Day 10- Priest River

Today we entered Idaho and checked off our first state. 

Cedar RV park in Ione was very pleasant. The owner is very friendly and enjoys taking care of cyclists. After some rolls and muffins we found at the local mart we packed up and headed towards Idaho. The route was an undulating county road paralleling the east bank of Pend Oreille River. It was very pleasant early in the day. There were no services for nearly 50 miles. As morning turned to noon the temperature began to rise and our water supply began to deminish. On the the opposite lane an old Ford pickup was parked off the road and just as we passed he pulled away to reveal a 4” pvc pipe discharging cold fresh spring water. We dipped our heads and filled our bottles (another motorists pulled up and insured us the water was tested and potable. Good thing because I already drank a pint ). 

We road through the Kalispell Tribal Headwquarters and a magnificent herd of Buffalo. Complete with red baby calf’s. 

We lumbered towards Newport in a slight headwind and finally arrived to find yet another restaurant closed. As we stood there a friendly guy in a lawn service truck pulled up and waved a handout for Mama Sanchez’s restaurant. He said they were open and we wouldn’t be disappointed. And we weren’t. A fine launch to get us the final 10 miles. Thank you Papa Sanchez. 

We found our way through Newport and entered Idaho. It was good to get off the main route. ID state 41 is not bike friendly. 

We made it to Priest River Recreation area camp ground run by the Corps of Engineers. We have a nice spot for three tents watching fire attack and small air tankers fight a fire north of us. 

We road back into town for a delicious pizza at Vicki Raes Pizza. Worth the extra .6 mile ride. 

Well we are all yawning. Time to get back to camp and rest for tomorrow. 

Day 9 - Ione, WA

If you want to know where you are going, you need to know where you are. 

Staying in an RV park off route required navigation back to the route before we could proceed on course. I am sure this is some corollary to life or axiom to live by. I think it’s just life. Only a couple minor detours. 

The established route took us off the main highway that provided us some real sweet, calm, and serene  byways. The farming landscape is juxtaposed against forested hillsides. Mark often voiced how it would be to live here, now and a hundred years ago. Probably not much difference between the two eras.  

Farmers were out working their land, mowing fields of grass hay. Occasionally cows and their calf grazed in a pasture and a few horses and a mule waited in a corral to be fed or given attention. We also saw wild turkeys and white tailed deer doing their thing in the open spaces. 

After 11 miles we entered Colville to find breakfast. As with so many small towns on our route, most restaurants are not open because of the lack of staffing. We ate at the deli in the Super 1 grocery store. Actually a fine deli. Squirting Colville we found our off highway route through more quiet rolling country side. 

35 miles into our day, Becky provided us with a water stop at a state rec site. It was hot. A much needed break. Garmin said it got up to 104 degrees , but the weather app said it barely reached 90. 

After rolling climbs we finally decended 4.8 miles down to Pend Oreille River and up to Ione, WA, staying at the Cedar RV park.  Very nice, quiet, clean and friendly. Again, all restaurants in town were closed. So we found the local market and brought back some beast to bbq, salad and some fresh fruit. A fine meal fit for a crew who pedaled 58 miles. 

Tomorrow we should enter Idaho. 

Day 8. Kettle Falls

Yay for friends!!! Mark & Clate joined us to ride for 6 days. It’s so nice to have them with us. After some discussion, it was decided that Becky would carry our bags for us today & tomorrow. She is staying with us for two days then moving on ahead of us. Mark & Clate will then have to pack all their gear also. It was so nice to have Becky, as she was our chauffeur in town, encourager on the road, photographer & most helpful lodging planner. Basically, all we have to do is ride our bikes. She has been the best support! We all appreciate you very much 😊!

Today was another big climb day, right at 4,000 feet. Totally worth it for the long descent of about 18-20 miles! The scenery was amazing. Beside crossing the Columbia River on a bridge with no shoulder, the traffic was not bad. We met some more cross country riders today, Ed & Irene. They weren’t impressed when we rode by without packs & then said we were headed to Maine 🤣. We explained our great assistance… for a couple of days. We are resting in another nice campground (that Becky found) and planning tomorrow’s ride. I am going to have to up my game & get back to organizing our stays after tomorrow. We are almost to Idaho for a brief panhandle visit. So stay tuned. Rhonda

Day 7. Republic, WA. Rest day

Today was a rest day as we waited for Mark and Becky, and Clate. Beginning tomorrow for 6 days Mark and Clate will join us as we ride and Becky travels ahead to our camp. I look forward to the others joining us and sharing in the adventure. Back home Clate and Mark are part of our small riding group. We are not an organized club but just a bunch of friends who share common interests and tolerate one another. Ok, we more than tolerate each other. 

In keeping with the concept of rest, being, and presence to the moment, I am keeping this short. 

Until tomorrow. 

Jon 

Day 6: To Republic and Gold Mountain RV Park

10 years ago today, I married my best friend. In my vows,  I promised her adventures far and near. This adventure is of the former. 

I love you, Rhonda. Period. 

Yesterday, back in Tanasket, we enjoyed a leisurely, peaceful afternoon. Most of ii on a deck built under a giant old Sycamore tree. Shannon’s Place is the place to be. The big Sycamore  provided respit from the hot afternoon sun. After arriving around noon thirty we enjoyed a cold hard ice cream cone. Closing at 3, we decided to hold off on real food until 2:30 especially since our Red Rooster brunch in Omak kept hangry away. Shannon’s Place offers cyclist a place to pitch a tent, which we did later in the evening. Until then, I sat under the old tree with a cold beverage just being. 

A friend and colleague of mine, Mike Senn, told me of a river trip where he was encouraged to “just be”. Just enjoy the moment. I’m reading the book “The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. He expands on the concept of just being. Hurry starves you of the Spirit. It takes away our love, peace , and joy. Comer states, “there’s a secret to happiness-present to the moment. The more present we are to now, the more joy we tap into”. 

As I sat under the Sycamore, I think I was experiencing a rare moment of that joy of just being. 

Shannon’s is not just a roadside spot for the traveler. Many locals come to enjoy the shade on the deck. There was a bunch of ladies sitting around a table, sipping white wine and talking about old men. Others came to sit and conduct a little business. Still others to eat. But let’s not forget to mention the food and the service. Just like homemade and portions that rivaled grandma’s dinner on the farm. 

After closing Shannon sat with her staff and discussed menus, specials, purchase orders, and training of the help. The Rona hit these small business owners hard. She and her husband Roger weathered it. But now find it difficult to find more help to fully reopen. But she is optimistic. 

Later, when it quiets down, Roger returns home from a road trip and the couple share dinner together on the deck, now their own private dinning room, which they share with us cycling travelers. They tell us stories how they first started 30+ years ago. How they value character when they hire staff, then train them for the tasks needed. And it shows. Their staff are the best. Hard workers, friendly, and engaging. 

Shannon and Roger bought some dirt in the bench over looking the Okanagon Valley from the Canadian border to the town of Okanagon. From there they plan to build their retirement home, watch the neighbors kids rumble and roam and sit together and just be. 

We pitched our tent as the sun set and the air cooled. In spite  of the highway traffic we slept soundly, awoke early as Roger and Shannon’s girls prepared for the morning breakfast crowd. Even before the 7am open, some old guys, probably husbands of the gals sipping white wine, filtered into the restaurant and took their accustomed seating assignments and drank coffee that Roger prepared earlier. As they waited for the breakfast orders they sat around and talked about…well,whatever us old guys talk about with a cup of coffee in hand. 

Soon our breakfast was served, again cooked and served by the best of staff. Fueled up and packed up, we said goodbye to Roger and Shannon and their staff, and the deck under the old Sycamore. 

Our route today started up the hill with no warning or warmup. And up 3600 feet in 27 miles we pedaled. But after the first five miles the canyon opened up and we rode through a high valley with broad views of forested hillsides and valley floor pastures. I could only imagine what it would be like to work these ranches a hundred years ago before satellites and the internet. 

After a couple of hours we passed Chris and Patty as they keep pedaling towards home in Maine. By mile 24 or 25 we thought we were done climbing but it only got steeper. Then, just as I thought I couldn’t do it anymore I saw the sign for Wauconda Pass. Then a nice 13 mile descent into Republic, WA known for ranching, mining, timber and recreation  and now an award winning brewery. 

Camp is at the Gold Mountain RV park where we will meet Mark and Becky, and Clate tomorrow. Mark and Clate join us on bikes for the next six days of riding. Rhonda and I will take a rest day and hang out in camp, which tonight for our 10th anniversary is a Tipi. 

Day 5 Okanogan to Tonasket

Today it’s all about roads & people. We started out early to beat the heat but not early enough to beat some of the dogs who wanted to chase us! We started on a side road which had little traffic. It was littered with beer bottles and so much broken glass. Good thing we didn’t have much traffic because we could not always stay on the shoulder safely. We then were greeted by large dogs in two separate locations. One place, the dogs came from either side of us. We took the whole road and spoke gruffly to them to get them to back off. Next town was quaint and off the road. We then got back on to Highway 20 to have road construction. After waiting about twenty minutes, we got a special ride in the pilot car around the road construction. The best part was it kept the traffic off the road for long periods of time.

The second part is about all the amazingly kind people we meet. The construction crew was great & chatted with us before we got our special escort. Then we arrived at our destination. Shannon’s Place in Tonasket, WA. I had called ahead because it was mentioned in the Adventure Cycling map as place to camp. It is a local Mecca for the town people and we met three more cross country cyclists. One man is going from Seattle to the Florida Keys! Another gal is doing a solo trip from Sun Valley through the whole Northwest, down the Oregon coast & back to Idaho. People are just relaxed and friendly; everybody has a story & they are encouraging. I will end with my laundry mat experience. Not always my favorite place but a huge necessity on this trip as we have limited room to carry clothes or extra riding gear. Our stuff gets dirty and smelly quick!!!! Today is really hot so you get the picture. I am in the laundry mat and a man who lives up in the hills engages me in a conversation. We chat. Then a lady comes over thanking me for talking to him. I just said, he needed someone to talk to and listen to him. The next thing I know is she is asking me about her knee injury. She pulls up her skirt, shows me her knee & asks my advice. She knew nothing about me, but said she thought bicyclists would know what to do about this. Phew, I politely told her to ice it & knew Jon was over on the deck enjoying a beer. I hurried back to the wonderful deck at Shannon’s Place. 

Rhonda

Day 4. To Okanagon via Loup Loup Pass

What a difference a day and a summit pass make! Yesterday we cruised down the backside of Washington pass in some cool drizzle with nice tailwind pushing us. We split a turkey pesto sandwich at the Goat market in Mazama and continued on Winthrop. After a nice rest, we cruised down the road to Twisp for breakfast, or possibly brunch. 

We’ve met many great folks. Yesterday on Rainy Pass, a couple walked up to us with the usual questions: where are you from?,  where are you going?, how long will it take?, you’re incredible! Last night that same couple saw our bikes parked in front of the market and came looking for, making sure we found a place to camp. Then in Twisp while eating breakfast/brunch, a guy, looking very much like Yvon Chouinard walked up to us, bowed and said, “ you guys are impressive. We passed you yesterday on the North Cascade highway and were so impressed.” Then the usual questions and standard responses. Maine!? Say again how far? 

Decending down the Methow River soon ended, leaving the valley we started climbing again up to Loup Loup Pass. We met our fourth biking couple, Chris and Patty from Maine. They are our mirror image. They flew to Seattle and our biking home to Maine. He’s the extrovert, she the quiet one. Looking forward to seeing them on the road soon. 

The country has changed from Pacific Northwest rain forest to a drier Ponderosa Pine mix and now sage brush steppe.  My friend Johna was right. It wouldn’t take time before we wished we had the cooler and damper climates. Rhonda even wanted to run through someone’s yard sprinklers. 

After a warmer climb up to Loup Loup, we had a sweat descent on long stretches of fresh smooth brandy new tarmac. Then halfway down some engineer with a cute sense of humor put in a 10% bump in the road. The legs didn’t have much left in them. But we coasted into Okanagon through orchards and vineyards. Not much was open in town but we did find a taco truck and found a motel with a soft bed and AC. (We’ve gone from near freezing to near 90 in 24 hours…yeah you’re right, I should be used to that.). 

Ok it’s time for a shower and then hopefully the BBQ and Brew with deck seating will open for dinner. 

Jon