Idaho, but not for long
We waved goodbye to the town of Libby, Montana, yesterday morning and set off. In the morning we rode alongside the Kootenai River which flows west out of Libby. We stopped at Kootenai Falls and went on a longer-than-expected hike to reach them. As we crossed a railway bridge we saw a couple carrying white-water kayaks to the river and hoped that we would see them in action at the falls. First we went to walk across the Swinging Bridge, which lived up to its name, then onto the waterfalls. Sure enough a flash of yellow came hurtling down the rapids, followed by a flash of orange. The kayakers made it through the whitewater then paddled upstream along the river bank to have another go. The excursion added some fun variety to the day's biking.
Later in the day we had great views of Bull Lake followed by Bull River as we wound south around some mountains. As we turned west onto a highway we saw a general store and bakery. The proprietor made turnovers while we chatted about her move from California to Montana and our trip. We bought a bevvy of snacks and enjoyed a break at a picnic table outside. Eighteen miles along the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir took us first into Idaho where we gained an hour by crossing into a new timezone, and then into the town of Clark Fork. We took advantage of their cell phone coverage to check on the location of the night's campground and bought some spare water at a gas station. The campground was rustic and did not have running water. Despite its primitive nature the campground was great, located right next to Lake Pend Oreille with mountains in every direction.
The first part of the day was spent winding around to the western shore of the lake to visit the town of Sandpoint. Our bicycles were due for new chains and the town had not one but two bike shops. Mike chose the "Greasy Fingers Bikes 'N' Repair" to patronize. We bought chains and Mike finally found a metal spork that met his demands. It is made by Park Tools (tool number SPK-1) and is constructed of 316 stainless steel (the good stuff). We got the new chains on without problems and were glad to discover that neither of us needed new cassettes.
The weather today was pleasant and I even sweated while climbing a hill in the afternoon. It's a good thing that tonight's campground has showers. We're camping by the Pend Oreille River, a few miles away from the Washington state border. Tomorrow we'll reach the final state for this leg of the trip. Stay tuned...
Yesterday's miles: 72
Today's: 55
Later in the day we had great views of Bull Lake followed by Bull River as we wound south around some mountains. As we turned west onto a highway we saw a general store and bakery. The proprietor made turnovers while we chatted about her move from California to Montana and our trip. We bought a bevvy of snacks and enjoyed a break at a picnic table outside. Eighteen miles along the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir took us first into Idaho where we gained an hour by crossing into a new timezone, and then into the town of Clark Fork. We took advantage of their cell phone coverage to check on the location of the night's campground and bought some spare water at a gas station. The campground was rustic and did not have running water. Despite its primitive nature the campground was great, located right next to Lake Pend Oreille with mountains in every direction.
The first part of the day was spent winding around to the western shore of the lake to visit the town of Sandpoint. Our bicycles were due for new chains and the town had not one but two bike shops. Mike chose the "Greasy Fingers Bikes 'N' Repair" to patronize. We bought chains and Mike finally found a metal spork that met his demands. It is made by Park Tools (tool number SPK-1) and is constructed of 316 stainless steel (the good stuff). We got the new chains on without problems and were glad to discover that neither of us needed new cassettes.
The weather today was pleasant and I even sweated while climbing a hill in the afternoon. It's a good thing that tonight's campground has showers. We're camping by the Pend Oreille River, a few miles away from the Washington state border. Tomorrow we'll reach the final state for this leg of the trip. Stay tuned...
Yesterday's miles: 72
Today's: 55
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| Kootenai Falls |
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| Perfect timing |
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| Getting radical |
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| Down river toward the bridge |
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| This swinging bridge was fun. Five people at one time maximum. |
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| Arm rastlin' |
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| Rach made a new wax animal |
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| They love old cars around here |
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| The shores of Pend Oreille Lake |
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| This morning at Albeni Cove Campground |
Beautiful. Is the new animal a snail?
ReplyDelete38 miles today, the first 9 all up hill. Went into Ramona via Highland Valley Road. The flat I "fixed" yesterday went flat within a 1/2 mile of the house. I tried to repair my fix but the tire tore and was toast. Used my new spare and was back on the road. In Ramona, I first stopped at a Big 5 sporting goods store. I asked the young lady at the counter if they had inner tubes. She said yes and unlocked a drawer at the cash register and asked what size. I handed her the old box and she said, "700, what's that mean? I never heard of that before." She finally found the right size but the stem was too short. I explained that my rims were wide and I needed a longer length stem. She said, "Well, you shouldn't because they make one size to fit all bikes." I thanked her for her troubles and then quickly beat feat in case there was some sort of contagion in the store that made one loose their ability to think. I found a bike store with a very nice older guy who got me the appropriate tube. Then to the Subway for a sandwich an a very cold drink. Did I mention it was 94 degrees F during the ride? Oh well, its just that time of year. No more flats, no more problems and a very rapid descent down into Poway via Poway Road. About 2,000 feet of elevation gain during the day and some of it was as steep as our driveway but a whole lot longer.
You meet lots of characters on a bicycle.
DeleteBTW, I do know the difference between "feat" and "feet". I just cant spell check worth a darn.
ReplyDeleteNot especially into US classic cars but spotted the Ford Edsell on the far right. Nicknamed the car with the horse collar - that was the polite version. It lost Ford over 1/3 billion dollars - 1960 values.
ReplyDeleteCars aside, great scenery. The Other Old Guy
I did the 15 drive up to Anaheim so Aunt Kellie, your sister Kellie, and I could work on Yorkshire. The views are not nearly as spectacular as Montana but are nice nonetheless. Kellie, Jr. did a day of yard work and filled a dumpster -- funny about our yards - we fuss over the grass and plants we want to grow and then spend hours of effort removing the plants we deem weeds and trimming the plants we think too big. All of your pictures are of un-weeded, un-trimmed beauty.
ReplyDeleteRide safely.
Cheri