I couldn’t find a cafe so started my day with a can of cold raviolis and a banana from a little store…It was 52 F and partly cloudy when I left Ione. I had a relaxing day pedalling through beautiful landscapes and no mountains! My route was going South along the East side of the … Continue reading Day 9: riding along the Pend Orielle River from Ione to Newport
Tiger Mountain was my last mountain to go over in Washington! It was a pleasant 2,000′ climb and then about 15 miles riding on top. Beautiful wearher, too- partly cloudy and in the 50’s- the sun just felt good. I’ve gone over Rainy Pass, Washington Pass, Loup Loup Pass, Wauconda Pass, Boulder Creek Pass, and … Continue reading Day 8: Over Tiger Mountain to Ione
I woke up this morning at 03:45 to lightning, thunder, high winds and rain. I finally broke camp at 06:00 and rode in a cold rain to a cafe for breakfast. It was so cold this morning I had to pump up my tires (as in deflategate). After breakfast at the Tugboat cafe, I asked … Continue reading Day 7: A tough ride to Coleville, WA
I took a detour from the Northern Tier route to get off busy hwy 20. The detour will add about 25 miles but has much less traffic, beautiful scenery and I saw lots of deer and came close to hitting a few on my bike. I had one 3,500′ climb today and will have another … Continue reading Day 6: 63 miles to Curlew, WA
I slept for 11 hours last night! Then I had a shower, two bowls of cereal with fresh peaches on top, three cups of coffee, two large glasses of water and two slices of cold pizza. My ride today was only 28 miles- (total miles so far 254) I’m “pitching up” to set myself up … Continue reading Day 5: Easy ride to Tonasket
I slept great last night in a Warm Showers (WS) barn between Mazama and Winthrop. I handwashed all my clothed and they were, of course, soaking wet in the morning. So I just bungee them to my bike and tske off with my laundry flapping in the wind. My legs were tired today but felt … Continue reading Day 4: Loup Loup pass and Omak
One time running past John & Kathy Bratland’s house in Sakhalin, John said when he saw me he couldn’t tell if I was running, or riding a chicken. I thought he was just giving me the business because that’s the way tough guys show affection to one another. It turns out his was actually an … Continue reading Day 3: Chicken legs
I had a great nights sleep in my one star (if you round up) motel in Concrete, WA. The clothes I handwashed the night before were not dry so I just attached them to my pannier bags and left with the laundry fluttering in the wind. I had a great french toast with blueberries breakfast … Continue reading Day 2: A dose of reality
Had a nice, easy 45 mile ride from Anacortes, WA up to Concrete, WA. My brother-in-law John Davis rode with me and we had a great time! The scenery was beautiful, we munched wild blackberries for our rest stops and met our wives for dinner- it was a perfect start to the trip. Thanks to … Continue reading Day 1 of “the ride”
Had a beautiful ride today- temperatures in the low 60’s, and partly cloudy. Did 55 miles (and gained 2,500′ elevation) and felt strong at the end. I saw a group of about 7 young bighorn sheep and watched them for a few minutes- what a treat! Only three more training rides before we leave for … Continue reading Riding with bighorn sheep!
Dave Bikes America 