Day 7
Day By Day Notes From The Road
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This document updated July 6th, 2004
Sandpoint Idaho to Thompson Falls Montana - 88 Miles
Although today was one of the best days of the ride so far, it is getting a little late, so I will have to keep it short; tomorrow is another big day.
The route today led us out of Idaho and into Montana; our third state and second time zone. The day was long (88 miles) and uphill and we lost an hour because of the time change, so we had to make good time. Luckily, we again could count on a strong tailwind to get us up the hill.
Lucija and I rode fast today, staying towards the front of the pack. Still we took the time to take some of the most stunning pictures of the ride so far. We passed by the Pend Orreille lake and river. Both at set in steep, pine-covered hills. Also, some outskirts of the lake looked made me feel like I was in the rise fields of the tropics, rather than in the forests of the north-western US.
We rode along the river all day, and enjoyed the nice scattered clouds until 5 miles before our camp a huge thunderstorm unleashed itself over the river and surrounding mountain ranges. As I took shelter under the roof of a gas station, I could see huge lighting bolts strike the trees on top of the ridge of the mountain range across the river, leaving a plume of white smoke that was visible against the black sky. Awesome!
In a funny conversation at one of the stops, a local driver started a conversation with the usual question of where we were biking. After answering that we were biking across the US to raise money for charity, the man remarked that he had heard about us on TV and asked whether, ehh, Lance Armstrong was biking in our group as well. Temped to say my name was Lance, I had to remark that Lance was in France, riding about twice as fast in another bike tour.
Tomorrow will bring my first "century" - a hundred mile plus ride. Should be pretty hard, particularly on my sitting bones. Although my legs felt great today, I am still a little worried about saddle soreness. Today the first 45 miles were painless, but after that it was tough to keep my mind occupied with other things. We'll see how it goes tomorrow!
By Lucija:
This was my favorite day of the ride so far because it was so unexpectedly beautiful! To anyone reading this: Forget Montana, forget Wyoming, forget Colorado, head for Idaho on your next vacation! Northern Idaho is FILLED with unspoiled river valleys and vast forests. Just gorgeous.
We were lucky again with another cloudy day, that actually ended up in a spectacular summer thunder shower. I waited out the heavy rain inside a hay barn, sitting comfortably on a neat stack of hay. It was just wonderful.
Overall, a great day!
Photos:
Cruising through Idaho...
Stunning Idaho views...