Another long day at 93.5 miles into Spokane, but less than
half of the climb at only 2400 feet.
Most of the climb was out of the Columbia River valley up to the
plateau. We were staying right downtown
Coulee Dam which is on the river. It is
a really cute little town which hasn’t changed since the dam was built in
1941. If your are looking for a 1940’s
home in a quiet are this may be the place for you.
Breakfast was at Pepper Jack’s which is about half way out
of the valley and a great family diner.
I would highly recommend it on your next visit to Coulee Dam.
After breakfast on the road and up the hill. It was the same blast furnace as yesterday with
a hot blast of air hitting you straight in the face. Sun is just broiling you as we rode
along.
The ride wasn’t too exciting other than as Ken and I were
riding along one of the big field irrigation units was spraying water across
the highway. We were talking about how
cold the water was and how long we could stand under it. Then just as we go up to it the unit shut
down and we were robbed of our cold shower.
The second bit was that at the final water stop the peloton
caught up to Ken and I. A few laughs
about how did a pair of slow pokes get so far ahead (not stopping and getting
an early start) and they zoomed off.
About 25 minutes later we caught up to one of the riders and he had a
flat. Ken and I stopped and fixed his tire and it was a really tight
Continental, It was a really wrestling match getting it off and then back
on. He never would have fixed it on his
own. Really nice the cool kids just ride
off and leave one of their pals.
Tonight we are in the dorm on the Gonzaga campus. It is a gorgeous facility and one of the
highlight places to stay. The cafeteria
isn’t bad either. Nice comfy chairs and
great internet.
Terry
6 comments:
Sounds like you are finding your rhythm 🚴🏽♀️
Go Zags. 🏀
Terry, you are always the helpful guy. Reminds me of the time we fixed a flat for the crying lady our way back from Cave Creek. That was my only ride with Fran.
Terry, you are an animal. I couldn't imagine doing what you are doing. Enjoy your ride with Wendy today. Thoughts and prayers. Be safe. Sandy
Wow, Terry, I’m just drooling at your ride reports so far! It makes so envious that I choose working rather than cycling with you cross-country. Struggling with punctures, when the tyres have welded to the rim, blast furnace head winds, 7% everlasting climbs, and relentless rollers - man, this is just a dream ride so far! And you get to share all this with great mates, like Ken, Ed, Matt, Tom etc. Let alone the fabulous Greg, Tour Director extraordinaire!
I’m currently back in Northern Ireland, for a few days, reunited with my bike here and riding some of routes we did 2 years ago, in between writing proposals and dealing with customer queries.
Awesome blog as usual! Stay safe, enjoy the ride and keep the rubber side down! Convey my regards to the team!
Cheers! jos
As usual, you are the Roadside Assistance guy; hope you are getting properly compensated (ice cream$ and beer$)!!
Carry on and keep up the good work.
Canada Ken C.
Terry,
What you need for changing Conti flats is a Kool Stop Tire Jack. I work in a bike shop in Peoria and we use them all the time for recalcitrant tire beads...Especially brand new Conti tires. It's about 7" long and weighs only a couple of ounces. Log on the Amazon and search and you'll see a picture.
If you give me an address where you will be next week I will send you one no charge. I'm enjoying your travel exploits.
Ray Performance Bike Shop jarvis_ray@sbcglobal.net or text to 480-319-3829
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