The Last Three Days

June 3 – Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy:

Rise and Shine to the Sun: After yesterday’s ride in the rain it was a pleasure to wake to a cloudless sky. The forecast was for eight more days of rain. Thank God it cleared up for a great day’s ride.

Hail to the Corps: Last night’s accommodations came to us through the good graces and hard work of the Army Corps of Engineers. I had no idea that the Corps built and managed camp sites. This site (about 7 miles outside of Priest River Idaho) was the nicest site we have stayed at to date. I highly recommend it.

Bike Trail: Coming into Sand Point we got on a very nice bike trail that kept us out of heavy traffic and ran us along and over Lake Pend Oreille. It was very nice to ride on a traffic free section, if even for just a little while.

Bike Shop: The Outdoor Experience bike and outdoor shop treated us so well. Katie was having trouble with her shifting and they took her bike, put it on the stand and had it running clean in no time. They also had our favorite brand of mirrors. Sand Point looked like the kind of town it would be fun to hang around in, but alas, we needed to move on, especially with the weather being so cooperative.

Katie’s Jokes: Q – Where do the Polish keep their armies?

A – In their sleevies.

Burger King: Tom had a great suggestion today at lunch time. We are not going to be in fast food country for several days so why not hit one today? Everyone had the daily special and was well pleased. What a country?

Lake Pend Oreille: Heading out of Idaho we rode along the north shore of Lake Pend Oreille for about 20 miles. What a beautiful lake and what lovely and friendly towns (Hope, East Hope and Clark Fork). It was a great ride that we highly recommend.

Back in Montana: Ten miles out of Clark Fork Idaho we passed back into Montana on highway 200. We will be taking 200 all the way across Montana and North Dakota.

Meals: Gary has been the most gracious guide along the way. We are so lucky to have Gary and the use of his RV for the next two weeks or so. Some of our evening meals have included salmon, stew, spaghetti, pork chops, fried chicken and, with an assist from Katie, chicken curry. All the riders thank Gary for taking care of us. Bon Appetite.

6-4 – Reunion - Family Get-Together:

Yea !!! We got to see Mary and Lisa: What a treat. Mary and Lisa were both able to come and stay with us tonight. They always bring their own sunshine when they come. Lisa will be able to stay with us for a couple of days. Mary will leave in the morning to work at the Belton Chalet (the oldest lodge associated with Glacier National Park and the Great Northern Railroad).

Cold and wet: That is the only way to describe today’s rides. We did 40 miles in the morning. It rained the entire time. We stopped in Trout Creek to warm up and buy some gloves. With ten miles to go I could not wiggle my toes. At least I could not feel them move when I tried to wiggle them.

Whodathunk? Who would ever have thought you could have such a great time in the parking lot of the Harvest Foods store in Thompson Falls, Montana. Well that’s what we did. We tried to wait out the rain so we just hung out and had lots of laughs.

Jinxed: It hadn’t rained for a while so we took off for the afternoon ride. We had been on the road for about 3 minutes when the downpour started. It last the rest of the afternoon. There was no joy in Mudville.

Sanders County Fairgrounds: Thanks to the Sanders County Fairgrounds folks for putting us up for the night. Great facilities and friendly characters. Thank you.

Great Evening: Gary got to spend some time with his cousin Butch and we got to spend a day together as a family. This will be the last time until late July. We are grateful for the time together.

6-5 – Let the sunshine…:

Sunshine Again: What a great day for a ride. Sunshine and mostly fair winds returned joy to Mudville.

A cheering section: Thanks to Glen and Chrissy for coming down to meet up with us along today’s ride. The doughnuts were exceptional. I really liked the German Chocolate filled one, but the other 6 were good as well.

How does this happen? We are riding 65 to 75 miles a day and I am gaining weight. AAAGGGHHH!!! Maybe I need to a cutback in my calorie intake.

Special Thanks to Jim and Mary’s RV Park… located just north of the intersection on Montana 200 and I-90 about 8 miles west of Missoula. Jim and Mary run a class facility with very clean and inviting accommodations. They also generously provided free services for our cheery little crew in support of the Tour de Mission. The whole gang is very grateful.

Fabulous Section: This was Katie’s favorite section of the ride so far, Plains to Ravalli. It was really beautiful to come around the corner and see the Mission Mountains. The Clark Fork and Flathead rivers as well as the surrounding countryside are just awesome. It is a bike ride that we highly recommend to anyone.

A Short Farewell: Tom will be leaving us today to go back to prepare for Ryan’s wedding back east. Tom will return to us later in the month in Minneapolis and be the main man through the rest of the trip.