Things You Never Say On a Bike Tour....

Today's route was advertised as 43 miles.  Never say "It's going to be an easy day."

We're still in Idaho, and overnight tonight in Sandpoint.  This was an overnight on last year's ride also.  It's a great stop.  Lots of shops, cafes, wineries and the city beach.  So, personally, I was looking forward to an easy day in the saddle, an early arrival in Sandpoint and time to wander downtown.  Mother Nature and US 2 / 95 had other ideas.

It was such an ugly day, the only photos for today are of the Sandpoint City Beach at the end of the ride.



Fantastic weather this morning as we departed Bonners Ferry.  Temperatures in the 50's and warming up quickly.  

Negotiating the exit was a little tricky -- through a pedestrian tunnel, left onto the street then right onto a pedestrian walkway to climb the hill out of town.  Traffic was quite busy and once on the street the shoulder was weather checked so riders were mostly on the traffic side of the white line.  All drivers were really courteous, giving everyone enough space to move on down the road.

The further along we went the stronger the wind became, and unfortunately not in our favor.  There was a headwind all day.  But, it's only 43 miles.  How bad can it be?

That headwind coupled with really heavy traffic of all kinds and a bad shoulder on US 2 / 95 made for some pretty dicey travel starting at mile 12.  One of the riders had a flat tire 4 miles from the SAG stop, so two of us stopped to help.  The tire got changed twice because the first replacement tube was bad too.  30 minutes, alot of traffic and one long train later we were back on the road and really grateful for the next left turn that took us away from the highway at mile 23.

There was 2 more miles of US 2 / 95 later in the route, but the shoulder there was much wider, much cleaner and traffic had four lanes.

The rest of the ride was quieter and we were treated to doughnuts from the Mennonite Bakery in Bonners Ferry at today's SAG stop.  Thanks to today's SAG driver, Lois Ann.  They were awesome.

To top it off, I indulged in a hot dog when we got it.  Yes, this is why we ride, so we can eat all the junk we want.  Many of the other riders spent time at the local ice cream stores.

Everyone's in.  Everyone's safe.  Everything turned out okay, but everyone's comfort zone was expanded today.

Tomorrow it's onto Couer d' Alane, Idaho, the last stop before we return to Spokane.