  departments, are looking for help.

Boy . . .to bad we missed tis community event. We would have made a dent in their food supply!

We entered the Kalispel Indian Reservations, checked our speed and were on the hunt for sighting the buffalo herd!

Soon we came upon the tribal headquarters building. Modern design  . . .

. . . and sure enough there were buffalo . . . a ‘herd of three’. We were expecting 50-60. Maybe the rest were scattered in the pasture. We would keep our eyes open as we biked on through the reservation.

We  came to the  Madreas Grotto and thought  it was a good time for a mini lunch stop.

David pulled out his iPad and checked out the grotto info online before he and Rod decided to climb up the bluff to see it. After 15 minutes of climbing the trail petered out and they never found it!

Seems like the garbage man had not been around to the grotto for a while . . . but no sign of bear activity.

Right next to our lunch spot was this little cave. We called it good and got back on the road . . .

FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has a big dam spillway project on the Orville River and we rode by access points all day.

As we neared OldTown/Newport out home for the night the river widened. We had a slight headwind but it was VERY refreshing. Perfect end to a perfect biking day.

As we crossed over the bridge into Newport we passed through a small chunk of Idaho. Sort of a teaser. Tomorrow night we will be in Sandpoint, ID . . .

. . . but tonight we are staying in the Fire Science Building of the Newport High School Firefighter Academy. Evidently they start recruiting their volunteer/professional staff very early in life

Here is a shot from the loft of our home tonight .. .

. . . where Corvin may have found the most unique place to sleep!!!

Some are sleeping in the instructional room tonight and some are camping out on the athletic field. I will be camping next to the engine I am expected to respond with if they get a call . . .

. . . and as I work on today’s journal entry . . . I AM READY TO RESPOND!!!!