Day #68 (7/13/24) – Bike Across America

Last night, I went to the only restaurant in town for dinner (happened to be the same restaurant I went to for lunch). It was packed, but there was one seat at the bar. I sat next to a woman named, Agnes, and we had a great conversation. Agnes is from France and is traveling around the north west US while working remotely. I really enjoyed hearing about her travels and she gave me a few ideas of things to see. I really enjoy meeting interesting people while on this adventure. Everyone has an interesting life story and you can learn so much from them.

After dinner, it was still kind of warm out. So, I went around the corner to the local ice cream shop to get a cup of ice cream to keep me cool on the walk back to my B&B. Worked like a charm!

I was planning on putting in a big day on the bike. So, I woke up at 4:15 to get ready, so I could start biking at dawn. Sherry, the owner of the B&B, was amazing! She had prepared a breakfast box for me to take with me and was up when I left at 5:00 to present it to me!! I ate it at my first two snack stops, and it was much better (and healthier) than what I usually eat.

So, biking at 5:00. My first 10 miles were on the CDA trail, which hugged the shore of the lake (called Harrison Slough). It was very quiet and pretty with the sun rise.

I did see quite a few of these Everlasting Pea flowers.

After the 10 miles, I crossed the lake on a long bridge, which was neat.

The bridge railings were lined with seagulls and there was a lot of bird poop on the bridge. Not wanting to be target practice for a flock of seagulls, I was ringing my bike bell and yelling at the seagulls as I crossed the bridge to make sure they were too far away from me to poop on me. My bike has been hit by bird poop once this adventure, and I didn’t want it to happen again. Fortunately, I was able to bike across the bridge unscathed.

The trail then climbed for six miles through the pine forest and into the town of Plummer. Plummer is the terminus for the trail, and also inside the Coeur D’Alene Indian Reservation. I loved the CDA trail!! Five stars!

Leaving Plummer, I continued to climb into the hills and with pine trees all around. The total climb was ten miles and 1,100 feet.

Then, I had a really nice downhill. The scenery changed abruptly from pine forest to farmland. After a few more miles, I crossed Idaho Road, which put me into the state of Washington. My 16th and final state for this adventure.

I didn’t know what to expect from eastern Washington, but it was beautiful. Lots of rolling hills and beautiful farms and fields. Lots of wheat, hay, and rapeseed fields. Interesting that there were no fences. I’ve had fences along most of the country roads I’ve ridden on this trip, but none in this area. I also didn’t see any pasture land.

The road led me into the town of Fairfield. Heading out of Fairfield, I had warning signs on the road I was going to take. They warned about an oily road, but since there wasn’t any good alternate route, I biked on it. It wasn’t bad, it was dry and no oil got on my bike or myself. And, it didn’t last long, because the road quickly turned to gravel.

It was gravel for five miles. It has been very dry in this part of the country, and these gravel roads are very dusty. Several cars passed me on gravel roads today, and they each generated a big cloud of dust that I had to bike through.

I was on and off gravel roads until I got to the town of Cheney. At this point, it was 10:00 and I had already ridden 60 miles. The temperature had risen to the low 80’s.

When I had left the Rocky Mountains, I had decided that I no longer needed the cold weather clothes that I was carrying. In Cheney, there is a FedEx pack and ship store, and I headed over to that store to have them pack it up and ship it home. Besides my clothes, I also decided to ship my camp stove, dehydrated food, and a few other items that I hadn’t used on this trip. I was able to remove the handlebar rack from my bike (everything remaining easily fit in my two panniers) and ship that home. I kept my tent and sleeping bag, just in case. Bottom line, I dropped 20 lbs of gear and made my bike more aerodynamic by getting rid of the handlebar rack and shrinking the size of my panniers.

Funny story about the FedEx store. When I went into the store, there were a number of customers in there. Everyone looked at me and moved away. It was very noticeable. Even the person working there who I walked up to made a face, but she was very helpful once I explained what I needed and why. When I stopped for lunch later in the day, went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, I understood why. All the dust from the gravel roads had coated my face, legs, and clothes. The sunscreen and sweat had helped it to stick. I’m sure it was several layers thick. I really was a dirty sweaty mess.

After the FedEx store, I went across the street to a grocery store to restock my water and buy some fresh fruit to eat. I stopped to talk with a guy who was begging for money. He didn’t seem to mind how I looked. 🙂 I always help out beggars, so I gave him a 20 and my blessing and got back on the road at 11:00.

I rode for another hour until noon, then stopped at a truck stop on Hwy 2 for lunch. I are at Arby’s and abused their free drink refills policy.

It was here that I had to make a decision about how far I would bike today. I could stop now at just over 70 miles, or continue on.

I decided to continue on. I still felt good. Today wasn’t too windy, but was forecast to be windier tomorrow. The wind also wasn’t blowing in my face directly, but at an angle. It was hot, but only 15% humidity made it not feel as bad.

So, I biked another 28 miles to the town of Davenport. I rode into town at 2:30 and it was 95 degrees. I got a hotel and have been drinking a ton to stay hydrated. Here are a couple of pictures from the last 28 miles.

For the day, I biked 98 miles and climbed 3,300 feet. I’m super excited to have made it this far today. It was especially challenging with all the climbing and gravel roads. But it sets me up nicely for a shorter day tomorrow when the winds will be worse.

As I finish writing this, I have to just thank God for his many blessings.

Five days until I see Elizabeth! ❤️