June 7, 2023
Ritzville, going nowhere
Zero days can be stressful too
So I’ve been in the road for seven days. I’ve decided today needs to be a zero day. Gotta let the saddle sore rest. And it is supposed to be in the high 90s again today. They say rain may be expected next two days, I don’t know. What I do know is I am about 90+ miles out of Plummer and the start of one of the nicest bike trails in the country, the Trail of the Coeur D Alene, in the Reservation by the same name. (If you have not seen the movie Smoke Signals you should check it out). But between here and there there are very little services, no state parks or other camp sites, and more hills. So the Empire Motel is my home base to rest and resupply.
An observation: up until yesterday I noticed the most popular cars were Teslas, Cadillacs, and small compact cars with load mufflers (guess if you can’t go big, you can sound big). Of course lots of pickups. I don’t know how the Tesla folks do since everything out is is far from everything else. I am also amazed at the number and size of the vehicles needed to maintain and distribute the crops grown here. The semis are huge. Not just 5 axles like at home but 6-7-8 axles! And huge grain trucks pulling huge grain wagons. This doesn’t even include the farm tractors/cultivators/combines or the plethora of vehicles needed to fuel and repair all this stuff. If you think this can be done with battery power and electric motors, you are delusional. There is currently absolutely no way any of this food can be grown and delivered to a grocer near you without using fossil fuel. Just ain’t possible. Eye opening!!!!!
Took a few more pics in town but service here is poor and I can’t get them to load. Sorry.
Ok. So the best Wi-Fi is in the motel bathroom above the mirror. So, some pics of the town.
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I have not seen these in public bathrooms for years.
I have not seen these in public bathrooms for years.
A local man told me at one time there were several bars and restaurants in town. All closed.
It’s a shame all this great architecture is abandoned and falling apart.
An old combine PUSHED by horses.
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