priest river, idaho

Idaho! Thirteen states to go!

 Tomorrow is our first rest day. We are at the Eagle’s Nest Motel in Priest River, Idaho. Yep, Idaho. We rode into Idaho and about five miles down the road the light rain began. It wasn’t anything to worry about so we pedaled on into town. Just so you'll know, Phil is still riding with us. He is our photographer for this picture. We had no photographer with us so we alternated taking pictures. 

With one state down and thirteen to go, let me give you a quick run down of where we’ve made our stops along the way. Anacortes (the start), Marblemount (two nights), Winthrop, Tonasket, Republic, Ione, and now Priest River. Priest River is our first Idaho stop and we’ll be here for two nights. We’ve done a bunch of climbing, pedaled in rain and snow, and pedaled a lot of miles in our eight days on the road. (440.1 miles) Yes, we are looking forward to our day off tomorrow.

Take a look at the picture of the map and you can see our route and our towns where we stayed for a night or two. The colored cut out map of America shows in green the states we drove through to get to Anacortes. The states we pedal through will be shown in red. (Unfortunately the red marker over the already green states looks like dark purple but, hopefully, you’ll get the picture.)

Last night, in preparation for the ride today, I replaced my Speedplay clipless pedals with some platform pedals. I did it because my cycling shoes have become very uncomfortable and my running shoes are very comfortable. These pedals allow me to use the running shoes. (Let me be clear about one thing here: I am not a runner! A runner in my family helped me acquire my running shoes and since those shoes are light and comfy, I wear them while pedaling.) And another good reason I put the platform pedals on my bike . . . I like the color. They add a little fun to the yellow paint job on my bike.

Our 56.41 mile ride along the Pend Oreille River today was fairly flat with an equal amount of ups and downs. We did climb over 1,500 feet but not all at once so the ride would probably be considered an easy ride. Along the way we crossed the river, saw a large herd of bison and took lots of photos. We also

stopped at an interesting Kalispel Indian Cemetery before leaving Washington. In the cemetery I found many interesting gravestones with names like Marie Genevieve Bigsmoke, John Baptist Nomee who fought in World War II, Beannie Nomee, Steve “Red Heart” Pierre, and Edo A. Pierre. Edo’s photograph, on his tombstone, makes me think Edo was probably a joyful and encouraging fellow with maybe just a hint of mischief. (Just a thought.) Other highlights of today’s ride include lunch in the Snackwagon, a few fun downhill rides, deer, and being chased by three dogs. It’s been a super good ride today! 

I’m so thankful to get to do this again. I’m thankful that I’m healthy enough and kinda strong enough, too. I’m thankful for friends who have joined in and pedaled along. I’m thankful to Margaret for doing everything to make this happen. I’m thankful to Sarah and Carey for the send off goodies and encouragement notes. I’m thankful to God for this incredible creation we are enjoying each day. God is good.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”