Today I removed the skinny side of seldom never rode road bike, what is 4 times on the pavement in 50 months? It rests inside 4 walls and under a roof in one of Bill’s barns along w/ the rest of my saved house stuff. I told it that its life would be better now.
Yesterday I made a rest day. A shower @ The Butler and visit w/ Tim. Dinner again at the Elk. I sit at the bar usually on the same stool. Tonight 3 separate women sat next to me. Free form subjects, find something in common and go from there.
Slept @ Bill’s again. Sure nice location I picked for my house. His drive way offers the same.
Drug my feet planning a ride and leaving. I visited w/ Bill for awhile. He showed me his latest ground up new car that he made. Quite talented assembly of GM parts.
Ride decision was MT Spokane again. I paid Sam $5 to park in his lot outside the park. I rode into the park. At the entrance was a sign announcing free entry today. Sam just took the money I handed him. I stopped @ the Ranger office where I met Steve, the ranger. We knew each other from our work on the Friends of MT Spokane board. I remarked that the campground was closed. He said i could stay in the XG. Cool.
I rode the road until I dropped down onto Trail 110 climbing all the way to the outhouse(60 mins non stop), then over 130 to Day Mtn, down to kit carson loop rd back to outhouse then short climb up then down 140 to Sam’s. I rode the upper newly built trail 140. OK, it is a downhill trail. Lots of talcum dust and bumps from horse hooves. Trail is not sustainable in many places. Let the coaster geeks have it. The lower part formerly named Secret Trail is an absolute disaster. Lots of downhill steep today.
Back @ Sam’s no beer this time only a $2.00 shower. Soft water.
I drove up into the park and all the way to the top @ 5867. The mountain is the southern end of the Selkirk range, a solitary tit that stands exposed to weather. Commanding view 360. Smokey.
Drove back to Bald Knob, the only XG in the 13,000 acre park. Closed so it is only me. Caught sunset one way and a fun moon rising behind me.
Tomorrow I am returning to MT Couer d’Alene for a last pain and smile ride.
I am thinking that I will ride Moscow Mtn going south on Monday then over to Echo, OR.
Old folks’ boogie. I drove to the top on MT Spokane and looked around. Back when I lived here I rode to the top several times a summer for a killer ride, some on my mtn bike from down low in the park, some on my road bike from home, a 50 mile round trip. Today as the previous ride left the top out. What I used to do I don’t now. Maybe I still can but I chose more pleasurable feelings by going shorter. I notice this because of my history w/ the effort.