June 14, 2021
Day 14: Sandpoint ID to Sam Owen Campground MT
A 6 pack of cyclists
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“It’s so nice to just follow someone out of the town,” Patrick says, as we are following Cyndie, a Warmshowers host that Robert stayed with and joined us for breakfast. Including the O’Brien “metal hip club” we are six bicyclists on a bike path avoiding the traffic of downtown Sandpoint to the edge of town where we pick up Highway 200.
Today is a short day in miles and a late start. After leap frogging and just missing each other, we are meeting up for breakfast with Robert (2021 DIY Team ZERO: Mr. Robert Ferrari | Endurance Fundraising: Team ZERO (zerocancer.org)) and the O’Briens’, Janet, Terry and son Ross The Metal Hip Club attempt the Northern Tier. - CycleBlaze
Robert and Patrick are feeling their Achilles tendon and Cyndie has a remedy. A green scrub pad cut to size for the heel in the shoe. Patrick places one in his shoe, and there is relief. A wait and see attitude of how the cycling goes and if this works.
Breakfast is great fun as we all meet up, even Woody (we met on Loup Loup pass and lives in Sandpoint) joined us briefly. Cyndie also has good advice about a possible road for us to take. Our plan after Libby is to go off the NT route and go South on Fisher Creek Road back to US 2 at Happy’s Inn to McGregor Lake Campground then up to Kalispell. Her suggestion was to take the USFS 36 road that branches off Fisher Creek and comes in at Tregor. We’ll have to wait for internet to check what this route change would look like.
Because of the late start, we decide not to go to Big Eddy Campground today but stop at Sam Owen campground and arrive at the Campground around 2pm. The road mostly follows the lake and adjacent railroad tracks and rolls gradually. It is a hot day. Just before the campground there is a convenience store where we pick up some cold beer and snacks. This campground is located on a peninsula on the east side of Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, at an elevation of 2,000 feet. The lake spans 82,088 acres and has 125 miles of shoreline. There is a lot of clear cutting of the diseased pine trees, but we find a nice spot that will accommodate 4 tents.
The picnic table becomes the conference table for pulling out maps and discussing routes. Later, busy with cooking dinner. The skies are threatening and we hear thunder in the distance as we retreat to tents.
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Today's ride: 24 miles (39 km)
Total: 510 miles (821 km)
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