Rest Days are the Best Days - Sandpoint

7.25 - Sandpoint, IDAHO - 93.5
7.26 - Rest Day - 0

Sandpoint,ID is a cute tourist town on a beautiful lake.  We stayed in the local athletic club and had access to massage, a pool, showers and work out facilities.

Bricks and Barley soon became a favorite hangout downtown as the had yummy pizza and lots of really great salads.  The farmers market was also a popular downtown spot...along with an ice cream place that we sampled several times.

Standpoint was a great location because it was located on the shores of a beautiful lake..lots of activities and a great sense of community!

Eureka, Libby!

The night we stayed in Eureka was eventful.  We camped outside in a city park.

Half of us went to dinner at a Chinese food place and just as we sat down, a torrential downpour started.  Lightning flashed and thunder cracked around us.  The lights flickered...once...twice...three times...and they finally went out.  We looked out the windows and the town was dark.  Our waitress put out candles and luckily, they had direct gas fed stoves...so they cooked our dinner by headlamp and we stayed dry and warm while enjoying delicious food and good company.

As we finished dinner, the rain subsided - just in time to ride our bikes back to camp.

We slept soundly that night in Eureka, preparing to ride to Libby the next morning....

7.24 - Libby, MT - 75

Most people on this trip have some question or questions that they are contemplating along the way.  For the college kids, it is mostly ; What will I do with the rest of my life? For us mid-career folks, the question is.....the same!

I have worked in the corporate world since graduating from college and I have enjoyed it....but I would like to do something a bit more community focused....possibly aligned to collaborative consumption or in the non-profit space.

Being out here for nearly two months has certainly given me perspective and reinforced the idea that I want to switch things up a bit.

 As this question of my future has been weighing on my mind this summer ...I have had a couple of visual reminders of working at DB - one of my fellow riders wore the Deutsche Bank jersey during our adventure and of course, my good luck bell came on handy when passing others on the road....

After lots of though about the future and support from my husband, today I resigned.

Although I have had a great experience with DB and  will miss the people, this decision is the right one for me right now.

I am excited to start the next chapter  of my life - stay tuned!

As we head to Libby today, I would also like to give a shout out to my sister Amanda's very good friend of the same name...and also to my friends Jay and Sony...who have all proven that taking professional risks can certainly multiply personal happiness!

Eureka! It's Mail Drop Day!!

7.23 - Eureka, MT (Mail Drop) - 64

Today was mail drop day!   Duncan went to pick up packages and noted that they needed a dolly to haul out stuff.

Many thanks to my sister Amanda for rocking my care package.  Lots of treats, a fun game we played as kids...and chamois butter - my best friend!

Rest Days are the Best Days - Whitefish

7/22 - Whitefish - 0 miles

We camped just across the bridge from downtown Whitefish.  Our site was adjacent to the lake - a refreshing way to cool off and relax.

Whitefish is very active and a cute mountain town with lots of shops and eateries.

No service project for us - just a day to do laundry, get a massage and hang out.

I really loved this town and look forward to returning someday with Ben.

Logan Pass...Take 2

7/21 - Logan Pass to Agpar - 30 miles + Agpar to Whitefish - 35 miles

One thing I forgot to mention about my flat on the ascent to Logan Pass was that it put me in a three way tie for most flats on the trip - 11 - with Ron and Bethany...

I did get my wish that Monday morning...I would be dropped at the Logan Pass parking lot so that I could pick up where I left off the day before...and I could finish the Going to the Sun Road. Since the van was going up anyway, I was joined by 7 other riders who wanted to descend again.  The hope was that conditions would be much better than the day before.  Due to the rain and weather the previous day, the descent was treacherous and the scenery was mostly masked by clouds and fog.  Also, we were hoping for less traffic given that it was a Monday.

Thanks to Skylar for fixing my spoke so I could descend with confidence.

The ride from camp to the top took about an hour and 15 minutes.  On the way up, music was blaring and spirits were high.

As the van climbed toward Logan Pass, we were on the outside lane...the one with a two foot rock wall separating us from the sheer drop offs to the valley below.  The scenery was vast and AMAZING....Ryan drove and was very chill with one hand on the wheel while he scoped out the scenery to our right.  I tried really hard to ignore the inner voice that kept screaming 'Keep your eyes on the road!!!!''  I have a crazy fear of heights and my heart was racing.

I was so thankful that we would descend going west...with the mountain to our right side...which means that losing control of my bike could likely mean that I bump into the mountain - instead of flying over the two foot stone wall and careening to my death...(queue hyperventilation)

Anyway, we made it to the top, stopped for pics and began the descent.

I was on my brakes a bit..so probably floated down in the mid 20's at best.  The experience of sailing down the Going to the Sun Road was awe-inspiring.   As I gazed at the scenery...firmly planted in the right lane...on the mountain side...the 'safer' side...I felt as if my heart would burst.  I did not stop for pictures until the sheer drop offs subsided - they would not have done the AMAZING views justice anyway.

This descent would be a top 5 travel experience for me for sure.   Others in the top 5 (in no particular order) : scuba diving in the Cenotes of Mexico, snorkeling off Cancun while a hurricane of thousands of neon blue fish swirled below, walking into the Vatican as the sun streamed in on a July morning and rocking to sleep under the stars on the deck of a small sailboat in Tahiti...

I am grateful for my flat tire on the ascent...because it allowed me to descend in near ideal conditions - the highlight of our trip cross country!

Once we left Glacier park, we rolled on to Whitefish to complete our day's ride and settle in for a rest day the next day...