Day 15 - Monday 

Today was a good day! We finally met up with RacPat, Rachel & Patrick, and had breakfast. Added bonus of meeting Robert Ferrari who is also touring. 

We had a short day today of only 22 miles to the Sam Owen campground just East of Hope, ID. There were some hills, but nothing to long or steep. I can tell my legs are getting stronger because I don’t need granny gear as often. I’m really hoping the saddle sores go away soon! 

Robert and Rachel & Patrick had gotten to the campground before us since we stopped for groceries, but we were able to all camp together on the same site. Had a nice afternoon and evening visiting.

Day 16 - Tuesday 

Thunderstorms with hail overnight in the early morning hours. Rain packing up the tent and camp left everything wet. Once on the road, the rain stopped. My legs seem too tired for having had a short day yesterday and the day got long and frustrating. I felt like I was moving in slow motion most of the 45 miles. It was rolling hills but some required granny gears. We stopped for breakfast after 8 miles so I thought I would be fueled well, but still felt like I was dragging. Then we stopped for lunch and I thought again, this would be my fuel. Not so. I got a bad knot/cramp in my right calf again, and every uphill was major pain. Still, as I type this, my calf hurts and I can’t seem to work it out. 

It has been nice being able to talk with Rachel. It seems we have very similar experiences when we bicycle as far as the climbs being difficult and general body aches and pains. Rachel and Patrick are very experienced in bicycle touring, so it makes me realize I’m probably being a little hard on myself with my frustration on my abilities…

Today is my birthday. The day started with Rachel, Patrick, Robert, Terry, and Ross all singing Happy Birthday to me 😊Not much cell service today, but at the restaurant for breakfast I got a call from our daughter and then from our son, both wishing me a happy birthday. I also got a voicemail from my friend Deb singing happy birthday and lots of text messages from family and friends. So appreciated!!

Not quite my ideal birthday considering we are in a campground with pit toilets and no sink with running water. However, it was a great birthday in that the views today were beautiful, we got to meet up with Rachel and Patrick and Robert throughout the day several times and then camp with them again tonight with a quick birthday celebration before the rain came. 

Day 17 - Wednesday 

Today was a good day, well, until I stubbed my toe at the hotel. But, on the bike, it was a good day. We packed up camp in the wet, the rain had stopped during the night, but left everything wet. The mosquitoes were just starting to come out again as we left the site. Of course, it was uphill out of the campsite. I learned my lesson yesterday. Yesterday I was thinking since my legs are feeling stronger why not use harder gears, but hill after hill after hill, that became a very tiring thing for my legs. By the time I realized the bad decision I’d made, my legs were spent. So today, it was granny gear right at the start. It was a shorter day, but I’m hoping my strategy works with longer days too. I have to remember, this isn’t a day ride where I can push it and rest the next day; it’s a 3 month long tour. I have to go at my own pace, and not worry about trying to keep up with Terry or Ross. It’s just not possible for me to do for a long, loaded ride. 

We got to the hotel early afternoon which is nice. Plenty of time to air out and dry things, wash clothes and go out for food and beverage. We were able to meet up with Rachel and Patrick again - so nice to visit with them!

Day 18 - Thursday, June 17

Coffee in the hotel room wasn’t bad. McDonalds for breakfast before leaving town. It was a cool morning in the 40’s, but warmed up fast for us. It was uphill on the way out of town but then it was flat to downhill for about 15 miles. My legs just never seemed to warm up today, but Terry and Ross said the same thing. Blame it on the beer last night 😬

A couple miles before the dam, the climbing began. Legs were too tired for anything but granny. It was a beautiful day; sunny skies and little wind with temps around 80 I would guess. The route along the river was pretty with low traffic. After lunch at the scenic lookout for the dam, we had about 24 miles of our 42 mile day left. Lots of climbing but nothing too steep. The climbs were long though and I needed granny on most of them. Got into camp around 3:30. Campsite is right above the water; very nice. Except we have ants 😬

Hoping the legs will get rested and carry on tomorrow…

Day 19 - Friday 

Today started out great; good nights sleep, didn’t have to get out of the tent during the night to visit the pit toilet or a tree, got things packed and had a banana and peanut butter bread for breakfast. We got going and my legs felt good. The weather was cool and shaded as we continued our somewhat long climbs and downhills. We stopped a few times and enjoyed the scenery and some snacks. We took a recommended bike path but went thru a campground to get to it. It was more like a mountain bike path so it was a bit challenging. The trail turned into gravel, but there were big rocks and lots of loose rocks. At one point I dumped the bike, but not me! 2nd time I’ve had an unintentional partially failed dismount. We made it to Eureka and had lunch and bought groceries. The climb out of Eureka was unpleasant on a full stomach. The back roads were very rolly polly and some steeper and longer as the afternoon reached temps near 90. Happy for the shaded spots to rest in. Legs were pretty tired by 3 and we didn’t get into camp until 5:30 or so. Last couple hours were tough but I’m trying to stay positive!  Hoping the legs get rested again overnight. According to the camp host, the ride tomorrow will be on a busy, unfriendly to bicyclists, highway with limited shoulders. 😳 

Day 20 - Saturday

After the 2nd night with pit toilets I was anxious to be on our way to a town where we would have a campground with showers and flush toilets! We packed up, ate a quick bite for breakfast and were on our way by 7:20 today. Only 35 or so miles to go, but after the warning from the camp host yesterday, we wanted to get going before too much traffic. The 1st half wasn’t too bad, always a few people who don’t give us any room, but for the most part all was good. I still can’t seem to get rid of the knot in my calf, so that gets worse the more miles we do. I’ve been rubbing it like crazy, but more work to do on it today when we get to camp. There were some pretty hefty climbs, a few really bad ones coming into Whitefish, with no shoulder and lots of traffic. I didn’t like that. I am trying to stay positive and not complain; I know I was a bear the first few weeks. There have been amazing views and so much beauty around us, I just need to remember how lucky I am to be on this journey! Called a few places to see if I could get a massage, but no available openings.

Day 21 - Sunday 

Rainy start to the day, so we slept in till 8. The rain had stopped but all was wet. Not a real restful night since I had to get up 2 times to go potty. And then I woke up and had to go so bad. I must’ve hydrated really well on Saturday! But my ankles are still very “kankly” ☹️

We got going and stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast before leaving Whitefish. My calf knot was hurting big time yesterday , so I had put an icy hot patch on it overnight after massaging the heck out of it.  It was feeling pretty good this morning, but I took some Tylenol at McDonald’s just in case. The ride today wasn’t supposed to be too bad. I’ve come to the conclusion that that description does not fit any day. The 1st half of the ride was difficult for me. My legs just didn’t want to do it. And I’m not blaming the wine I had for dinner… 😬 My legs finally kicked in but the last 14 miles my calf hurt again 😞. Was glad when we reached our destination. I was more than happy to be a law abiding citizen when the road sign said “slow” going into the uphill campground. Looks like we are camping here for a couple nights whilst we check out Glacier NP and Logons Pass. Happy to have showers and electricity!