Today was a mixture of highs and lows. On the positive side, I wound up at an extremely pleasant campground. The woman who runs this RV park is from Boulder and she asked me if I knew some Vail ski patrollers that she knew. The park is right on the lake and I watched the sunset from a bench near the beach. Lake Pend Oreille is a big lake, maybe as big as Tahoe. It's the remnant of a huge glacier, I think. Really nice. There are lots of vacation cottages and marinas and such.
This campground is so nice. People walked by and were amazed by my hammock, and the neighbor just sent his kids over to see if I wanted some steaks. He took pity on me since he watched a deer come over and eat the rest of my bread while I was away. I saw the same deer eating from his table earlier.
The morning started a little rough. As I left the Newport Kampground (good riddance -- hope I didn't get ringworm from their shower), I took a back road to avoid Hwy 2 traffic that Luigi warned about. The back road started out OK but it deteriorated into a hilly, unpaved and unsigned maze. There was lots of trash on the roadside -- diapers, bottles, cans, bags of who knows what. Hand-lettered "Keep Out" signs were in abundance. I thought I heard the strains of Dueling Banjos. At one point I was chased by two slavering dogs. I was able to sprint and shout and use my Doggy Dazer and finally they turned back. But the adrenaline propelled me for the next few miles.
Not too enamored of Idaho so far, I finally made my way to Sandpoint. It's a nice lakeside tourist town at the foot of the Schweitzer ski area. I got my chain cleaned at a bike shop and also got an improved therma-rest and blanket. More crap to carry but it's better than waking up at 4:30am shivering. I asked directions from a woman who, after hearing my story, offered to put me up in her family's cabin. It was 15 miles north of town and I was heading east. Perhaps I should have taken her up on it; it seems impolite to turn down such generosity. But I wanted to pedal on, and I actually like the routine of setting up camp and fixing the little equipment issues and writing my blog. It's amazing that people would do that for a stranger, though.
More people quizzed me on my bike. The answer: It's a Rans Stratus long-wheelbase recumbent. It's great for touring because it's really comfortable and easy on my back. At the end of a long day you don't feel like you've been beaten up. The long wheelbase and steel frame really absorb the bumps. It's burly enough to carry all the gear. It's fast on the flats and slow on the climbs. My uncle Mark gave it to me for my first bike tour, and I am sold on recumbents now. I wouldn't use it in city traffic because it has the turning radius of a bus and you have to think ahead about what you're going to do. But for pedaling hours on end, the comfort is unmatched.
I left Sandpoint after a couple of hours and had a very pretty evening cruise to this place. So the day turned out OK after all. I passed a sign that said 160 miles to Missoula, so I should probably be there in two or three days.
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This campground is so nice. People walked by and were amazed by my hammock, and the neighbor just sent his kids over to see if I wanted some steaks. He took pity on me since he watched a deer come over and eat the rest of my bread while I was away. I saw the same deer eating from his table earlier.
The morning started a little rough. As I left the Newport Kampground (good riddance -- hope I didn't get ringworm from their shower), I took a back road to avoid Hwy 2 traffic that Luigi warned about. The back road started out OK but it deteriorated into a hilly, unpaved and unsigned maze. There was lots of trash on the roadside -- diapers, bottles, cans, bags of who knows what. Hand-lettered "Keep Out" signs were in abundance. I thought I heard the strains of Dueling Banjos. At one point I was chased by two slavering dogs. I was able to sprint and shout and use my Doggy Dazer and finally they turned back. But the adrenaline propelled me for the next few miles.
Not too enamored of Idaho so far, I finally made my way to Sandpoint. It's a nice lakeside tourist town at the foot of the Schweitzer ski area. I got my chain cleaned at a bike shop and also got an improved therma-rest and blanket. More crap to carry but it's better than waking up at 4:30am shivering. I asked directions from a woman who, after hearing my story, offered to put me up in her family's cabin. It was 15 miles north of town and I was heading east. Perhaps I should have taken her up on it; it seems impolite to turn down such generosity. But I wanted to pedal on, and I actually like the routine of setting up camp and fixing the little equipment issues and writing my blog. It's amazing that people would do that for a stranger, though.
More people quizzed me on my bike. The answer: It's a Rans Stratus long-wheelbase recumbent. It's great for touring because it's really comfortable and easy on my back. At the end of a long day you don't feel like you've been beaten up. The long wheelbase and steel frame really absorb the bumps. It's burly enough to carry all the gear. It's fast on the flats and slow on the climbs. My uncle Mark gave it to me for my first bike tour, and I am sold on recumbents now. I wouldn't use it in city traffic because it has the turning radius of a bus and you have to think ahead about what you're going to do. But for pedaling hours on end, the comfort is unmatched.
I left Sandpoint after a couple of hours and had a very pretty evening cruise to this place. So the day turned out OK after all. I passed a sign that said 160 miles to Missoula, so I should probably be there in two or three days.
View Larger Map
Goodbye Washington
Pend Oreille River
Sunset ride around the lake
The proprietor has yellow prune trees. I ate 15 or so. They were amazing.
The camp-robbing deer
Good living by the lake
Yes, I posed myself for this.
