Up up and away!

A pooped out Ruby Dew: bike bridge across the lake, last day.

Today the tribe was rearing to go bright and early. Headed home to the barn! Hash browns, fried potatoes and mexican scramble provided fuel for the short jaunt up the hill.

We broke camp and Jack and I hopped on our bikes. The ride along the lake provided us with head winds around 15 mph: we were looking forward to those as a tail wind on the way home. No such luck! We passed a few of the tribe on the way: had a nice climb of 2-6% up to Plummer. Met up with the tribe for the last time and headed back to Harrison. (One of the tribe couldn't quite understand why we rode to Plummer. I LIKE to climb!) I hope to see more of this tribe on tours next year: I think they're hooked!

We headed to Spokane to spend our off days at a KOA: R&R, some time on the bike on the Centennial trail, someone else cooking dinner (SUSHI!), Scott has a paint ball tournament and we will spend the day garage sale-ing Eastern Idaho and Western Montana!

Next trip: Idaho Family. I will blog about the trip, but probably not a daily run down. The same route: different riders. I'll keep you informed.

PS: the day of garage sale-ing was a success: 1950's pink glass vase for $4.00: set of 1950's Hull soup bowls w/ sandwich plates $3.00 for 4 in awesome condition: pewter serving platter $1.00: great cast iron skillet for Katie: $2.00 . We met a lady in Heron, Montana: Judy is 93 this year. Her grandmother delivered her! She married a jocky that rode all the big tracks in the 40's & 50's. Danced with Dean Martin & partied with all the big names of the time. She is retired in a great little cabin in Heron, about 5 miles down a back road that turns to dirt. It was fun trying to find her garage sale! She had some beautiful costume jewelry from her hay-day. The people we meet! See you in Idaho!

The last two days

Camp in Harrison: Lily pads next to the trail: dinner in Kellogg.

The tribe got an early start on day 4 of riding: long day back to Harrison: a little town on the Southern leg of Lake Coeur d'Alene. A beautiful ride along the river then along the lake. We got set up in Harrison and rode back along the route about 16 miles and then back to camp. What a great ride!

Harrison is home to a couple of great restaurant/bars: an ice cream shop: bike shop/espresso stand: and a great t-shirt shop. We picked up a couple of shirts for Jack and Kevin to wear on the Idaho Family ride this week. Sorry Tammy. I have to poke fun sometimes! Pics of them will be posted next week. Suspense! The park that we stay at is right on the shore of the lake: waterfront property!

After a dinner of herbed burgers, veggie burgers, yellow potatoes, corn on the cob, green salad & cake & ice cream for dessert, the tribe pow-wowed for their final map meeting and prizes from the Great Chief, Bill. It was a long day, but everyone did great!

Tomorrow's ride follows the Eastern shore of the lake, across the old RR Trestle and up about 6 miles back to Plummer. We will ride tomorrow and give you an update!

Evil Sprinklers

OK: let's talk about sprinklers. You know, the things that water the grass? That keep our lawns and parks green? The things that kids like to run through? The evil things that go on at 2 in the morning and wake us up, soak our tents & all of our belongings; the things that send us running for higher ground. I have learned to NEVER trust a grounds keeper that says, "of course I turned the timer off for the sprinklers". I can imagine many a chuckling grounds keeper heading home to a nice warm, comfy bed with no sprinklers to rudely send him flying out of his tent.

Last night was no exception. Other than it was about 10:00, not 2:00. I didn't wake up, of course. Jack reached out and zipped the fly and went back to sleep. Sprinkler drops falling on our tent! The tribe members around us were scurrying around finding rocks to put on the sprinkler heads, moving their tents to higher ground. Isn't that what a rain fly is for? Unless of course you're camped on top of the sprinkler.

One year in Chelan, Linda, Scott and I were camped at the City Park. 2:00 am and the sprinklers hit full force. These were mega sprinklers. We pulled up stakes and headed for the pavilion. Sleeping on cement is really not nice. We have had many, many a sprinkler issue. Setting up camp in Bisbie, Arizona last year the sprinklers went off in the afternoon. Tribe members were hauling our mixing bowls and putting them over the sprinklers. Flying bowls, anyone? Montana one year the whole tribe got soaked at the school in Missoula. Watch out for those evil sprinklers.

Today the tribe headed up the mountain to the Hiawatha Trail. Shuttle up, ride down, shuttle up, then back to camp. I have not done this ride, but have heard it is awesome. You have to ride through a long tunnel, a couple of short ones, over a few trestles. The tribe did great: only one casualty: a faceplant over the handle bars: what a trooper: got cleaned up and continued the ride!

Jack and I had the time to take a ride. We peddled back to The Cataldo Mission. On the way we encountered the big guy pictured above. A great moose sighting! A couple miles past the moose we stopped to take the picture of the river. The other side of the trail is a tall rock wall. As soon as we sat down the chipmunk brigade began. Chipmunks scurried out of every nook and cranny you could see. All in all I think we had 14 little critters running around our feet begging for our salty nutty granola bars. You don't think I shared, do you? We found that the chipmunks also like to line up on the cliff side of the path, wait till you're about 10 yards for them, then run into the trail in pairs and come to a dead stop. They wait until you're about 3 feet away and then they split and scurry off of the trail. Chipmunk Kamikazes. !

Another highlight of our day was the Snake Pit. If you're driving across I-90 in Idaho, you must stop at the Snake Pit. It is the exit past Cataldo, take a North turn. It is a charming old log building: restaurant. They have a pacman machine! The best huckleberry ice cream I have ever tasted. The Snake Pit is a must.

Dinner tonight will be the Honey spiced pork chops, Indian curry, a yet to be determined salad, boiled new red potatoes. I'm going to have to come up with new recipes again: don't want to bore you!

Well, time for a nap or a good book until the tribe returns! More tomorrow.

Way Relaxed!

It is going to take the whole trip for me to gear down to this relaxed stuff. I am still up at 5:00 for breakfast now at 7:00. I am still cooking too much food: albeit we cut down on the coffee today because we threw away 2/3 of the pot yesterday. Of course: what did we run out of first today? AHHHH. Sandwiches are done before breakfast and we have broken camp before the last dozen tribe members. Way too much time on my hands. Must get in trouble! Joking. I would never do that.

A Denver scramble, hash browns & breakfast potatoes fueled this tribe the whole 20 miles to Kellogg. 1/2 way there was the water stop: oops. Water stop grabbed lunch stops goodie box. Lunch stop had granola bars & bananas with their sandwiches. The poor tribe was confused. I'm munching on chips and cookies: aren't I at lunch? Am I there yet?

We got into Kellogg: a whole 7 miles on the freeway: did a quality control check at the local Subway, then headed to the local bike shop. New riding shorts for me, shoes & clips & pedals for Scott. This is going to be hilarious: Scott's first clips. Can't wait to see him screaming down the trail: and it won't be screaming fast! We also hooked Scott up with the son of the bike shop owner to go mountain biking tonight: another first on the tour! My only worry: one more expensive hobby. Ugh. Oh! I almost forgot to brag: Aaron took 2cnd in his age class and 15th overall at the Chelan Tri-athalon. Good job Aaron!

Dinner tonight is: caesar salad, fettucini with pesto chicken & artichoke hearts, eggplant marinara, sauteed zucchini, garlic bread & Oreo surprise for dessert.

Not too much else happening today: many moose sightings on the trail. The tribe is beginning to bond. More tomorrow. I'll let you know how Scott makes out.

Mooses, Turtles, and the flat.

Day 2: Idaho relaxed. Today is a beautiful day of riding: 40 miles to Cataldo, home of the Cataldo Mission. Task for the day: moose spotting. I have never understood the grammar of the English language. A goose is a goose: more than one goose: geese. So, a moose is a moose: why is more than one moose not a meese? Or mooses? Why are mice mice, not meece? or mices? Why is a mouse multiplied not meeces? I am so confused.

Anyway: after a breakfast of french toast with fresh strawberry rhubarb sauce, scrambled eggs, and all the trimmings, the tribe was off to their first day of riding. 40 miles on Washington was an easy day. 40 miles here; we have a few nervous tribe members. One rider was overheard saying that she had never ridden 40 miles on her bike! No fear fearless tribies: you'll do fine.

I love moose spotting while riding in Idaho. When we got into Cataldo and got set up, Jack and I finally got to ride. We back tracked the route and not a mile down the road: MOOSE! Whohooo! I saw a moose. Then, 2 1/2 miles down the trail: MOOSE! A big cow in the middle of a pond munching away, oblivious to a gaggle of ogling tribe members. Two moose in one day: a record for me.

The next record for me, or milestone as it may be, was my first flat tire in all my years of riding. NO lie! I have never had a flat. 1/2 mile from the last moose; a blow out on the front tire! Well, never having had a flat means that I have never had to fix one. Fortunately for me I persuaded Jack that this was a good time for a lesson on fixing a flat: he fixes it and I would learn. I learned. Another hour of riding and we turned home to feed the tribe.

Tonights dinner was; spicy cabbage salad, teriyaki chicken, basmati rice, peanut yam tofu, sauteed snap peas, brownies and cookies for dessert. I have new followers, thank you peanut yam tofu! Everyone made it into camp and had a great day of riding.

An after dinner stroll down the path yielded a box turtle digging out of his hiding space to cross the trail. Why did the turtle cross the trail? We shall never know.

Tomorrow a short ride into Kellogg where will will spend two days. A great ride tomorrow on the Hiawatha trail with options for other rides as well. See you tomorrow!

The Camp Ground?

Morning came way to early today: the first day of Idaho Relaxed. Up at five and on the road at 6. Into Spokane for a quick stop at Cash & Carry, then on to Plummer, Idaho. Plummer is the beginning of the Coeur D'Alene trail. The trail was originally a railroad that was built in the 1880's. The Railroad used mine tailings to bed the track. These tailings were contaminated with arsenic. Subsequently the ground and water adjacent to the track were contaminated. In the 1980's the Coeur D'Alene Indian Tribe settled with the railroad for this contamination of their land. Part of the settlement was the creation of the Coeur D'Alene trail. It runs from Plummer to Mullen, Idaho. It is a gorgeous trail: running along rivers, through woods & ponds. A max of 3% allows for some pretty relaxed riding.

We didn't have an address for the "camp ground". Just told that we were a couple of blocks from the community center that we have used the last couple of years. No problem: Plummer is small. We spotted the luggage truck as we came into town. Followed a paved road to a oiled dirt road to.....hmmm. Not quite a camp ground. In all the years I have been working the tours, this is the most primitive that we have had it. One field, not quite a level spot to be seen; a parking area freshly graded out in the dust early that morning, two port a potties and a handwash station. Hmmmm. Oh well: it's an Adventure, right? I'll post pictures when we have better internet service.

Everyone was a good camper and rolled with the mole hills. We set up on a little road close by, and fed the new tribe a feast of chicken fajitas, fish tacos, veggies fajitas, Italian caesar salad, all the trimmings, homemade cookies and fresh watermelon. It is pretty hard to gear down from a ravenous Washington tribe to this relaxed business! Way too much food: they will live daily by the adage of: "what you don't eat for dinner, you are going to see in a wrap". Not quite that bad!

A walk on the trail this evening filled my critter fix with the cutest little weasel ever to be seen. Now I understand, "pop goes the weasel!".

Up early, well, not quite: breakfast at 7 and then on to Cataldo tomorrow. Many new riders: it will be a great week.

Bunnies by the bay!!!

Ranger Tommy in a drive by: camping at the fair grounds: a good bye to Ruby Dew; until next year!

Bunnies! Bunches and bunches of bunnies greeted the tribe upon their arrival at the Fair Grounds in Langley! Somewhere along the line some little 4-h'r had her bunnies get loose at the Langley Fair Grounds. Now: b'zillions of bunnies. My little Ruby Dew, following the tribe with us for the summer, could not get enough of the bunnies.

So: quite a long day: around 70 miles of ups and downs: unfortunately the ups can be quite steep on the islands! Around 10-12% grades. OUCH. I'm walking. If you have never been to this part of the country you can ask any tribe member on this tour how breathtaking it is! Deception Pass is a wonder of wonders. Until you have been here and experienced it you would not believe how amazing it is. The currents through the pass are so strong that there is a window of time that you can get through. Marine scientist love this pass: the largest octopus in the US live here. But: there is a very small window of time that anyone can dive here to find them. The views are amazing: the Olympics to the West and the Cascades to the East. And: Whidbey Island is the longest island in the US. It is also home to the Naval Air Station: their Wart Hogs flew over us until 10:00 pm. As they say: pardon our noise: but it is the noise of freedom.

Dinner tonight was fast and furious. We had to be home to gear up for the Idaho relaxed tour that kicks off tomorrow night. We served smoked chicken lasagna: vegetable lasagna: pasta putanesca: chicken fettuccine: green salad with garden vegetables & Caesar dressing: french bread: fresh peaches & lemon cake. Breakfast & lunch are set for tomorrow: my oldest son Matthew, (many of you may remember him from past tours!), is setting up breakfast with his girlfriend Zanna as we head East to Plummer, Idaho for the Idaho relaxed tour that starts tomorrow night.

Good job Cycle Washington Tribe Members. You were all amazing. A special hug to Art and Judith from Port Townsend, WA. I hope to have the zeal for life when I am your age. Also, to Pete and Isabelle from Boise: you hung in their every day and enjoyed every minute. We should all learn from you!

Safe travels home to all: I will try to blog while in Idaho: Internet service is sketchie. But: follow us on tour and we hope that you will join us on a tribe tour soon.