Weekly Summary

The Crew

There are 9 riders on the ride. I am the youngest at 58! Four of them are 61 – 63. Three of them are 71 – 73. I am not sure of the last. One of our guides is 35 and the other is around 70.

The people are from all over. New York, Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia.

Putting The Ride In Perspective

If you don’t a lot about biking, you wouldn’t know that riding longer distances is common. Certainly, much long than running. In a full Iron Man race, there is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full 26.2 mile run.

So a lot of these days where we will be riding 100 miles, it isn’t uncommon in cycling, but it isn’t easy either. Especially not day after day. Aside from my leg issue, I can tell this is going to be tough. At the same time, my body is already adapting and in a few weeks, knocking out 100 miles will not seem so hard.

First Night Hotel

I forgot to mention that our first night before the ride was in an old converted rooming house. This meant that we had a room with a sink, but that bathrooms and showers were shared on the hall. Pretty much a dorm. There are still a few people living there full time who have had leases for decades from before they converted to a hotel!

You can see some pictures of the room below.

Lewis & Clark

They are obviously a huge thing out here. We are staying in Clarkston in Washington. Directly across the river is Lewiston in Idaho. Get it?

Who Knew?

I hadn’t stayed in a Best Western in decades. We’ve stayed in a few already. They are actually pretty nice! Very similar to a Hampton Inn. Some newer, some older. But, I’ve been loving the indoor pool and hot tubs!

Fry Sauce

Instead of ketchup or catsup or whatever you choose to call it, many places here give you “fry sauce”. I’m not too sure what it is, but it is tasty!

Day Off Meals

Breakfast had an omelet chef. I asked her to put some of every of her 12 – 13 items in mine. I ended up with the biggest omelet ever!

I went to a local burger place that has been open for decades for lunch. Sharp’s has been open since 1958 per the sign you can zoom on behind me. It was fast-foodish but hit the spot. I got a huge huckleberry milkshake with the burger and fries.

Dinner was at a place by the river. The view in the last picture is actually from my seat on the balcony. The food was solid, but the location made the place.