Sandpoint, ID

Thursday August 16th - Winthrop continued....


A few photos of the wildlife in the field next to the camping ground. A coyote and some deer.











Some photos of Winthrop:










After climbing Loup Loup pass I cruised down to Okanagan, a small town with lots of apple, peach, cherry, pear, and nectarine orchards.











The land looks so dry in this area. I had a nice huckleberry icecream at a restaurant called On The Avenue. It seemed like everyone owned a truck in this town!


I continued riding through Omak and an Indian reservation. As the sun was setting I was able to get a nice photo.










I ended up in Riverside camping for free by the boat launch.


Friday August 17th


I had my first tire puncture. At first, I could pump it up and ride a few miles before having to do it again. After the second time it became clear the distance was getting shorter between inflations. So I stopped, fixed the tire, and had lunch under the shade of a tree.












The water filter is becoming very handy and as yet I have not had to buy any bottled water. There are many accessible streams and rivers where I ride.

I stopped in Tonasket at the Okanogan River Coop for a nice cold root beer and some Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. I used to like this icecream a lot but now after demolishing a pint of the stuff, I feel I don't have to buy any more for a long time!

As I was climbing Wauconda Pass I was getting sick of hearing the rear brake pad making a squealing noise so I disabled the rear brakes. I suspect that the right hand pannier is putting pressure on the brake and making it engage with the rim. I may have to adjust the under seat rack to hold the bag out further.

When I reached Wauconda just after dark there only seemed to be a gas station / diner there and it was closed. So I rode a little further up to the pass and decided to put the tent on a terrace above the road. It was the first time I put up the tent in a place that was visible from the road. I had a peaceful night.

Saturday August 18th

I decided to get up early and have breakfast on the road somewhere as I had to post be in Republic before lunchtime. My friend Jyotsna had mailed some energy bars to me at the Post Office. I departed at 8am, reached Wauconda Pass after riding a few miles, and I arrived in Republic just before 10am. The package was waiting for me!










I stocked up on food supplies at the supermarket then headed on to Sherman Pass. It took 6.5 hours of steady riding to get to the top. I ate some macaroni and bean salad at the top.





















At 7pm I arrived at Camp Growden CCC. This was a camp set up in the depression (1930's) by President Roosevelt for young single people to work on planting trees and creating roads. The young people earned some money and had to send part of their earnings home to their families.
There was a lot of bear fur on the ground so after cooking my meal I put all the food into a bag and hauled it up between 2 trees. No bears disturbed my sleep.


Sunday August 19th


The next day was wet! Although the rain was light, it did not stop all day.


Nice pine trees alongside Columbia River.










I stopped in Kettle Falls to stock up on food and to dry some clothes that got wet. I checked the cell phone and I had a few voice messages and a text message. I called Krishna at the office and I was able to help him with a SQL Server tip.


The route out of Colville was steep and it took me a while to get over the hills. I stopped at Crystal Falls near dusk time. I would have loved to camp there that night but the route down to the water looked too steep. I continued on and found a nice pine forest near a stream. I think it was called Camp Creek. Another peaceful night!


Monday August 20th


The rain had stopped during the evening and the tent just needed a little drying in the sun before departing. I had lunch in Ione, a quiet little town with a nice park on the Pend Oreille river.


The route from Ione to Newport followed a quieter road on the opposite side of the river from route 20. It was relatively flat and I made good time. I rode through Kalispel Indian reservations.


I crossed the river at Usk to get food for the evening meal. The convenience store was close to a wood chip plant. I decided to stay at Skookum Creek campground. I made a wrong turn and ended up at a RV resort. I didn't feel comfortable staying there and there didn't seem to be any tent sites.




I filtered some water at a nearby wetland marsh and found another tent site in a pine tree
forest. I had to use the piece of camoflage material I brought with me to hide the tent from the road. Not long after I put up the tent a car pulled up at a gate near where the tent was located. The driver unlocked the gate, drove in, and locked the gate again. The camouflage worked!


Tuesday August 21st


I knew that the tent would be seen the next morning so I packed up early and departed. I found the Skookum Creek campground and I had breakfast there.

It was my last day in Washington state. My legs were feeling like blocks of lead! I needed to put a lot of my focus on keeping the pedals turning.

The scenery along the Pend Oreille river was stunningly beautiful.


I arrived in Newport, ID at 11:30am. I had to follow route 2 for a mile or two and I couldn't wait to get off it. The shoulders were small and the traffic was busy with many logging trucks. I finally found Old Priest River Rd and it was peaceful riding again.




I met Janice and Gary McFarland who were completing a 4 day credit card touring trip that day. We rode for a few miles together and Gary took a photo for me.



I spotted some Osprey nests on poles alongside the road. When I approached them the birds started squealing. I talked to one and it flew off. The next one I didn't talk to and it stayed on the nest. I reached Sagle at 4:15pm and celebrated by drinking a quart of Nesquick chocolate milk. Mmmm...


From Sable to Sandpoint was along a bike path.


Lots of people were riding, roller blading, or walking on the path. I arrived in Sandpoint around 5pm. The only campground in town was attached to the Best Western motel. I booked 2 nights. The main reason I stayed there is that they have a jacuzzi! I must have spent an hour in there soaking my legs.


After putting up the tent I found out another unexpected feature of camping here. It is adjacent to a very busy railroad! I must have counted a dozen trains that passed during the night. After midnight I was kind of getting used to them.


Wednesday August 22nd


I'm having a day off.


Over the last few days my camp stove has been slowly dismantling itself. The little arms that
support the pot I boil the water in have broken off and where there were 5 arms there are now only 2! I visited 4 stores in Sandpoint today and none stock multi-fuel stoves. The Army Surplus store had a LPG cannister stove but I felt strongly against buying a stove that uses disposable cannisters. So I'm going to dive into a dumpster soon for some empty soda cans and I'll construct some replacement arms until I can find a new stove. One lady in a store said that there are a few stores in Whitefish, MT that sell multi-fuel stoves. So I'll hold off until then. Another possibility is to order the stove from Campmor and get it delivered to a Post Office along the way. That may cost a bit more.


I'm sitting in the lobby of the Best Western motel typing this up. Unfortunately I can't connect to their wifi for some reason. So I'll head off downtown soon to post this to the blog site. I visited the cyber cafe but they were closed when I arrived. I'm now posting this outside Mick Duff's Brewing Company on 1st Ave.

I think I'll use earplugs tonight. I'll still feel the vibrations of the trains passing and I hope they won't wake me up!

I'm not sure where I'll post the next blog. Possibly it will be from Chester, MT on September 2nd after I've been over the Rockies. I'll be sending the laptop on ahead of me. Nope, I'm not going to lug it over Logan Pass with me!

Cheers!