I suppose I have to be moving again - good, cool drinks must come to an end. Into the heat I must go.
I arrived in Brewster and viewed Chief Joseph Dam. Dams are always cool to look at. Both small and large ones. As I pulled into the town of Bridgeport, I noticed a marina campground, probably an RV park like everything else. I contemplated whether to stop in there first, but I chose to bike up the long hill to the state park, as I had planned. I stared at the pay station signs a long time and couldn't find anything cheaper than $30.00. I don't remember researching this. I mean, I did, but had other findings more like $12.00. This was outrageous for one night of sleeping. For the longest time I delayed paying the money. I sat at my table thinking and wondering - why? Why can't things be different? - or the same as times of old? Sleeping ought to be a right, not a privilege. Usually I can get away with not paying obscene prices like this, but there was a park ranger there collecting the fees, so I caved in. It was difficult putting the $30.00 in the envelope. That could've fed me for a week or even two. I saw the ranger come and collect the money and stop by his booth so I thought I better pay or face the fine. That was the last thing I wanted...to pay even more. Why must I pay to sleep? That is rubbish. At least the park had a shower. Although the wifi was down and I could've used it to find where I was heading next. As the ranger came by my site, I told him I had just put my money in the slot. He was very nice and it was hard to be mad at him. He had a job to do. I told him where I was riding from and to and he was intrigued with my journey.
Apparently, the park didn't have any quiet hours. A young boy was crying the whole time while his parents decided not to parent - what's new, right? And while I was trying to sleep, even past 10:00pm, kids and teenagers were yelling to one another with my tent in the middle. Where the hell are their parents? I needed sleep, shower and laundry. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. Even in the early morning, the boy was still bellyaching and wailing away. Also, no tents were allowed on the grass. That's where tents go, jerks! Instead, I got a concrete slab!
At the park, no one talked with me - just annoyance. What happened to nice folks? Communal camping? No more. Curiosity is dead. At least in America. RV's were abundant in the park. Everyone just keeps to themselves and their mobile houses with all the luxuries of home. They want the coforts of hoe, but in a loud state park - ruins everything. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I am dumbfounded.
I have an aversion to RVs. They are taking over and it's getting worse. I can understand if you travel and that is your house. I mean, I would even consider that. But it is not for these people. They are huge and make noise and ruin everything there is to love about the world - about woods - about parks - about nature - shut if off, take a walk, a swim - and enjoy life for pete's sake!
July 1 (Bridgeport to Wilbur, 61.65 miles, 4,048 ft. elevation) Bridgeport - Leahy Junction - Grand Coulee - Wilbur. Another hot day. Well, I suppose it "IS" summer - there were some clouds today at least. It was a terrible night. I didn't get much sleep due to the RVs and all the noise from annoying, disrespectful teenagers and children...grrrrr...
As I left Bridgeport I entered the desert - nothing but desert - eastern Washington desert - not many towns - only long stretches of hot nothingness. Nothing but desolate desert - and it wasn't flat either. There were long hills - rolling hills.
I finally came to Grand Coulee - a little bit of civilization. I sped down the hill barely paying any notice to the Coulee Dam. I cared not. I was more focused on filling up on water and taking a break. I relaxed in a cool place and had something to eat to boost my spirits some.
However, when it was time to continue, I loathed the 8 mile uphill out of Grand Coulee that led to Wilbur. I rode and walked and sweated. I was not in good spirits. I saw a skeleton of some animal in the side of the road. It could've been a deer or something out of a science fiction novel. It looked quite strange.
My mind plays tricks in the desert during these long stretches. Thoughts on the road wander. I try to sing, keep my mind off the ugliness, but at times to no avail. I think of why I am out here. What am I doing? What makes sense? The heat, the heat - I need water.
By the time I pulled into the RV park in Wilbur, my morale was low. They gave me a tent spot for nearly $20.00. I was exhausted and ready to crash. That price was good to me. It wasn't like I was going anywhere else. My saddle sores are killing me - I took a shower to wash which helps a lot. Good night world - I need to get my sanity back.
July 2 (Wilbur to Spokane, 67.36 miles, 1,833 ft. elevation) Wilbur - Creston - Davenport - Reardon - Deep Creek - Airway Heights - Spokane. I secured a warmshowers host in Spokane - Nick Grow. I e-mailed him a few times to get his address as I approached the city. However, he never got back to me. I never heard from him since the time he told me he could host me. I had also contacted several others who turned me down. It would save so much time and effort for everyone involved if the hosts would update their profiles and mark "not currently available" when they aren't. I contacted Kate Burke who wasn't able to host but told me she'd hook me up if I couldn't find a place. Well, I was in a bind and couldn't find another place to stay because Nick screwed me over. I contacted Kate and she gave me the number to her friend Julia who was happy to host me for a night.
The desert merged into rolling farmland hills - it looked like a game of Settlers of Catan with sheep and wheat fields! It was really pretty. As I was walking my bike up the highway a few miles from Airway Heights, I saw a deer on the side of the road. I stopped because it was still breathing heavily. As I looked closer, the body seemed fine. The head was mangled however with the eye completely out of its socket. I wasn't sure if it was hit by a car or shot. It was probably clipped by a car window or something to that effect. It moved its legs to try to get up but couldn't. It wasn't a pretty site to see. I ended up riding a quarter of a mile up the road and stopped at a house to ask the lady there if she could help me. I told her the situation with the deer and wasn't sure if there was animal control or anything like that to call. She said she'd take care of it and thanked me. She told me there's usually a crew that sweeps the highway for animals.
Spokane at last! Finally, a big city with services! It's actually a pretty cool town. I rode past Lewis and Clark high school - wow, high tech. It's quite large and elaborate. I made it to Julia's house safely. Julia and her mother just moved in a few days ago and they were grateful to host me. Julia's mom used to ride herself and showed me her old bike. Julia's cute and seemed like a wonderful girl to connect with. She invited me to a show at a local bar, but I was too tired and worn out. Otherwise I would've loved to join her. They have some crazy dogs who weren't so sure about me.
During this time I was also trying to find a place in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Timothy Gilman, my friend and landlord texted me and said his wife Kristin's parents would love to host me in Post Falls and hear about my travels. I gladly accepted his offer to arrive the next day. They were there for the 4th of July holiday. I am grateful for their hospitality and look forward to another relaxing evening. This weekend is always notorious for being difficult in finding a place to stay on account of everyone being busy and gone for the 4th of July festivities.
July 3 (Spokane to Post Falls, ID, 33.07 miles, 478 ft. elevation) Spokane - Pasadena Park - Spokane Valley - Liberty Lake - State Line - Post Falls, ID. Julia was either gone or still sleeping when I was ready to go in the morning. I texted her later my thanks. I said farewell to her mother who offered me some Gatorade for the road. I left and headed for Riverfront Park that was recommended by my friend Ed O'Neill. There is a large Red Wagon there as well as other large structures. It was quite the park. At the park I met J.P. who actually lives near Bonner's Ferry, ID which was on my route. I would probably pass his house. He told me his sister went to college in Salem. Small world. He was a nice guy to chat with. Before I picked up the bike trail, he told me to be safe.
From the park in Spokane, I picked up the Centennial Trail once again - all the way to Idaho. I went across the Stateline and entered Idaho, all on a trail paralleling the highway. On the trail, I would see numerous other cyclists and walkers and runners. I'd say hello to almost every single one I passed. NOTHING BACK - LOTS of unfriendliness in Washington. What is it about the West? Cyclists are snobs - zoom, zoom, zoom. The roadies are like drivers on bikes. Heaven forbid they actually enjoy the ride!
There's something to be said about civilization - especially when you've been out in the desert for so long. We in America are spoiled in our cities though. There are too many services and resources. It's overwhelming really. As someone indecisive as myself, it can be a nightmare and a time-consuming paradox. I made it to Post Falls and it was good to see my friend Timothy. His parents-in-law were fun to meet and talk with. I am so grateful - being the 4th of July weekend and all - everybody leave - sheesh. It makes it hard to find a place. I wish people would update their warmshowers statuses. I've said that before and I'll probably say it again. Well, we had a great meal and I was ready to zonk out for the night. I was set up in the downstairs and had the lower level to myself, complete with a bedroom, bath and shower and cool air conditioning! It was a nice place to rejuvenate.
July 4 (Post Falls to Sagle, 58.05 miles, 1,031 ft. elevation) Post Falls - Coeur d'Alene - Hayden - Chilco - Athol - Granite - Careywood - Westmond - Sagle. I woke up with a little headache, took another glorious shower-can't have too many showers on a trip like this and to wash those dang saddle sores! Timothy showed me where I could get some granola - simple but delicious. I said my goodbyes and was on my way.
I decided to head to Lake Coeur d'Alene before I bike north. I'm glad I did even though it was super busy with parades and 4th of July stuff. But the lake area was very pretty. It is a pretty cool town too - not like southern Idaho. Rather than bike south and pick up the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes as I originally planned, I chose to go north to Sandpoint and merge on part of the Northern Tier route. Hwy 95 was dicey. Lots of truck traffic and low shoulder. I made it to Sagle, to David and Meghan's place right on the Pend Orielle Lake. It is a beautiful location. My nightly digs was this small trailer. I felt like a hobbit for a moment, but it was comfortable. Anything sounds good and it was quite cozy. Three other cyclists were there from Eugene. Lorin, Cat and Tyce. They had some cool stories. Tyce was actually going home while Lorin and Cat (website, "Let's Be Here") were headed to New York. They are journalists who were collecting stories along the way. I may see them on the road later to Glacier.
I was a bit dizzy when I arrived but it soon passed. We walked to Pend Orielle Lake to view some fireworks after dinner which was amazing grilled burgers and chicken, salads and cold drinks! Oh, and amazing pie! They know how to do hospitality right! I finished my laundry and headed to sleep town. Lilly the dog was lovable too. I wish I could meet someone like Lorin. She's attractive and just bought a bike to ride across the country. She hasn't ridden much before this trip. Why can't my friends be like that?
July 5 (Sagle to Bonner's Ferry, 42.97 miles, 1,739 ft. elevation) Sagle - Sandpoint - Ponderay - Bronx - Colburn - Samuels - Elmira - McArthur - Naples - Burns - Bonner's Ferry. It was a relaxing morning. I cleaned my bike before breakfast which was great - bacon, potatoes, eggs and toast!
Across the bridge, I went to a bike shop (Greasy Fingers) in Sandpoint to replace my chain. The guy there was very ambiguous about my chain wear and cassette wear - but in the end I had my chain replaced. As I waited for them to work on my bike, I went to a coffee shop they recommended - Evan's Brothers. Also, the beach park to eat a sandwich. It is a very beautiful place. I got started north after lunch.
When I left I picked up Hwy 2 which was treacherous! It went through a bunch of small towns and paralleled some train tracks. There's trains going everywhere in this area and later in Montana. When I came to Naples, I was advised to take the Deep Creek Loop - this bypass goes around the mountain rather than up and over like Hwy 2. It was beautiful out here.
Harvey, my Bonner's Ferry host offered to meet me because he lives at the top of a very steep gravel hill. It took me forever to ride and walk up this hill outside Bonner's Ferry. He was near the top and thought I wasn't coming. ha. I'm glad he waited. He lives in a beautiful house with a gorgeous view.
Harvey has a wealth of knowledge about the whole area from here to Glacier and beyond. He talked to me about bears and even gave me some bear spray because I will need it. Also talked to me about elk, valleys, roads that have no shoulder. He's been to about 60 countries and rode across Mongolia which was his favorite - also Brazil was neat he told me. He gave me so much information that I was re-routing my plan in my head!
Dinner was fantastic - grilled burgers and corn on the cob. He turned in because he was getting pneumonia. I soon followed. My experience with Harvey was great. He gave me a short positive feedback statement on the WS site but later I would learn he gave a long negative one as an update after seeing something I posted on Facebook that didn't even have to do with him. He also went beyond that and lied and made stuff up about my stay. He was in a negative mood. This hurt me. ----
July 6 (Bonner's Ferry to Libby, MT, 49.74 miles, 1,938 ft. elevation) Bonner's Ferry - Moyie Springs - Troy, MT - Libby. Harvey made an amazing breakfast - coffee, OJ, potatoes, eggs, sausage and biscuits. I don't think I've had a bigger breakfast. I sure had my fill. A great way to start the day for sure! Thanks for everything Harvey. Food, information, bear spray, warnings of bears, directions and advice.
I picked up Hwy 2 and entered Montana! It was 13 miles to the town of Troy with no shoulder. It was a bit dicey in parts but not as bad as people made it out to be. In my experience it never is. I've been through a lot worse - thru it all as they say.
As I entered Troy, I felt it a bit fortuitous because it was the lowest elevation in Montana. "Lowest in Elevation, Highest in Recreation." I'm not so sure about that last part. But that means everything from here on out is up and up. I passed the bowling alley where Harvey said had good food. I felt a little weird so I proceeded on my way. I came to the Kootenai Falls and Swinging Bridge which was well worth the stop and little detour. I locked my bike to a table and booked it down the trail. The falls were great. I met a lady there who was interested in my travels. She has seen a lot of cyclists and had always wondered where they're headed, what they're doing, etc. I told her briefly of my trip. I didn't go completely across the swinging bridge in part because I didn't want to leave my bike for long and in part that I didn't want to get queasy. My legs and stomach know their limitations.
I entered Mountain Time in MT and it's taking me awhile to get used to the change in time. I never know the time or what day it is - oh the joys of traveling!
Ray and Jerri, my hosts, met me in Libby and took me to the top of a huge hill where their house lies. All warmshowers hosts seem to live at the top of a long hills. It is in a beautiful location though! I camped with 18 deer and 7 elk in their field. Deer frequent their field, but this is the first time they have ever seen elk there. There were 7 cyclists who came earlier heading to New York but they decided to push on on account of the early hour - towards Rexford. Otherwise I would've had company. But tonight it was just me! We had some good pizza, salad and garlic bread. They have some cool stories to tell - New Zealand, Oregon (Perrydale is where Roy's family is from), Eugene - Jerri's family lives there. They also gave me some interesting trivia about Oregon.
Ray and Jerri told me I should take the Glaicer shuttle but I do not want to take the shuttle. That is the easy way out and would be cheating. But they did confirm that the Fisher River Road is all paved, rough, but paved. This was great news for me. A wonderful alternative to the hectic Hwy 2. Harvey was insistent that I do not take the highway and also warned against going through Dead Rock Canyon to Hungry Horse on my way to Glacier. I was sure to take note of these recommendations. Time for shower and bed and Ray kept some pizza and garlic bread for me to take with me in the morning. Oh and a side note: Jerri is a bicycle seat designer. Apparently she has designed the most comfortable bike seat.
July 7 (Libby to Lower Thompson Lake, 56.48 miles, 2,299 ft. elevation) Libby - Hwy 2 - Fisher River Road - Loon Lake - Thompson Chain of Lake - Lower Thompson Lake. The time zone change is getting to me. It was all downhill to Libby from Ray and Jerri's house. I took Hwy 37 to the turn off to Fisher River Road which was 23 miles of gradual uphill. There were a few logging trucks, a car here and there but for most of the ride, the traffic was VERY low - thank God! It was beautiful and quiet along this road! Except for all the flies, bees and mosquitoes. Ah, the QUIET!! It is so glorious. Cars ruin everything - literally everything - they really do! This was a gradual uphill for nearly 23 miles which wasn't surprising. But it was not as bad as they made it out to be of course. Everything from Troy was up, up, up....a deer hopped in front of me after riding next to him on the side of the road. I saw him coming. It is amazing what you see on a bike that you will never see in a car!
The quiet makes my mind wander. My thoughts progress from movies to home to adventure to lif in general - ah the quiet - so underappreciated in this world. Fisher River was beautiful. A few miles before Hwy 2, a car passed and told me I'm almost there. I was able to take some action shots with my camera on the low traffic road. It was narrow and I had to stop when a log truck passed. The road came out on Hwy 2 at Loon Lake and the long Thompson Chain of Lakes. My thought was to camp at McGregor Lake, but when I came to Lower Thompson Lake, a few miles before no one else was here. It would be a beautiful place to lay my head. No one's here and which makes it easy to avoid paying to sleep.
July 8 (Lower Thompson Lake to Kalispell, 48.83 miles, 1,351 ft. elevation) Lower Thompson Lake - McGregor Lake - Kila - Kalispell. RAIN - It wasn't cold this morning like it was last night, but I did wake up to rain. I actually slept in some water. Grrr. It was wet. I packed up camp in the rain. It motivated me to get moving. However, you don't want to wake to rain and start riding in miserable weather, but riding in miserable weather I did. It turned out to be a gross day! Cloudy, rainy, dangerous roads.
There was really no shoulder on Hwy 2 - crap! Log trucks and so much traffic made it dangerous to ride on. If that wasn't enough I was scared by a loud speaker behind me, "Bicycle, Heavy Load, Move Over." There was a wide load behind me that would hit me if I didn't see it. Oh and there wasn't a shoulder to move over to. Well this sucked. Sheesh. I was thankful I did not get hit by the truck though!
I stopped at Moose Junction Stop and had a bite to eat. A few guys were eyeing my bicycle outside. One of the guys inside informed me that they were also cyclists and asked about what type of bike I had. They were interested. But I am always cautious when people take a liking to it. But more often than not, they are just intrigued at my journey and choice of transportation.
When I came to Kila, I was grateful to get off the Hwy and onto the Great Northern Historical Trail which is part of Montana's Rails to Trails. Jim, my host in Kalispell, said he had to work, so when I arrived in town I found a Taco Bell because I was craving it and it also began to rain. I only wished he had told me earlier that he'd be late. Fortunately he called back and wasn't going to be as late as he thought. Kalispell is on par with Houston for being bicycle stupid! I later changed my tune when I circled Glacier and arrived later again.Jim's nice. He rode the bike centennial in '76 and showed me his original panniers - old faded red ones. He noticed my faded, sun bleached red panniers on my bike and said this wasn't my first rodeo! He let me dry my tent out inside. He's a funny guy, calls his dog Orion a "dork." Ha. I walked down to Albertons for groceries. It is nice to walk after riding so much - stretch and exercise different muscles.
Tomorrow I ride into Glacier!
