Newport - Spokane Valley, WA - British Columbia 2019

July 30, 2019

Newport - Spokane Valley, WA

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I’m sitting outside next to a butt filled ashtray, eating my oatmeal. Anything to escape the worst room of the trip. I’ve been chatting with a roadie. They are riding the Selkirk Loop. In two days. Yep. Go big or go home. 150 miles today to Balfour. He says their room is great. If you stay at the Antler Inn in Newport, ask for room 10 and don’t take 7. Let me whine- squishy bed, sheets that pop off all night. I’m pretty sure the bed has fleas. Mold in the shower. Wait. I will quit whining. This is our last day with Jim and Genny. I want it to be good.

We can pick up Jacinto’s bike on Friday. Not Thursday, which would be more convenient for us. We’re staying an extra day in Spokane Valley and doing a day ride. There could be worse things than extending the ride by one day.

The three of us took off at 7:20 - an early start in deference to the anticipated high temp of 92 degrees. We had reworked the route last night. The valley we are riding through has many paved roads, I don't think there's a bad choice, just different choices. Jim wanted to take Bob's route because he's a local. But Jim didn't think RWGPS had saved what Bob intended. I deleted the original route, my personal suggested route (shorter miles, less climbing, and still in the country), and saved the route that Jim remembered as being Bob's route. OK, we should be good. Except that I'm now in charge of directions. You know how I get lost. I hope Bertha is talking tomorrow.

The route starts out with riding through town on Highway 2. I've never been to the actual downtown. They have a movie theatre! At mile 6, Jim took a right. ??? Bertha wants to go straight. Jim said this was on the route. Except it wasn't. But ok. We went down North Shore Drive past homes that I imagine are expensive. It was a nice little side trip. Then we were back on the highway. At mile 10, we turned left onto Camden Road. I was looking forward to the country riding. The highway out of town had been fine. Not much traffic and a wide shoulder. Quiet country riding is more enjoyable.

All was great until mile 18. Then we came to a road closed/detour sign. Hmmm, maybe bicycles could skinny through. Nope. Not happening. This bridge is totally missing. While we debated our options, Genny and I decided to use their porta potty. There were no workers in sight at the time, but a dump truck pulled up. The driver said if we took the signed detour, it would put us on the highway. Or we could go back the way we came and take a right, right, right and we would end up on the other side of the bridge.

Back we went. Further and further. I could see the road on the map, but not the distance. The further we doubled back, the more Genny wanted to take the detour and ride the highway. Finally we arrived at the turn. We had neglected to ask if this detour was paved. It wasn't. But we were hopeful the short, first road was the only unpaved section. Wrong. All the roads were unpaved and in less than ideal condition. Wash board and loose gravel are not my preferred riding conditions. Downhill on loose gravel is REALLY not my favorite. But we were moving in the right direction and too stubborn to turn around at this point. We got to a section where the road was smooth and surfaced with mag chloride, similar to the dirt roads around home. Ah! This is better. But it turned out to be just in front of a particular house. I don't know how that home owner managed to have a nice surface, but I'm sure they enjoy not having giant dust clouds billowing as cars pass. I wrenched my knee a little on a sudden stop on loose gravel. I think it will be okay tomorrow.

After 6-7 miles and about an hour, we arrived back where we started. The bridge was only ~20 feet across. But it spanned a deep, fast running creek. We hadn't even discussed trying to ford it.

I think we were all a little grouchy at this point. We had left early to try and beat the heat and instead had spent our saved hour on a tough, dirt detour. At least we didn't have to push the bikes!

I, at least, was ready to get down the road and make up some miles. Bob had suggested Rocket Bakery on our route as a must stop. I floated the idea that by mile 47, I would be interested in real food, and did they have real food. We didn't know the answer. But Rocket Bakery was in the front of my mind the entire day.

Today had lots of turns and I was in charge. Gulp. Bertha was doing fine. Turn left, turn right, take this road, take that road. But wait - Genny was sure we were supposed to go by the lake. No - keep going. I'm guessing a half mile. That distance passes and still no turn. It seems the lake was on the route we deleted when we reworked things last night. Jim and Genny decided to go back to the lake. I"m sticking with Bertha as she and I are doing fine today. Plus, I'm liking these flat country roads.

Look at me being all brave and striking out on my own - especially a day with so many turns and different roads. I power on down the road. There's nothing like spending the entire summer riding to make hills inconsequential. The temperature was heating up. I still have ice in my water. I spend quite a bit of time thinking about how much water I have and how many miles and would I be ok. After spending the summer riding with Oren and Genny, I've taken to hydrating more in the motel room so I spend less time looking for good pee spots on the road. Neither of them drink much at all on the bike. Jacinto carries a 100 oz Camelbak and usually finishes it. I don't usually drink that much, but more than others.

Virtually the entire trip has been in heavily forested areas along streams and lakes. Today I notice that the trees are thinning out and there's more view. At mile 42, I arrive at the small community of Colbert. There's a pizza place - I could get food and water. Nah - I don't want pizza and I still have a full water bottle. That's good isn't it? I hope so, because I went on past.

I stopped in the shade for a Perpetuum tablet. Just then I received a text from Jim. We try and figure out where we are compared to the other. They were on Yale. I was on Boston, heading for Yale. Were they ahead of me? They hadn't arrived at Colbert. Hmmm.

Jim said to stop at the bakery and maybe we would see each other on the road. I check on Jacinto. He had gone to Blanchard Lake and then up over Blanchard Pass. He was on the pass road and moving slowly. Does that mean he had a flat tire or was the pass tough?

I kept mentally figuring out my estimate of arriving in town. My mileages were off because of the detour. I looked at the profile. We had one nasty little climb on North Argonne Road and then we'd drop down into town. Yay for town! It was definitely heating up out here. I was almost happy to arrive at the climb because that meant I was getting there. I would be on North Argonne all the way to the motel. At this point it was a country road. By the time I got to the motel, it was five heavy lanes of traffic. Not the most auspicious end to our great tour.

There was a bike path on the downhill. But no one used it, it was very dirty with road debris, cracked with weeds, and not favorable for riding. Especially on the downhill. I started out on the path, but moved back into the traffic lane. I was watching the mailboxes, counting down the miles to down. I started watching at 8915 - that meant 8.9 miles to town. Yes, those numbers were correct. The traffic lanes filled up the closer I got to town. Everyone was patient and no one passed closely. I saw the Rocket Bakery - no bicycles outside. I decided to keep going. I wanted food. Who thinks I'd pass up specialty bakery goods? I must have been heat addled.

I went on down the road. There was a Wendy's right across from the Super 8. Perfect. I pulled in. Ice in my water. That was first. Then I bought a salad and sat down in the cool air. Ah! It's not exactly the finish I imagined for a great tour, but it's the finish.

We are in exactly the same room with the yucky carpet. I'm happy to be here anyway. I putz around with the post ride routine and drink lots of ice water.

Jim and Genny stopped at the bakery (delicious) and rode to Bob's house. Bob is gone, but they are cleaning up at his house and boxing the bikes. We are going to pick them up later, go to dinner, and drop them off at the Amtrak.

Tomorrow Jacinto and I are going to do a day ride around here. Friday we drive to Seattle to pick up Jacinto's new bike. The Rohloff just arrived, timing is tight, but it's going to work.

I think Spokane is probably a good bicycling area. There seem to be many paved country roads, plus the Centennial Trail is here. We won't have any problem finding a ride for tomorrow. I'm not looking for big miles, but I'm going for a spin. Let's delay real life for one more day!

Snow season is just around the corner. It's not my favorite season . . .

The bridge was really out. We neglected to bring rappelling equipment, so we took a detour.

I like old vehicles. There have been plenty this trip. Old barns also. But there haven't been as many of those.

After days and days of riding through the forest, we popped out into wheat country.

Stratus XP, K frame on the last day of the tour. Looking at many bikes on the first day, they are all tidy. By the end of the trip, there's stuff hanging every which way. I had four lightly packed panniers, so my stuff stayed inside. Jim did mention that a second rack with panniers adds at least four pounds. I can't tell you how many times I thought of that on a climb.

Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 931 miles (1,498 km)

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