We had a beautiful up and down ride along the Pend Oreille River. Pam earned her nickname of "Eagle Eye" when she spotted a white spot up in a tree that she swore was an eagle. I honestly did not believe her until I saw the eagle take flight and reveal his white head and tail. It was magnificent. We also saw spectacular deer all day long bounding across fields and roads wagging long white tails from side to side like a clock pendulum. The highlight was when Pam came to a screeching halt when she saw a bear beside the road. It was still there when Carol and I came riding up. Pam got her camera out, but said she was shaking so badly she could hardly shoot the picture. He walked along the road before crossing and disappearing into the woods. Again Pam earned her "Eagle Eye" moniker.
We stopped to lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Pend Oreille River in Idaho. We congratulated ourselves upon arriving by 11:30 at mile 51 and getting back on the road before 1:00 PM. We saw ourselves in Sandpoint by 3:00 PM with an easy 39 miles to go. When we went around the first turn and saw the steep hills and felt the headwinds I knew we were in for a long day of riding.
I must say, when we crossed the border into Idaho I was already nostalgic for Washington. Our nice road shoulder disappeared and the drivers were not as courteous. However, the trees got bigger, and we were finally treated to warm sunshine. We were still following the Pend Oreille River as we climbed up, down and around. We really had a perfect day of riding.
Seven miles before reaching Sandpoint, we came to a paved bikepath. We decided to stop for lattes to give us the energy for the last leg of our journey. It was already 5:00 PM. With our hot lattes in our bellies we hit the bike path. We were revived and soared over the little ups and downs on our own private trail. We had a long bridge across the Pend Oreille Lake with sparkling water and snow covered mountains as a back drop.
We talked about taking a day off. When we got into town we had 89.5 miles. Pam said we needed an even 90 to earn our rest day. We dutifully cruised the pleasant neighborhood while waiting for Pastor Hewson to deliver our key to the church.
We are delighted with Sandpoint. We are installed in the United Methodist Church base
ment. We have the place to ourselves as it is Memorial Day. We are enjoying a well deserved rest day.
Paster Darryn Hewson and daughter Ainsley with riders
United Methodist Church, Sand Point, ID
1 comment:
Love the picture. I wouldn't have pictured Pastor Hewson quite so young or with-it looking. Nice to put a face to the names. And always happy to have another picture of you and the riders -- the 3 riders of the -- well, I can't say purple sage; what can I say? Hmmmmm, let's see, riders of the sage. Sage, yeah, that's it, sage riders, because, after all, you all are grandmas; you must be sage. And I'm so amazed that none of you ever looks tired or worn out; you always look happy and full of energy.
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