Day 12 - Another Finished Trip

It was another nice night. I think the temperature is just right with the type of sleeping bag I have and I have quite enjoyed the last two nights. We all kind of slept in a bit. I imagine that, knowing that this will be a short day, we are all not in that big of a hurry to get gone. We decided to have breakfast together since we all all be riding different routes to Sandpoint today and Kaitlin, Eli, Bill and I will take off to Spakane before the rest probably get in. I am taking Eli and Bill to the airport on our way home. It sure has been nice to enjoy this ride with everyone. I said last year as I finished up the Atlantic Coast trip that I doubted that we would ever see one another again. It has just been great to get back together and enjoy such a ride. I do thank Tim and Nancy for putting the trip together for us. It has turned out so well and I hope we have added to their vacation.

This has also been special for me having the opportunity to spend this time with Kaitlin. I know that Kaitlin has done this trip because she knows I love cycle touring, but it has just been a treat to get to know her better and to spend such time together. We had to endure some pretty tough riding time and also enjoyed some of the greatest beauty that I have ever seen. I will treasure this time with her for my entire life.

It was gain hard to say goodbye to everyone, but I am hoping that we will be able to do this again in the future. It does sound like many would like to find a time in the next few years to do it again.

Today's ride was rather short. We rode 35 miles from Bonners Ferry to Sandpoint. We had a pretty good hill getting out of Bonners Ferry, but other than that, things were pretty flat. It was pretty, but there was a lot of smoke which took much of the color from the ride. When we got into Sandpoint, we just loaded the bikes and ourselves and took off for Spokane. We dropped Boppy and Eli off and we are now in Baker City, OR on our way to spend the night at my son, Chris' home in Boise.

I am always thankful for the protection that our Heavenly Father has given us on riding. I am so thankful for the beautiful world He has created for us. I again thank Carey, my sweetheart, for letting me go out and do something that I love. I do have to figure a way to get her tone with me, but I do realize biking is my thing. I do appreciate all you good family and friends. You are what makes life worth living for me.

Day 11 - Miles!!! To the Good Ol USA

Again, we had a beautiful ride. I know that you are getting tired of me saying so, but that is what it was. Much of the ride was again along the Kootenay Lake. There was plenty of climbing. It was just up and down all along the lake. We spent the day riding with Tim and Nancy and really took our time. Maybe a little too much. There was a house a along the way that id built of glass bottles. The story is the guy had a bunch of flamaldehyde (I don't know if I spelled that right) bottles and built the house out of them. We stopped many times along the way and had snacks and then stopped for lunch in Creston, BC. It was a nice little pub and grill and we spent the time just talking and reminiscing the trip. Before we knew it, it was 2:30 and we still had to get across the border and ride about 38 more miles. It started to make me a little nervous that we would get to our destination before dark. We took off and as we got to the border, there were plenty of cars stopped ahead of us. It took 20 to 30 minutes to get across and actually felt good to be back in the good ole USA.

It was amazing how fast the terrain changed. Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint are beautiful places, but they are not as amazing as Canada was. As soon as we got back in the USA, we were back in smoke and that might have had something to do with my above stated opinion. Anyway, we had to clip along on the bike. We only stopped about every 15 miles and the stops were short. We made it to camp at about 6:00 and we had traveled 72 miles for the day. We were beat. There was some of our party that got in an hour later. We were beginning to wonder if they were having problems.

We all went out for Mexican Food. It was again fun to be there and just chat with everyone. We should sleep well considering how tired and worn out we are. It is really hard to believe that the trip will be done tomorrow. In some ways I am anxious to go home, but in others I wish there was more.

Day 10 - Unexpected Hills

We had a other great day of riding. We left Kaslo at about 8:30. We started riding early because we had a ferry to catch at 11:30. We thought we had plenty of time, but the hills were more than we anticipated and there was construction that we had to wait a time for and we barely made it. If we didn't make the ferry we could have taken it later, but we would have had to wait another hour and a half. We actually climbed a total of 3,000 ft today and yesterday, we were thinking that the ride would be relatively flat. It kind of bummed us out initially, but it ended up being a very nice day. It was a lot like Maine in that we would ride up a hill and then you would go down and be looking at the next hill that needed to be climbed. I think that I would rather just climb a hill and be done with it, but I guess that is just cycling, right?

We rode the all day along the Kootenay Lake. There is a place that in order to get to the other side of the lake you have to ride the ferry across. It was a beautiful crossing. The water was so blue and the mountains on the side is just hard to describe. I know I have said it before, but this area is just beautiful. Someday, I need to bring Carey back here to see this

We are at this little campground that is supposed to be in the town of Boswell, BC. However, there isn't much of a town. This campground is all that is here. We are staying in a "provincial Canadian park" that is next to the campground and the only place there was to eat was here. The lady, who was Italian and was carrying on conversations with Eli in Italian, just made some pans of Lasagna, so that is what everyone had. It was pretty good, but I have had better.

We had one of our group, Michigan Bill, who was going to come on this trip with us, but right before he came, he found that he needed to have bypass surgery. He had his operation a few days back and it appears that he has been keeping up with us on our trip and all. We really have missed him being with us, but are so happy that his surgery was a success and that he seems to still have his sense of humor and is doing well. Bill, we love you and wish you a speedy recovery. Can't wait until we have a chance to ride together again.

Tomorrow, we go back into the US and ride to Bonners Ferry. I miss Carey. I think this is reminding me a bit of how I felt as I went down the east coast and I am not wanting to be away from her that long again.

Day 9 - Kaslo, BC - a climb to remember

It was interesting to watch Kaitlin the last couple of days. I think I could see in her what everyone was feeling. She has been worried for days about the climb that we were to do today. We woke today to a pretty cool morning. It was in the high 30's, but we did dress accordingly last night so both of us slept quite comfortably.

We got a little later start due to the cold, but as we left New Denver, we started climbing immediately. We were heading east and crossing from the western side of these Selkirk Mountains to the eastern side. We had a 2,000 ft climb, which doesn't sound too bad, but the climb was in 8 miles, which we were worried about the grade. Kait and I just took our time and stopped about every 30 minutes and it went really well. Kait has done so well on trip. The downhill was just spectacular. It lasted for about 20 miles and was just so full of beauty. There was a creek that we followed and we saw waterfalls, beaver ponds, lakes, beautiful streams, etc etc. I do think that this ride has ranked in the top three most beautiful places I have ever visited.

We ended up traveling 30 miles today and kind of got here earlier than we usually do. That was nice. We could just read or take a nap and we all enjoyed that. We are in Kaslo, BC. It is just a small resort town on the shores of the Kootenay Lake.

I do have a Sunday School lesson I realized today. As we were climbing, I thought, "why doesn't the road more follow the creek up the mountain instead of climbing much quicker than the creek". At that point i was not wanting to climb as quickly as we were. Then as I reached the top of the climb I realized how steep things would have had to be had the road just followed creek. The engineers realized that a consistent climb is best. Many times in life, Heaven Father has us experience things in His own timetable because he knows the things that we must know and experience to helps through things that will come later in life. He is the Engineer of our life and will help us consistently grow and learn if we will but look to Him.

Day 8 - New Denver, BC

It was nice to spend a couple days at the hostel and sleep in a bed and have a bathroom and all. We headed north again today and traveled 65 miles of some pretty hilly country. There was an opportunity to head east of where we were and meet up with the group in the place that we will be tomorrow and miss the climbs that we did today and a big hill climb tomorrow. I guess in a way I was feeling a little lazy. But, I didn't and it really was a very scenic trip today. The mountains here are just so high and so covered in trees and so steep, it is just breathtaking. We traveled much of the day beside the Slocan Lake and again, it is just beautiful. We did end up climbing 3,800 ft today. Kaitlin and I just took our time and it seemed to go ok. We are in New Denver, BC and are in a camping place and it is pretty cold. Today the temperature never got above 60 degrees and I imagine it is in the high 40's out there now. I have on my thermals and wool socks and a beanie, and Kait has all that on as well, so I hope it keeps us warm.

One difference on this trip as opposed to the east coast trip is that we are eating out most of our meals. We do have oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast, but usually stop somewhere for lunch and the whole group goes and gets dinner together after we arrive in camp and shower and all. It is a lot of fun after the day is over to eat and talk. We just laugh and enjoy ourselves quite a bit.

There is no wifi or cell phone reception in camp, so I will try and send this sometime tomorrow. As I mentioned, we have a pretty big climb first thing in the morning. I think it makes everyone to be a little worried about the day.

Day 7 - A day of rest in Nelson, BC

It was a welcome day to have no riding. The weather this morning was cold and rainy, so everyone was pretty happy to not be out there in it. It did get better this afternoon, but we all enjoyed a day just doing a little sightseeing, reading, tuning up the bike, taking a nap etc. I did laundry this morning and we went to have breakfast at a little cafe. This town is very interesting. The people are a little "granola" if you know what I mean. The girl that served us had dreads and her hair was all the colors of the rainbow. I was doing a little looking into the town through Wikipedia, and it said that this is where the draft dodgers came during the Vietnam War and that has pretty much defined the character of this town. They are really nice people here, don't get me wrong. But, many of them dress and look very crazy (Indie). I did enjoy the sightseeing. It is a beautiful place.

We have a big day of riding tomorrow. We have all been psyching ourselves for the ride today. It will be 60 miles and have some pretty good climbing involved. I am ready to get out and move again, but you always worry about it.

Day 6 - Storms

We saw it coming. For days the forecast has been showing thunder storms for Sunday. Last night we had a few showers as we slept. I told Kaitlin to get me up if she heard rain drops on the tent and about 11:30 she did just that. It wasn't anything too serious, but it was a little cool this morning as we awoke.

We had our regular oatmeal cereal and hot chocolate breakfast and took down camp and rode over to the LDS Trail Ward to attend church. It seems that whenever we visit any wards, they are always having stake conference when we visit and that is what happened today as well. The meeting was being broadcast into the building, so we attended anyway, but it wasn't a good meeting for Eli to get a feel for what we do on Sundays. He was good about it, but I haven't had a chance to talk with him about if he has any questions about it.

We had to get riding and rode from Trail to Castlegar and then to Nelson, BC, in which we are spending the night tonight. We are staying in a hostel because the weather is supposed to be bringing rain.l. As we rode here, we went through two pretty big storms. We saw the storms coming and tried to make it to Castlegar, but it didn't wait for us. It started blowing and raining like crazy and we pulled in to a house that had a porch and asked if we could wait things out there. The owner of the home was very kind and even asked if we wanted some water or something. We told him we had water and just wanted the protection and we waited for about 30 minutes and it rained and hailed very hard. We then started riding again and another storm hit us. We just kept riding through this one. Riding in the rain here is a little colder than riding in the rain was on the east coast.

We also took a side road that was recommended and regretted the decision later. The road was called "Blewett Road" and we kind of blew it in choosing the route. It took us on a climb that was very difficult up the side of a mountain. It was beautiful on top, but we were worn out after the climb.

We are staying in the White House hostel here in Nelson. It seems like a nice place, but Kait refuses to sleep in the sheets and is sleeping in her sleeping bag on the bed as I write this. We have a day off from riding tomorrow and will check this town out a bit.

Day 5 - Canada!

We had a great day of riding today. Last night we decided to change our route a little to miss a big mountain that we were supposed to climb. At the end of the ride today, we were supposed to climb about, 2,500 ft to Rossland, BC, but there was an alternate way that added about 5 miles to the total day and we didn't have to climb as much. We all chose the later and it turned out very well. We rode along the Columbia River much of the day and it was absolutely beautiful. I tell you, this country up here is gorgeous.

We rode 55 miles today and ended up climbing 2,500 total feet. We are in Trail, BC. Tomorrow we are going to try and make it to the ward or branch up here and attend sacrament meeting (church). It may be a little interesting because we don't exactly have the appropriate cloths, but it should be ok. We sure have been having a lot of questions posed to us about the church on this trip. I'm sure it is because of Kaitlin receiving her call and the questions that may bring up. Eli Baron actually wants to go to church with us tomorrow. That should be interesting.

Well, here are some pictures about our day. We are staying in a nice little campground tonight. I have been exhausted enough at the end of the day that I have been sleeping quite well.

Day 4 - A day of climbing

We had a beautiful day to ride today. When we woke this morning it was a chilly 41 degrees and there was some pretty thick fog. We really didn't start riding until about 10 because it just wasn't warm enough and the fog was not burned off. When we did start, we immediately began climbing. We had a 2,000 ft climb to get over the Chewela mountains. It was a pretty tough climb, but we were rewarded with an 8 mile downhill ride after we got to the top. That was fun. Kait and I hit 40 mph coming down. We had to ride about 23 miles after coming down and that seemed to be nearly harder than riding up the hill. I guess it was because you were tired.

We are camped at the fair grounds in Colville, Wa. It really is a pretty nice place, but I think we may have to listen to the trains tonight.

We are supposed to have another big climbing day tomorrow and we will enter Canada. We have been trying to see if there is another way to get to where we want to be and not have to climb a particular mountain to get there. I will let you know how that goes.

Some nice pictures from today. The hair was due to a 40 mph downhill wind and a little harrowing ride. Kaitlin did great today. She really did well on the climbs. We both were getting pretty tired by the end of the day.

Day 3 - What a beautiful day!

Today we started the trip. Last night had me a little worried. The wind came up at about 7pm and later the rains came and my mind was just thinking about what kind of a rough day we were going to have the next day. The wind was blowing quite hard (about 15 mph steady today) but it was right at our back for most of the day. We rode west out of Sandpoint and are spending the night in Cusick, Washington. We rode 50 miles and mostly along the Pend d'Oreilles river. It was so beautiful.

Another cool thing that happened today was Kait received her mission call. Of course we were not home, but at noon we Facetimed with Carey and she opened the envelope and pointed it at the iPad and Kait read her call. I can't say where she is going. You will have to wait until she gets home for that, but it was fun to be with her on such a special day. I am so happy that we are able to have this experience together before she leaves.

Kait is doing so well. That girl is a tough little rider. She kept up with me and even led the way much of the day. She worries a bit about the time in the saddle and the climbs, but she really is doing great.

We went for dinner tonight in this little tavern in Cusick. One of the locals was telling us that it was taco night and "even though the place looks to be a dump, they make great tacos". She was right. They were very good and we all had such a good time in there talking about things.

It seems to be a little warmer this night. I hope it is. We have a little climbing to do tomorrow. I hope it goes well.

Day 2 - Met up with the bunch

Wow, we had a cold night in Deer Lodge. It must have gotten down to close to 30 degrees. When we woke there was frost on the ground and on the picnic table. We did get a little cold and had to stop by REI in Missoula to get a few more cold night items.

Deer Lodge was also the location of the Montana Territorial Prison back in 1897 and the prison was used until 1979. We were able to tour the prison and it fel quite eerie to be in a place like that.

We drove about 275 more miles today and arrived in Sandpoint at about 4:00. It was a nice reunion with six of the people that I rode with last year down the Atlantic coast. Boppy (he was from Florida last year, but has been living in Columbia since our trip last year) made dinner for everyone. We had sausages, cabbage and potatoes. It was really good and we had a great time catching up on each others lives and reminiscing about the trip we took together. They seemed to be really interested in Kaitlin's life and why she wasn't in school. She was able to explain to them that she was waiting for her mission call. They all seem excited that she is part of the group.

We start the trip in the morning. We will start at 8:00 and have 50 miles to ride. It shouldn't be too bad of a ride. However, it is blowing like crazy out there right now.

Here is a picture of Kait freezing this morning.

Day 1 - Another Start

Well, I started out today to have another biking adventure.  My daughter, Kaitlin, and I are going to Sandpoint, Idaho to ride around what is called the "International Selkirk Loop". We will start in Sandpoint and ride west and north through Washington and then up into Canada. We will then drop back into Bonners Ferry, Idaho and back to Sandpoint.  This little adventure will take us 10 days and 5 to 600 miles. We are now on our way there and spending the night in a place called Deer Lodge, Montana. Hope we can share some cool experiences with you all.