Day 7 & 8

Day 7 for me was another day off. The crew stayed in a motel in Republic, WA on Saturday night. Rode about 55 miles. It was raining and cold as I noted in my last entry. They had a great but uneventful day. They talked about all the burnt out forest. Especially the area that also was hit by a tornado! Insult to injury. But Sunday their destination was Colville. Another 56 miles.
Me. I rested and cruised around town. Checking out businesses that carry very different stuff than what we find at the Beach. North 40 for example. Kind of similar to a Bass Pro shop with a distinctly northwestern bent. Difference being clothing and type of hardware.
In downtown Colville I had lunch at a family Mexican restaurant. It was great as was the service. I just had a simple chicken taco salad.
I checked out of my stinky room and scouted out the fairgrounds camping area. It looked like a winner. Grassy tent area. Fences to lean the bikes on. CLEAN bathrooms and showers! And only $5 a person! Heck the bathrooms had a code to get in to keep the rif taf out. I also met my newest best friend. Annie Lou. Her grandfather was the campground host. She had pink cowboy boots and a suitable matching attire. She spent most of her time showing me how well and fast she could ride her bike. A busy 5 year old for sure
Finally Pam called. They were on the outskirts of town. I rode out to meet them and brought them in.

The host found out we gave someone the code that wasn't actually camping ( but we thought they were) and he politely tore me a new one explaining in some depth why it's a problem! I won't bore you but if you really want to know, just ask. I am an expert now. The rest of the day was uneventful. Great sleeping weather.

Day 8 Sunday
We're up at 6 and have camp broken down and out by 7. First stop Safeway in town for some Starbucks. Rough huh? We all find our appropriate fuels and off we go towards Ione. It's only about 44 miles away but the first 27 are uphill. It's not killer uphill like Washington Pass but gains about 2,000 feet, then drops like a stone for 10 miles.
Ok. I'm feeling pretty darn good, but haven't really been riding for 2 days. Everyone is in better shape than I am at the moment. I can't let that concern me. I'm thrilled to have a lot of fit companions that have each other's back when the chips are down. Now I know everyone else is doing well, it's my turn to see if I've recovered fully.
Just like any endurance event, you have to "know thyself" and take on a cadence or pace that works for you. Trying to keep up with someone else at their pace can spell t r o u b l e. So, I just eased into the long uphill grind. Pam stayed with me almost the whole time. It took over 4 hours to reach the top. We took a number of stops on this relentless ascent. The ultimate goal was a small resort a ways short of the descent. What a welcome oasis Beaver Lodge Resort was.  Cold drinks and breakfast all day! Pam learned first hand what a "beaver sized" blueberry pancake was. Big!
We sat inside to enjoy the view despite it being a beautiful day outside. Seats with backs have a huge appeal after a long ride. Can't remember ever having a Diet RC before. It was good.
Ok. I'm stoked. A good thing. I felt good all through the climb. And the descent is something to look forward to! I'm sorry for making this center on me so much but coming back with so much of my journey left is key. If the climb is any indication, the rest of the journey is most promising.
The descent was really really fun. Roads are in great shape. Not much traffic. Enough turns to make it interesting. It went on for quite a while. Maximum speed was 36.3!
We regrouped at the intersection. A young woman who lives at a clapboard house nearby started a conversation. She asked if we wanted to see her newborn kid. It was walking and eating grass within a few minutes she said. It was 1,5 hours old. Ok, I guess you figured it was not her kid but a baby goat. Name: Lambchop!

After we depart our new friends, Ione is our destination. 4 more miles. Once there we spot a grocery store. We don't get many groceries but map out a plan. We ride from there to a RV park and motel across the way down by the river. At the bottom of the gravel driveway we saw a quite weathered set of... buildings. We figured which one was the office. The windows were shaded or boarded closed. A number of residents appeared along with the manager. He apologized But he didn't have showers. Or running water. Let that sink in. He sat outside his office door smoking a cigarette. Do not enter sign on the door. Well maybe we'll have to go elsewhere. Quickly.

We learned about Cedar RV Park 1/2 mile down the road. As soon as we rode up we were greeted. Sure . "Got just the place for you" he said. It was grassy. Shaded. Had bathrooms and showers close by. He brought us chairs. Showed us where the laundry was. Then the coup de grace was when he said he'd have coffee waiting for us in the morning!! Asked how strong we liked it. Gabe. What a host! All for $10 a person. Brought us a cooler to use. Had a sink and other amenities too. A slight contrast from the meth lab we stopped at first.
An excellent finish to a fantastic day.
Thanks for following.
Cheers.
Kim