Today would be a day of riding, big time! But there is always time for a lottery ticket which are sold everywhere.

This was a bridge that none of us dared to cross over a ditch.

The morning started calm, cool and smokey.

We see these gaily painted farm  trucks around – no heater no problem, no AC no problem, no windshield – better wear goggles!

Typical Thai working bike.

Papayas growing at our snack stop.

Chili peppers too! Watch out for these in dishes!

Ornate building along the riverway.

Working man’s trike. Always seem to be overloaded.

We had a great ride along the Yom River. And Gregory had the first flat of the trip, and his first his of two today. Mr. Pree was there almost immediately to change the tire. Only took 4.5 minutes!!!

Rick says that this is a sign about fire control but it is hard to tell that!

We stopped for another snack at a small restaurant that had a very important event taking place: the new spirit house was being blessed by Buddhist monks. Here you can see three monks; the principal one has a cord connecting him to the structure. They were burning incense and chanting. Mr. Woody said this observation includes aspects of Buddhism, animism, and a precursor to Hinduism.

Family members prayed and had the monks bless holy water, which would later be poured on the ground to nourish deceased relatives.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed Thai Tea Lattes, with handwritten “thank yous” on each cup.

Off we went on our trip along the Yom River, crossing on this narrow bridge where we had to let the motorbikes pass!

Off they go!

We passed some workers using machines to weed whip the ditch, and they blew lots of debris on the road. Leslie ended up with a goathead thorn in her bike tire! Woody said: don’t pull it out, you will get a flat. Then Mr. Rin pulled it out! No flat for Leslie, yet anyway!

Next on the list for flat tires was Monica. Here Woody calls in the pit crew  for assistance.

Meanwhile, the Spice Girls are having fun! See the river over MJ’s shoulder.

Whoops! We went across a road and down a little incline, and a rider braked hard and went down. Instantly Mr. Rin was on the scene to clean and treat the wound. HIPPA laws prevent us from revealing the injured rider identity!!!!!  😉

Temples celebrate many things. This ‘bar’ seemed to be celebrating Leo beers!

Our ride along the Yom was fun! Made us feel like little kids out on an adventure. Sometimes dirt, sometimes paved, sometimes gravel.

Fishing boat on the Yom.

Cool and interesting metal sided house along the riverside road. Complete with a watch puppy!!

Great place for a party! Too bad we can’t stay longer.

Typical scene as we bike past banana plants. Great, smooth concrete roads most of the day.

Many cuts available at the Pork Shop! The Thia’s  do like their pork!!!

We stopped for a nice lunch. They make homemade noodles in this busy kitchen.

The main chef and restaurant owner hard at work.

Delicious Pad Thai….

. . . chased by a fruit, ice and sweet syrup medley.

Bougainvilleas abound.

There’s more!

Pretty lotus flower,

The government must have had a fitness incentive program. We see lots of exercise equipment like this in public places, but there is never anyone using them. Many of the machines have a thick layer of dust.

Good looking corn! The price for corn must be very high . . . this is not your typical Thai farmhouse!!!

Tasseled out. Looks like August in the Midwest!

Healthy tobacco plants. (is that an oxymoron?!)

After 70 miles of riding along a river, past fields of cane, tobacco, rice and corn, we arrive at our home for the next two nights: the lovely Sriwilai Resort in Sukhothai. They even put out a bike by the entryway to welcome us. After Rick took this photo, and remounted his bike, the front tire was flat. Talk about perfect timing . . . only a 50 meter walk to the entrance . . .

. . . where we enjoyed our usual ‘welcome in the lobby’ with special refreshing beverages.

Staff give us a tour of the grounds: the infinity pool;

our wing,

. . . the view from our room.

Aaah! This is nice.

There’s nothing like a nice hot shower, and a chance to wash all our biking clothing at the end of the day.

Soon it was time for happy hour and as we walked to the bar at twilight it was BEAUTIFUL around the grounds of the hotel.

Happy hour poolside was delightful. Cooler temps than the high of 89 today and no bugs!!!

Funny stories . . .laughs . . .

. . . and many  LARGE beers and gin and tonics were consumed!!!

. .  a wonderful dinner followed happy hour and soon it was time to wander back to our room after a great evening and a great day of cycling 70 miles along the Yom River!!!