Gig Harbor Washington to Bar Harbor Maine 2001

Our layover day at Gridley's was outstanding. Darsey fed us like kings, really hungry kings. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I spent many hours with a variety of computers getting these pages fixed, uploaded, refixed, reuploaded, ... I finished everything I wanted to do, most of which I should have done at home. I was very proud of myself for correctly diagnosing my bike's noisy chain as needing replacement. It took almost three regular bike chains to fit the recumbent. Perhaps best of all of our layover was sleeping on a real bed. Mmmm.

The grand restart.

I kept my eyes tightly shut this morning as long as I could. I managed to sleep in bed till 7! A new record. We all ran around like maniacs trying to find where we'd spread all our crap and stuff it back in the BOBs. Things pack so much better when they're dirty. We intended to leave by 9 and actually left before 10, pretty damn good.

Kathryn had her gear loosely stored in her BOB bag when we got to Coeur d'Alene and it was about 4 feet tall. She somehow managed to pack it into the most compact bag of all of us. Maybe I'll see what she can do with my BOB mountain.

Darsey rode along with us to Sandpoint with a small underseat bag on her bike and nothing else. If she hadn't fed us so well we would have had to kill her, or make her carry a BOB.

Garcia was having a terrible time with his knee and was falling far behind. He caught up and was riding with me when he had another flat - #6. Gridley stopped to help while I rode on with the womenfolk.

They were riding great and so was I. A day off and holding my foot at a right angle, instead of pointing my toes, made a huge improvement in my knees and Achilles tendon. They had hurt bad enough that I was worried if I could continue. But now I felt better with every mile.

Lunch time.

It was an incredible day. Hardly a cloud in the sky but the temperature was still cool. Smooth pavement, even though we mostly rode along a busy highway, more downhill than up. We rode easy and fast. Kathryn, Darsey and I alternated leading.

We waited several times for any sign of the Mikes, but there was none. We couldn't imagine being able to do anything they couldn't so we just kept pedaling. The girls took a rest break at a gas station and I cruised on. The bike path started back up about 6 miles out of Sandpoint and Gridley's mom was waiting at the end. She agreed to stay and tell the others where I'd be. I replaced the socks the washer stole, then raced to Spuds.

A baked potato sounded really good, but insufficient. So, I got their last, tiny, potato covered with chilis and a turkey sandwich with avocado and chipotle mayo. There was so much food that I offered to split it with Darsey, who showed up as I was eating, then immediately rescinded the offer. I was incredibly hungry. We'd stopped a few miles out of Coeur d'Alene and finished my bagels, eaten half a block of cheese, and some peanut butter. Later we wolfed some trail mix and sunflower seeds. I was still hungry. I finished all my lunch and was satisfied but not stuffed. I love riding bikes.

Another lunch.

The Mikes finally showed up along with Gridley's parents. The McKnights, a couple from Kathryn and Garcia's school, also showed up and we had a wonderful time sitting on the deck carrying on about a half dozen simultaneous conversations.

Turned out that Garcia had another flat right after fixing the first one, plus his knee hurt so bad he was basically riding with one leg. Hopalong Garcia. Ice and advil weren't helping so the McKnights agreed to haul him, his bike, and BOB to the night's campground.

Kathryn gets tired.

Gridley's folks gave Darsey a ride home and the three of us, Gridley, Kathryn and I, headed on. We were a little slower now. I had such a bellyful I was just kicking back, I think Gridley was a little tired from being Garcia's mechanic, and Kathryn was just plain getting tired. It was a beautiful ride and we were very willing to take plenty of breaks to enjoy the views across Lake Pend Orielle. This was new territory for all of us. The first roads I hadn't ridden, or even driven, before.

Lake Pend Orielle.

Our goal had been a National Forest Service campground and we rode around it. It was fairly crowded, didn't have very good tent sites and no showers. We continued to an RV park Garcia had seen with the McKnights before they dropped him off with us. It was called Beyond Hope so it was obviously the place for us. It's on the lake with a huge grassy field populated with utility hookups and a few RVs. Extremely tame deer wander around looking for handouts. We're hoping they don't eat our saddles tonight.

Beyond Hope.

We had found more Indian food in Coeur d'Alene and some Minute Rice at a small grocery, gas station, and bait shop in East Hope. They made for an acceptable meal, even after the cuisine we had become accustomed to.

We took a look at our maps. We'll be in Montana tomorrow and in Glacier Park in a few days. Wow. We're really on our way. We're really doing this.