Spokane to Kellogg
June 23, 2022
Today’s ride down the Coeur d’Alene bike trail is probably
one of the nicest rides on the tour. The
weather looked absolutely with a great tail wind forecast. Breakfast was at the university so it was
excellent. The route was set at 94 miles
so just shy of the third century in a row. I was looking forward to this
ride.
As we exited breakfast there was no arrow and none of the
streets matched the route sheet. We
searched around but nothing matched. There
was quite a group of us and we were all lost. One group of about six wanted to
ride down to a street name which was on the route sheet and then look for the
route. I wanted to ride back to “The
Iron Bridge” as there was a single place
where the route was. I pulled out my
phone and we navigated back to the route.
Over 2 hours were lost riding around and 10 miles of frustration. It is no wonder arrows could not be found as
they have shrunk to about 6” long. The turn
arrow might be 2 feet from the actual turn or it might be 100 feet back. I trust Greg is going to fix this
situation.
Finally on the route Graham is riding behind me and says he
thinks my rear derailleur is bent in. This is why my bike skips gears and is so
noisy. At picnic one of the mechanics was not busy so I asked him to take a
look at it. He pulled out the measurement
tool and sure enough it was out of alignment.
He ran though the rear derailleur set up and charged me $20. The bike shifts perfectly and is like a new
machine. Best $20 I have spent in a long
time.
On the bike trail it is absolutely stunning. Sun is out and we are just flying along. I
just love this area. The luck people who
have houses along the lake have to be the luckiest people in the world.
Then about 15 miles out Aussie Bob who is about 75 feet
behind me hits one of the center of bike lane pylons and goes down. Bob gets up but his bike is in trouble. The left shifter handle is torn off and the
front wheel has a serious wobble. Bob’s helmet
is cracked. We ride slowly in. We will see how he is tomorrow. I hope takes
a couple of days off.
At rider meeting Greg announces one of the riders has tested
positive for Covid. She is feeling fine and isolating in a hotel.
What a day. 104 miles
and my third century in a row.
Terry
4 comments:
I hope Aussie Bob will be good in a few days. With a cracked helmet Bob should see a doctor if he hasn't already. He may have a concussion or something. Hope he can get his bike fixed.
Otherwise sounds like a beautiful day, weather and scenery wise.
Maybe the roue markers can use something like painters tape or duct tape to mark the turns. Both are removable from the road. And give you longer and multiple arrows to mark the turns like they used to. Not as convenient but deals with the paint issue.
Safe ride tomorrow.
I remember the Coeur d'Alene trail being the first bike rail-trail on the tour and the first opportunity to ride two or three abreast and talk with other riders. A nice opportunity to get to know people.
Best wishes for Aussie Bob's (and his bike's) quick recovery. Stay safe.
Calgary Ken C.
Thanks for bringing back some great memories Terry - remember that tortoise you rescued last time on the Coeur dÁlene trail!
Sorry to here about Aussie Bob - hope he is ok? Memories of Don on Orient Express! Law of averages means Covid is going to hit a number of riders - I’m still on the “quarantine ship” but recovering well.
Paint’s old technology - maybe there should be a gpx file for Garmins etc.
Have another great day’s ride and I look forward to the next exciting instalment.
Happy riding… Jos
So sorry to hear about Aussie Bob, hope he and his bike are on the mend and back on the road soon. Since Jos was kind enough to highlight some of my quotes, I will return the favor and share one of my favorites that he said. "Sure gets late early." That was said as he was in a mass of gear on a tarp outside his tent as the sun was setting. There are just so many things that have to be taken care of each evening! Next couple of days are beautiful, the Rail Trail, the ride to Thomapson Falls and then on to Missoula. Some of my favorite parts of the country. Ride safe and thanks for sharing.
Earnie
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