SANDPOINT, ID
DAY 60 JULY 26 REST DAY
Too often men boast of the miles they covered that day, rarely of what they had seen. Louis L'Amour
Designated the nation's Most Beautiful Town by USA Today, the quaint little town of Sandpoint certainly qualifies for that honor. It is located on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille (Pond O-Ray'), a large body of water surrounded by a collection of heavily forested mountains, Its population of 7,400 swells considerably on sunny weekends such as this one. Each day during the summer, a farmers market is featured in the town park. You can purchase various types of produce, arts and crafts and, of course, huckleberries. Sandpoint is the perfect spot for our rest day.
The team leaders could not locate anyone who needed assistance so we had the entire day to relax. We bicycled down to the farmers market and purchased a pint of blueberries to nibble while we perused the other offerings. We did not find anything else that we could not live without but the box of blueberries was empty by the time we left the market. I needed 2 additional tire tubes to have in reserve and the bicycle shop was only a block away. Everything you need is within a few blocks in Sandpoint.
At this point in our tour, we have covered 3,791 miles and have only 530 to go. Last year, the ride across North Carolina was 560 miles so crossing the State of Washington will not quite be as far. One major difference, however, is that there will be 4 major mountain passes to conquer. The first will be a climb of 4,000 feet, followed by others of 2,000, 3000 and 3,500 to offer a reasonable challenge. At least they will occur on 4 different days so that is a large favor. There has been a series of wildfires in the area of Washington where we plan to travel but the situation has been improving and, hopefully, we will not incur a problem.
So, today we have a bit of a rest. But tomorrow, we ride again!
Tip: Even if you ride for pleasure, intervals can help. You will notice your speed increase and you will be able stay with faster riders.
