Northern Tier 2007

Pre-Ride Reflections and Adventures

May 30

 The period leading up to departure on May 30^th was filled with items from many directions that needed attention. Fund-raising still wasn’t completed. Equipment still needed to be purchased. Training had to be done. Time needed to be spent with my wife. These are just a few of the aspects of life that required my diligent attention and they are not listed in order of importance.

 Even though I’ve done this transcontinental expedition twice already, there was still no lack of fear and doubt seeping in through various cranial crevices. At the airport I did ask Susan as we were saying good-bye, “Why am I DOING this yet again?!” Of course, I know the answer to that: to raise money and awareness for the American Lung Association of Maine, to get fit, to raise awareness about bicycle safety and even more important, to show that people can embark on these huge efforts at any age.

 It was fortunate that the flight was an uneventful one; it’s always nice when they’re boring. I think someone wished that I would have a boring flight. Thank you to whomever that was. Another sign of good fortune was that my baggage arrived undamaged and in good time AT the airport. For some of you who have followed my trail other years, you know that baggage arrival has not always been a smooth and painless process.

 For the flight, I purchased 2 John McDonald books to share

Maine

humor with participants; I thought they might like to hear a sort of story-a-night assortment of good

Maine

humah.

 One aspect of the flight(s) that was more than a little surprising was just how economical the airline was being with the provision of caloric content to passengers. For the 1 ½ hour flight to

Cincinnati

, we received 2 bags of peanuts, soda and coffee. For the 4 ½ hour flight to Seattle, we received a bag of chips, processed cheese spread and 4 measly crackers, soda, coffee and $5 alcoholic drinks. I thought it prudent to keep a clear head for the upcoming trials at

Seattle

Airport

.

 I suppose one way to keep passengers from doing disruptive behavior of any sort is to starve them. I made the mistake of not buying a lunch at the transfer point in

Ohio

, so by the time we arrived in

Seattle

I was running on fumes.

 I consider myself a somewhat thrifty Mainer, so I was looking around

Seattle

airport for an abandoned luggage cart (they would cost $3 otherwise). I looked in the parking garage and all around the terminal, but, alas, there were none. What I neglected to do was to look outside of door #00, which was the door I needed to reach my Shuttle. There were carts aplenty out there! But I had already bit the bullet and bought one by the baggage claim area. I’m hoping that my readers will benefit from this; of course, if 300 of my readers benefit, they can each send 1 cent and I’ll be square again. I’m just kidding.

 I had to take a shuttle to Anacortes and I wasn’t sure how long of a ride it was. It turned out that it was at least 1 ½ hours with a transfer at Merryville, I think. There was no food on the bus and at the transfer point there were vending machines that wouldn’t accept my dollar bills. The transfer point was right next to a convention center where there were meetings on-going. As I was looking for the vending machines, I saw several open doors with people sitting and listening. There was in each occupied room, a buffet table filled with delicious-looking fruit and pastries and dips and… well, you get the idea. I was tempted to attend one of the meetings for just the 3 minutes I had before the bus continued on its way. I mentioned to the bus driver in a somewhat ironic way that I had been tempted. He thought I was serious and said that the company would get in trouble for that sort of thing.

 When driver asked where I was going, I said, “as close as possible to the San Juan Motel in Anacortes.” He responded, “That would be in front of the San Juan Motel.” This was in direct contravention from the stated policy when I called the main number to make the reservation. I had asked if I could be left off at the motel. They said it was illegal for drivers to take us anywhere but to the “official” station. I was glad he contravened and I was glad I asked! When I got off in front of the motel, the driver warned me to watch myself at the motel. He said it wasn’t that safe a place. After speaking with several people to look into the background of this, I found out that the motel used to be rented rooms with alleged drug use and all the problems that that activity carries with it. It now had a new owner who had cleaned up the place. Too bad I couldn’t get in touch with the driver to let him know NOT to scare people “from-away!”

 In short order, I went to pick up my bicycle from the local shop. Unfortunately it wasn’t put back together by the expert mechanic who had done it three years ago. It had been done by some young mechanic who apparently knew nothing about recumbents and so, I had to wait an extra hour and a half for him to properly fix various cables, etc.

 I was finally able to get something to eat while waiting at a place I never go: Taco Bell. I placed an order for a 7-layer crunch. Then thought for a minute, maybe it would be good to start my national cole slaw study. So I ordered one from a young man. I received the second item straight away and sat down to eat it while waiting for the first. Ten minutes went by and still no order. I went up to the counter and the young woman who had taken my order asked if I had received it. I said no. She went back into the bowels of the kitchen and it became clear that the order had never been processed properly or a tear in the space-time continuum had caused a whole kitchen full of cooks to forget about it.

 

May 31 My birthday

  With two days to go before running out of time to send unnecessary stuff back home, I realized that it was time to get serious about organizing stuff. So after a late breakfast, I ran a few errands obtaining some small items that can make life on the road more tolerable. I had in mind to have an afternoon 1-hour appointment with a licensed massage therapist (read that carefully…NOT a masseuse). When I related that it was my birthday and that I was doing the rider for charity, the therapist let the appointment go way over. By the time I got out of there at 6:30, I was well-armed with supple muscles and a solid knowledge of exercises to do to keep them that way. She was one of the many businesses that have been so incredibly supportive with goods or services instead of cash. This enterprise would not be possible without this sort of support.

 In the evening I ate at a restaurant where I mentioned to my server that it was my birthday. She offered me a free dessert and, more surprisingly, a free dessert wine. It was a fine 55^th birthday, though it was bittersweet not being able to spend it with my wife.

June 1
            We had arranged to go on a 3-hour tour. A 3-hour tour. It wasn’t around an island named Gilligan, fortunately. So we engaged in some fairly heavy-duty carbo-loading with breakfast at Island Café in preparation for a. Kayaking around

Burrows

Island

. We had to use tandem kayaks; fortunately I was with the Scotswoman, Linda, who is an expert kayaker. She was patient with me in back. The proof of that was that I didn’t end up in the drink. Swift currents and strong wind forced us to go around the island counter-clockwise. Our guide was an energetic young man who had a good deal of information about the history of Anacortes along with a fairly thorough knowledge of the wildlife. We saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree. We saw harbor seals, cormorants, a guillemot, a harlequin duck, a peregrine falcon (also sitting in a tree), a raven, an auklet, many seagulls, possibly a tern and several purple sea stars. Even though it was only three hours, the tour totally exhausted me for a while. So instead of packing my trailer that afternoon, I ended up sleeping. I was able to roust enough in the evening to go see an Agatha Christie play, “And Then There Were None.” I was happy to find anything at all to take my mind off the impending challenge. This challenge was two-fold at this point: packing the trailer and, more importantly of course, bicycling across the

US

over 4,300 miles.

 

June 2

 This morning I finally managed to pack the trailer and in that process I was able to cull 10.5 pounds of stuff to mail home.

 After I achieved that I came back to the room to begin writing this commentary. It seemed like a good idea to get a few pictures of the downtown area with its old-fashioned wall art. Every corner had some figure painting or carved that depicted scenes from yesteryear. As I was walking around town with my bright yellow cycling jacket (with American Lung Association of Maine written all over it) on, a car pulled up next to me and wanted to know if I was from Maine. The husband turned out to be from Gardiner and the wife from here. She said that they moved there because it reminded him of

Maine

. I felt the very same thing. At one point in the conversation, they asked me if I had seen the view from atop a hill to the north of the town. I hadn’t and they said, “Jump in…we’ll take you there!” We spent probably half an hour together talking about

Maine

, the ride, the logging history of Anacortes and the lovely, and sometimes unusual, homes. One home in particular looked as though the architect couldn’t decide which period to stick with. There is a Spanish flavor, an Italian arch motif, Tudor style and others.

 After they dropped me off back in town, they suggested I check out the Marine Hardware store. It had an incredibly huge selection of items, 99% of which I had no idea what they were. It seemed like a combination marine supply and antique store. The best sign in the store was, “Get your nuts and bolts WHILE THEY LAST!” I ran into the wife again and she showed my very interesting paintings that I had missed in my first go-around. The artist, Ed Pranger, created unusual scenes with humans interacting with nature in humorous ways. Several of his paintings reminded me of the covers of some of the old-timey LL Bean catalogs.

 The evening was the first time all participants were present for an orientation meeting. There several moments where it was impossible to resist comparing approaches from three years ago to this year’s. The comparisons were mostly positive with one seemingly really good surprise: the leader suggested doing group laundry rather than twelve of us vying with tiny loads to use what few machines there would be at a campground. At first glance it seemed off-putting, but upon reflection, I think it could be workable. Another plus is that if it is done in this way, group funds pay for it. This is always a welcome aspect.

 Tomorrow is the shake-down ride. We have to report to the leader’s room at 7am for breakfast for a 30-mile ride that begins at 8am. During that ride, we are being asked to stop at some campground and empty our panniers/trailers and set up camp. I prickled at the thought. It is already evident that we’re setting up camp for 93 days so why add one more?!

Shakedown Ride

Date: June 3, 2007 Sunday Shake-down ride Starting Point: Anacortes, WA Ending Point: Anacortes, WA Via: Around island Mileage: 26.3 Time: 3:16 Mph: 8.0 Terrain: coastal hilly Temperature High: 85 Temperature Low: 60 Cooks: Aede and Clive Food: Pasta with marinara and vegetable sauce, salad, tapioca pudding Weather: sunny Lodging: San Juan Motel -our last night in a brick building (officially at least) Cumulative Mileage: 26.3 Miles to go: ≈4,274 Today was the first day that we had to be awake at 6am to get ready for breakfast at 7 and riding at 8. This was in preparation for our upcoming 92-day routine. Granted, it was a short day in terms of riding, but it was a good mini-preview of what was coming. At Washington Park, we enlisted the help of a visiting Canadian to take group pictures with each of our cameras. He was extremely pleasant and agreeable to such an imposition. I have him and his wife two fluorescent bicycle pins as a thank-you. Tim had us put up our tents in the park as a dry-run of our camp set-up. It was after only four miles of riding, so it didn’t exactly duplicate the amount of exhaustion we would have to battle valiantly to be successful against the tent. At Deception Pass I had an extended conversation with two motorcyclists who were very interested in our trip and in the fact that I was biking for the American Lung Association of Maine. The young woman took a card and said, “I think I’ll sponsor you.” That was, of course, music to my ears. On the way back to town, our youngest rider, Anne, had a somewhat serious accident. She required some stitches and clean-up. Her bike might have been overloaded and she fell when her bike began to shake when she was going fairly fast downhill. Fortunately she was alright, but shaken up. She might jump ahead to Winthrop and wait for us there and recover. At map meeting, where the leader goes over the next day’s route, we went through a long and painful process of sharing cell phone numbers. It was “painful” because there are three foreign riders whose numbers had several extra digits we’re not used to and in a different format. The meeting ended in a fine manner with people feeling relatively confident about the route for our first day when we actually begin coming east.

Concrete to Newhalem

Date: 5 June Tuesday Day 3
Starting Point: Concrete, WA
Ending Point: Newhalem, WA
Via: Van Horn, Rockport, Marblemount, Portage
Mileage: 35.3
Time: 3:36
Mph: 9.8
Terrain: hilly
Temperature High: 59
Temperature Low: 50
Cooks: Linda and Dave
Food: Clam Chowder, Beef Barley Soup, Macaroni and Cheese with tuna
Weather: rain
Lodging: Seattle City Light Bunkhouse Cumulative Mileage: 118.6
Miles to Go: 4,181.4

 

Shortly after starting out on a cloudy drizzly morning, I discovered a assembly problem with my bike that had escaped my notice. There is a skateboard wheel that acts to send the chain through a pathway to help with slack. I discovered that the wheel wasn’t rotating at all and I wasn’t sure who was responsible. At first I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do---at first I felt it was necessary to call my mechanic at Back Bay Bike in Portland. I thought I could wait for the rider who was right behind me; he had a cell phone that I could use. I was standing at the side of the road in a light rain and with each passing minute, I felt more and more desperate because I wasn’t sure what to do. I waited ten minutes and still no cell phone. So I was able to envision how the blasted thing should be installed. It was a flash of inspiration which I never have in the mechanical realm. The fix actually worked and I continued on to the next store to get something hot to drink. I certainly won’t count on another flash for at least a month.

There were three guys hanging around in front of the store in a sort of Maine style. I stood there with them for a few minutes under the edge of the roof that protected us from the rain. They were commenting on the various locals who were coming in for gas and groceries. The conversation went from personal commentary to the quality of old Pontiacs.

After a time, I decided it was time to continue on even though it was still raining. It was obvious that it wouldn’t stop anytime soon. Further on down the road in Newhalem, I came upon the group huddled in front of the store where we were to buy our groceries for the night. The plan was to continue on to our campground that had no shelter and no showers. In a constant rain there would be only one way to describe the setting: misery. Fortunately Tim had a good conversation with the store manager who allowed us to stay in the Seattle City Light Company bunkhouse. There were actual rooms, beds, hot water, kitchen, spring water dispenser, heat, laundry and showers. The only way to describe this setting in a rainstorm would be: paradise. The downside to staying there was that we would have to do 72 miles the next day to reach our rest day town (Winthrop). That ride would include 50 miles to the top of Washington Pass. So it was ecstatic paradise, but rather a pragmatic one.

The woods surrounding this area, where there was part of the hydroelectric system that provided power to the City of Seattle, were lush with cedars, birches, pines, ferns and lots of moss. The moss covered much of the horizontal trees even if they were still alive.

Newhalem to Winthrop

Date: 6 June Wednesday (Day 3) and 7 June Thursday (Day 4) - Rest Day
Starting Point:  Newhalem, WA
Ending Point: Winthrop, WA
Via: Diablo, Rainy Pass, Washington Pass
Mileage: 75.5
Time: 9:02
Mph: 8.4
Terrain: mountainous
Temperature High: 54
Temperature Low: 38
Cooks: Restaurant
Food: Delicious Menu Items
Weather: windy, some rain, light snow at the top of Washington Pass
Lodging: KOA Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 194.8
Miles to Go: ≈4,105

 

We made a decision yesterday to stay in Newhalem in a comfy bunkhouse because it had been raining all day and we were all chilled. I was one of the last people to arrive at the grocery store in Newhalem where we were to buy our supplies for the next three meals before we continued on to our campsite that had no shelter, no showers and no warm water. People looked at me in a funny way when they asked me if we should stay in the comfy bunkhouse or continue on. I suppose there was some peer pressure in operation, but I had no doubts about staying. We paid dearly for that decision.

The next day it started overcast, cool, occasionally drippy and slightly windy. We had to cover the ten miles we should have done yesterday PLUS the sixty-five we had to cover to reach Winthrop. It was a long slog uphill; forty-five miles uphill to  Washington Pass. There were just a few spots where the road was flat or some tiny downhill. From that last pass, it was easily twenty miles downhill until the first slight incline.

There was little traffic along the way and we were very spread out as a group; there were at least three hours separating the “leaders” and those in back. I have to emphasize that this isn’t any sort of race, but some people do ride faster than others. Again it wasn’t rainy on Rainy Pass, but there was snow on the ground.

Some time after leaving Newhalem, I did spot a mammal that could have been a fisher. At first glance, I thought it was a ferret, but the internet seems to point to this instead. As I was moving along at a blistering 8.5 mph, it crossed the road in front of me about thirty yards away. The only other animal sighting was a jay at the top of Rainy Pass. Some people there called it a “robber jay.”

A hiker announced to us that the lake a short distance from the pass was still frozen. This was not welcome news. But we were heading down soon, so we had hope to avoid freezing ourselves.

After descending the steepest parts of the mountain, we arrived in Mazama where I wanted to visit the delicatessen there to get a hot sandwich. Rolling up to the front door, we saw the “CLOSED” sign and I know that at least I issued forth a loud disappointed sigh. Then while we stood there, one of our fellow riders, Rich, opened the door and invited us in. The owner stayed open specifically to help us out. There were no hot sandwiches, but there was hot coffee. Even though he was from Vermont, we had a long conversation about things. He was planning to ride his bicycle to Vermont for his seventy-fifth high school reunion. This in itself wasn’t so unbelievable. He was planning on doing in it forty-five days; THAT was the unbelievable part. When I pointed out to him that adding a few days might reduce the daily average to a more manageable enjoyable amount. His answer, “I’m an animal.” I mentioned this story to the librarian in Winthrop; she knew him and she stated categorically that he would do the ride as he stated – without a doubt.

Fortunately we arrived at a KOA campground that provided a shuttle into town, so we didn’t have to ride our bikes in the dark, in order to eat dinner.

A not very surprising aspect was just how well all of us slept.

Winthrop to Tonasket

Date: 8 June Friday (Day 5)

Starting Point: Winthrop, WA
Ending Point: Tonasket, WA
Via: Twisp, Loup Loup Pass, Okanogan, Omak
Mileage: 72.1
Time: 7:10
Mph: 10
Terrain: hilly with one mountain pass
Temperature High: 80
Temperature Low: 54
Cooks: Janet, Dave and Æde
Food: Vegetarian lasagna and meat lasagna, salad, cake with strawberries and whipped cream
Weather: sunny and warm
Lodging: Adventure Cycling Association supporter’s backyard
Cumulative Mileage: 266.9
Miles to go: ≈4033

Today was supposed to be a somewhat long day (72 miles) combined with climbing one pass that had a six percent grade for ten miles. I was somewhat concerned about what the weather would bring because we were now getting into eastern Washington where the land is much drier and barren than west of the Cascade Mountains. Visions of 90º+ danced through my head, thanks to last year’s tough weather. It was very fortunate then that I was disappointed with all my worrying. There were just a few miles when the air heated up, but the prospect of being boiled didn’t materialize.
There was a point three years ago when I stopped at a field with a birdhouse mounted on the fence surrounding the field. That bird proceeded to dive bomb me. I stopped at the same spot to see if we could have another visit, but the bird never showed.
On the way up the pass, I spotted some sort of a woodpecker tapping on a telephone pole. There were many other birds that were invisible, but I do know that there were viris. After the pass, where we met a group of three women biking from Seattle to Long Island, New York, there were downhills aplenty. There were also lots of cherry orchards that looked just about ready. We passed a few apple orchards as well, but they were far from picking.
On a stretch after Riverside, we ran into a group of Finns (Mika, Jako, Emma and Walteräa). I stopped to talk with them a little, because it looked like they were having a little trouble. None of them were wearing a bicycle helmet. I tapped the top of my helmet and suggested to Mika that a helmet might be helpful. He showed me that his helmet was safely tucked behind his bicycle seat. I then suggested that it might be more useful on the top of his head. After I rode on, it was obvious to me that my breath was ill-spent; they all kept riding without the helmets. The two younger people had ipod earbuds in one of their ears---the side away from the road. I wasn’t even going to bother about that.
When we all assembled at a supporter’s house, it was revealed that our New Zealander, Clive, had an injured knee…the popular expression is that he “blew out” his knee. He was taken to the emergency room and it wasn’t definitive whether he should continue or not. So he’s planning on continuing.

Anacortes to Concrete (late but still worth a look)

Date: June 4 Monday

Starting Point: Anacortes, WA
Ending Point: Concrete, WA
Via:Sedro-Wooley, Lyman, Birdsview
Mileage: 57
Time: 5:34
Mph: 10.2
Terrain: mildly hilly
Temperature High: 65
Temperature Low: 59
Cooks: Kevin and Bruce
Food: Pan-fried salmon, broccoli, and beans and rice
Weather: cloudy, occasional drizzle
Lodging: Tenting at Eagle’s nest campground and RV park
Cumulative Mileage: 83.3
Miles to Go:  about 4,216.7

Today was the first full day of riding. It has turned out that Ann will rejoin us in Colville, WA in order to have time to heal from her injuries from yesterday. I think it is courageous that she wants to continue. Here’s hoping that her accident is the one allotted to this trip and it can be uneventful from here on.
There were a few interesting changes to the route from three years ago: we exited Anacortes by making use of a bicycle trail that included a long traverse of a wooden bridge that went over about a half mile of ocean inlet. Then there was the added piece on yet another bike trail. We had to either lift our bikes over a barrier or try to manipulate them under some bars that were there to prevent motorized vehicles from entering. There was a long stretch after Sedro-Wooley where we followed the Skagit River on the south side. There were no services, no towns, no people, virtually no traffic and, thankfully, no wild beasts. It was a rather long slog that was broken up occasionally by birdsong. As always, I couldn’t identify them, but they sounded familiar.
We robust eleven arrived at the campground safely. The person staffing the store offered to take me down the road in her car to the supermarket to get drinks for anyone who wanted them. Most wanted beer; some wanted Gatorade-like liquid. She felt that because we were on bikes, it was really hard to get to the store. I didn’t turn down the offer. As a result, we discovered a much better store at which to get food than 7-11 and thus ate salmon and broccoli for dinner. It was a gourmet meal that was enhanced by the smell of pine trees.

Tonasket to Republic

Date: 9 June Saturday (Day 6)

Starting Point: Tonasket, WA
Ending Point: Republic, WA
Via: Wauconda, Wauconda Pass
Mileage: 43.2   
Time: 6:16   
Mph: 7.6
Terrain: hilly and mountainous
Temperature High: high 50s
Temperature Low: low 50s
Cooks: Bruce and Kevin (JF bakes a cake…a real hit!)
Food: vegetarian chili and regular chili
Weather: cloudy, rain – heavy at times
Lodging: Ferry County Campgrounds
Cumulative Mileage: 309.4
Miles to Go: ≈3,990.6

We had to part from our generous supporter who allowed us to stay in her yard, use her facilities, kitchen, electricity, water, dishes, cookware and stove. In exchange we gave her a Guest Book which we all signed and left messages of gratitude and appreciation. She liked it a great deal and was listing the ways she might use the book once we leave: weddings, etc. We also left her another prize: a tub full of grey water that had backed up because of all our showering and laundering.. It was probably 18 inches deep and not just a little gross. She didn’t want us to fret about it; she was just so happy to have us pass through. She especially liked that she had seen me three years ago and that I was back for the second time.
    Our Kiwi rider, Clive, injured his knee that day and Sabina generously drove him over to the emergency room of the hospital where she works and stayed with him throughout the ordeal. It seemed certain that Clive was going to have to drop out. The doctors worked their magic and he awoke the next morning feeling able to continue.
    While at the hospital, Sabina called and said that she was a little behind schedule and wanted me to make a cake, pick strawberries, clean them and make whipped cream. At first it seemed like a long list, but I did enlist help with each part and we were able to enjoy a lovely lemon cake sometime after 9:30pm. Certainly all enjoyed it; there was barely any left to carry the following day.
    Just before Wauconda Pass, our one and only pass for the day, many of us stopped at the Wauconda Store and Café for some energy, warmth and escape from a driving rain. The space in front was chock full of bicycles and motorcycles. It seems that several motorcyclists had the same idea. At one point, while we were sitting there eating, a guy came in looking somewhat peeved. He waited at the cash register for a minute and then yelled “HEY!” to the staff who, at that moment, were in the kitchen. He made an obscene comment about the fact that he could barely make his way inside, what with all the f***ing motorcycles and bicycles outside the door. He wanted to know in no uncertain terms to whom they belonged. Fortunately the server kept her cool and said they belonged to customers like him. He seemed rather unglued and stomped his way to the back of the store. At that point, I went outside to move my bike a little and to watch for what he might do. He came stomping out of the store, walked between a motorcycle and a bike and purposely hit his foot on the front wheel of the bicycle. Luckily it remained standing. I went back in to report to the server. There was another guy at the counter who was witnessing all this and he reported that he knew the guy. He was a neighbor who, at one point, was threatening to close off an entry road by his house, thus blocking access to the homes of about five families who lived in the area as well. The counter guy had a lot to say about Mr. Angry. He suggested that the guy needed a good talking to with a two-by-four. Another woman at the counter said that she would be talking to the guy as well. It was rather scary and I was a little worried about being out on the road on a bike after the encounter.
    Coming down from the pass was a rather unpleasant affair: heavy rain and wind. At least there was no lightning.
    We arrived in Republic to the Prospector’s Festival where the streets were  blocked off to cars and all the teenagers were out in force with skateboards and lots of eats.
    Unfortunately the campground was three miles outside of town down some impressive hills, so it was nigh to impossible to bike back into town for fun later. Showers were 25 cents for 3.5 minutes. Dinner was scrumptious. To top off the experience, a local bike mechanic(Craig Cooper) appeared in an old refurbished van to offer his free services to check out any problems with our bikes. He even helped me with my bike. Craig seemed pleased to see that there was at least one recumbent on our ride.

   

Republic to Colville

Date: 10 June Sunday (Day 7)

Starting Point: Republic, WA
Ending Point: Colville, WA
Via: Sherman Pass, Kettle Falls
Mileage: 53.7   
Time: 6:14
Mph: 8.6
Terrain: mountainous
Temperature High: 75
Temperature Low: 49
Cooks: Linda and Tim
Food: Roast chicken with rice, salad and cantaloupe
Weather: mostly sunny, breezy, cool over the pass
Lodging: Stevens County Fairgrounds
Cumulative Mileage: 363.1
Miles to Go: ≈3,936.9

The alarm clock for this morning was quite effective: Rich and Dave were arguing at 6:15 in the field next to our tents about the constitutionality of the bill that Congress passed that allowed Bush to invade Iraq. I was awakened by the words, "it's not in the Constitution." Everyone was soon up.
Other than that dramatic entry into the day, this was an uneventful day except for the steep climb up Sherman Pass. What was so impressive this time up the pass was that I got to enjoy it with other people in the group. One rider spotted a small brown bear crossing the road while he was on his way up the pass. In Kettle Falls, it was really an uplifting experience to be able to know where a specific turn was that I missed three years ago.
As we were nearing the end, we were riding in a group of six riders and we spotted a young girl selling lemonade. I got the impression she liked having a good rush hour of bicycles passing by her front door.
We met two riders(on a tandem), Hans and Elly, who used to be Dutch citizens but now are New Zealanders.What was so striking about their cross-country ride was just how light they were traveling. I came away feeling pretty much like a truck with all my gear.

Today Anne rejoined us despite her doctor’s advice to wait another week.

   

Colville, WA to Cusick, WA

Date: 11 June Monday (Day 8)

Starting Point: Colville, WA
Ending Point: Cusick, WA
Via: Tiger Pass, Tiger, Blueslide, Ruby, Locke, Calispell
Mileage: 67.4   
Time: 7:38
Mph: 8.8
Terrain: mountainous then hilly
Temperature High: mid-50s
Temperature Low: 49
Cooks: Dave and JF
Food: pizza, iced tea, party snacks
Weather: partly cloudy, cool, headwinds for 30 miles
Lodging: Cusick County Fairgrounds
Cumulative Mileage: 430.5
Miles to Go: ≈3,870

No sooner had we exited the campground at the county fairgrounds when we started uphill. It was another one of those sixteen mile ascents that don’t exist in Maine and are killers. Outside the city limits, we came upon an interesting looking farmhouse. There is a photo of it. For some reason, probably due to the wavy trees alongside it, it reminded me of Starry Night by Van Gogh even though it was early morning. I suppose this kind of association is common for a cyclist revved up on endorphins. At that same farmhouse, there were about a dozen dogs chained up with various types of implements: chains, rope, wire and, most frighteningly, frayed rope. There was one dog that was able to get his entire body out from under a wire fence. He seemed eager to say hello or perhaps bite my leg off. It’s sometimes difficult to discern. There was another dog way back who was jumping straight up and down, almost flipping over another dog that was tied next to him. These kinds of chance encounters do help get the adrenaline pumping; a helpful tool in climbing big hills.
    This was the fifth pass in as many days and we were tired. Approaching what I thought was the summit; I met many other riders coming from the other direction. I was sure that the top couldn’t be far away. According to our map, the top altitude was 3,200 feet, then it was supposed to be downhill. It seemed to take forever; around one corner there would be more riders approaching and yet another little ascent. Finally we reached the other side and took a right turn to come south toward Cusick. That was when the headwind started. It didn’t relent until we took a right turn into the campground.
     It was Dave’s and my turn to cook, but it was quite late before I was able to roll in. Fortunately across the street from the campground, about a quarter mile away, was a combination supermarket and pizza shop. Even though they closed at 6:00, they were willing to stay open to bake our six pizzas (which took forty-five minutes!) That was the positive part. When the pizzas were ready, the young woman brought them over to the counter (after we paid for them, of course) and just plunked down six huge boxes of pizza that must have weighed about twenty pounds or so. Things looked bleak because at that moment I was the only one there and it would have been up to me to carry all that back to camp by hand. Then, Gregg and Dave appeared. Then things didn’t look so bleak.
    A very impressive part of the evening was the show that a pair of nesting red-tailed hawks put on for our benefit. There were some small black birds bothering the hawks so they would fly around making their trademark “screeeeeee” sound. These birds had a nest right above our heads high up in some very tall pine trees. It was possible to hear the chicks peeping. At one moment when it was nearly dark, I could see the silhouette of one of the hawks as s/he perched on the very top of the highest pine tree. I had never heard these birds in the wild; I had only heard them in movies – their trademark call is used in every movie that has ever been made where the director wants the viewer to think it’s desolate and desert-like.

   

Cusick, WA to Sandpoint, ID

Date: 12 June Tuesday (Day 9) and 13 June Wednesday – Rest Day (Day 10)

Starting Point: Cusick, WA
Ending Point: Sandpoint, ID
Via: Usk, Delkena, Newport, Dufort, Seneacquoteen, Algoma, Sagle, Lignite
Mileage: 55.2   
Time: 5:49
Mph: 9.5
Terrain: hilly
Temperature High: high 50s
Temperature Low: low 50s
Cooks: Connie’s Café
Food: varied delicious menu items
Weather: partly cloudy, cool
Lodging: Best Western Edgewater Resort Campground
Cumulative Mileage: 485.7
Miles to Go: ≈3,814

A rest day is upon us and I know we are all eager to be done with biking for a full day, so the terrain is sort of a blur. The people we met along the way are not. As Gregg and I were stopped at an intersection to decide which way to go, a utility truck stopped near us and a fairly young man stepped out to help. He was curious about our destination, purpose, starting point, etc. and he wanted to share information about his triathlon experience. He went out of his way to be friendly and offer any assistance we might need.
A little bit further down what seemed to be a very long road, I ran into a situation that revealed a different sort of driver. As I was descending one of the better descents we found on this day, a small covered pick-up truck passed me. It was a very long hill and as I gathered speed, I saw that the truck was putting on the left-turn signal and slowing down…he came to a stop at a left-hand turn exactly at the bottom of the hill. Instead of turning, the driver just sat in the middle of the road, not moving. It was clear by this time that s/he was not moving from the spot, so I had to apply the brakes to begin moving to the right of the vehicle. As I did that, the truck began moving and ever so slightly began drifting to the right. Fortunately, s/he drove off in a very fast manner after it was evident I wasn’t going to crash. That was indeed scary. I’ve never actually had a driver purposefully block the way and cause me danger as I was on my bike; there was one such “driver” in Maine that did such a thing to me while I was driving a car, but that’s a story for a different trip.

We had dinner together at Connie's Cafe which was quite fine. Tim, our leader, gave out the Folded Napkin Award. This was awarded to Dave for being the only person to fully make his bed and leave any towels in a neat pile and leave his alarm clock facing in the proper direction ---- back at Bunkhouse #13 in Newhalem. This award was coveted by many, but earned by few.

The next twenty-four hours was dedicated to getting mail, getting prescriptions squared away, getting bike repaired (Near Dufort I had my first flat of the front tire.), finding internet connections, resting, finding coffee and more resting.