Yesterday was an Idaho day. I picked up Andy @ his house and assured Jen, his wife, that I would return him after our MT Coeur d’Alene ride. She let him slip from her grasp trusting me to my word. No assurance was made as to his condition.

I offered to drive w/ the swaying point that at the end of the ride there would be properly chilled beer in the frige. Andy said he usually waits until he gets home. I welcomed him to my home and we set off.

We parked @ the big cedar tree on Beauty creek rd and pedaled off. The trail drops off the road and crosses a small rock strewn creek. Rides past i walked the log carrying my bike. Today i was full of myself and 5.5″ suspension rolled over the rocks & thru the water to the other side. Successful!. I found several chantrel mushrooms just uphill from stream and marked them for harvest on return. Nice almost entirely smooth trail 257. Nothing technical about it other than it was narrow. Tread was tacky and the tires carved. We rode “somebody’s” new trail over to the Scaraboo trail, aka caribou ridge and then up to 227 dropping down towards the hole. We shortened the ride short of the hole and rode the logging roads back to 257. I was pretty sure of the road to take out but it lacked the remembered tire ruts. At first i was sure, then seconds later I doubted but when I saw the intersection where a log landing had been and where once I surprised a black bear w/ it’s back end exposed I knew I was correct. The FS finally able to keep 4 wheel traffic out of drainage. We pedaled & pedaled thru knapweed, a noxious weed, back up to the ridge to the sweet smooth 257 down.

Trail description that makes it sweet: smooth tread, mostly less than 10% gradient, slightly bermed turns, narrow, some restricted sight lines, just us on it, tread damp w/ no dust and tires gripped, shade, small bumps for hip turns. No technical challenges. A best trail is in what kind of trail you like: the conditions the day you rode it, the number of different trails you have ridden, closeness to home, your bike, your riding ability, acceptance of fear, plus your ideas.  I enjoyed this trail for what it is. Best ever? It was when I was riding on it. Next ride will be another best ever trail.

Jen prepared vegetarian lasagna that Andy’s roll was to put it in the oven before we joined her @ the c d’a farmers market. I reminded Andy of his responsibility which he had forgotten. Never mess up a cook’s food when you are entrusted w/ an agreed upon task.

Jen makes soap and sells it and tonight she was at the market. I wanted to go to the market to soak up what might be happening, kind of like Kerouac’s digging of musicians. Short block of vendors. Right beside Jen’s attractive stand of artistic bars of real soap was Hoa from TCS selling produce.

I found a booth that sold aprons and I found a lycra tights, wool hat type of apron that I just had to have. Pink flamingos in dayglow on a pink polka dot back ground. I just flipped and many vendors had this wonderful smile on their faces enjoying my selection. What a hoot. So many people to turn into an audience.

We loaded Jen’s wares in her rig when the market closed and drove to their house. They are hosting me and how wonderful it was. The lasagna properly cooked was mustache licking good. She is a great cook in this big kitchen which is bigger than the kitchen dining room I had in my old house. I showered using a bar of her soap. I learned that real soap is made w/ lye as during the making of soap a chemical reaction occurs that breaks down the raw material fats. Real soap lacks detergents that strip the oil from your skin. She said that companies that make detergent soaps also make lotions to replace the oils their “soap” stripped off. She sent me off w/ 3 bars of different fragrances. Sweet smelling van.

Jen made blueberry pancakes for bfast. More conversation and I bid adieu.

I have a physical therapy appointment @ U District next Monday to help my right hip that still bothers me.

I stopped @ Tate’s Honey farm and bought a jug of honey. Honey farm was started by Jerry’s dad, a survivor of the Bataan Death March and has since passed. Jerry and I go back to first day of Boeing Spokane. Jerry has a cute picture taken years ago w/ him and a grandson both in white bee suits working on handling bees.

I picked up my mail @ Mead PO and bumped into Charley ( I forget his last name), an old biking, skiing, and lopper bud from the past. He invited me to Lake Chelan where he has a place for 5 days. I declined as I already rode there. i gave him my Steve Barnett Falcon Press guide book and told him i did not want it back. Pox on the book.

Tomorrow is a ride w/ Rick & Mars of their choosing.

Thanks to your birthday wishes. I spent it riding an old trail and spending it w/ new friends.

Still visiting friends and riding old familiar trails.

Sat I rode a 38 mile loop in Riverside & hung @ Bicycle Butler. Another night @ Bill & Jen’s.

Sunday’s plan was for a loppers ball rendezvous @ Pig out in the Park. Shared lopper humor amid rain showers and high winds w/ beers enjoyed. Tom Zysk, Dave VanTine, & Cal Williams plus Mel and Willie were loppers @ 49 degrees North where we skied. We cut trees, hence lopping, for our season’s passes. I did it for 18 years. A few days of work in sometimes wonderful fall conditions for a pass beat sitting inside working overtime to pay for pass.

Sun night I got caught by rain w/o the bikes covered. Hopping out of warm dry bed and frantically struggling into protective clothing from the rain to throw on the cover. Bald head & cold rain drops is painful but I took precaution before sticking said head outside. Just a shower. By daybreak skies were over cast and forecast called for low probability of showers. Good for ride on fog shrouded MT Spokane.

Monday I drove up to MT Spokane SP. This last spring the heavy snow melt washed out road into park and it is presently being reconstructed. The road is closed during the week. Good news for uphill riders as the coaster geeks made fewer rides down the trails during the week. I pedaled up. Once in the woods the trails were damp from rain making the tread fast & grippy. Big hump riding up the trails vs riding down them. Finished the climb w/ the road to the summit in the fog and chill. Rode down the only trail down off mtn that coaster geeks tear up. Great riding on dirt that didn’t fly up in my face. I rode the familiar trails and I finally rode this dangerous switch back that I always walked. Great. Just above Kirk’s lodge I shared the trail w/ a running black bear.

Old neighbor, Bill, turned 58 on Monday and Jen hosted a party and invited me and celebrated my birthday 2 days early. Jen baked pies and gave me a piece w/ 2 candles and people sang happy birthday. Over my 16 years living across the road from them we shared many birthday celebrations.

Today, Tuesday is for running some errands & spacing. This AM it was 37 degs @ Bill’s. I burned the heater for warmth. Later temps rose to pleasant hot.

ATTENTION: Visit w/ Craig in person Tues Sept 15 after work @ The Elk in Brown’s Addition. Leave your wire cutters in your car. Be sure to share something of yourself, this isn’t all about me.

Tonight I crash @ Les’ house. Tomorrow it is a ride on MT Coeur d’Alene w/ Andy.

I am hanging around Spokane as a tourist and riding sometimes.

Events get away from me between postings.

Enjoyed JD’s conversation and he walked away w/ my insurance info to prepare a quote for me.

Thursday was a cluster of waiting and running. I met randy who told me about the Mtnrs Thurs night ride @ Esmerlda. Made the ride and met a few of the old time riders. The ride segregates by ability and cardio. Tonight the hard chargers weren’t there but the second wave put a beating on me. Randy suggested to buy chocolate for the after ride gathering, wasn’t consumed.

Drove out to Les’ house in Mica for the night. Les weakly greeted me on his porch saying he had something that should not be shared so I just slept in his driveway.

Friday was appointment day. Early on I met my $ man. I street side parked and fed the meter for only 56 mins. I set my stop watched and walked several blocks to my meeting. I watched my time and just at expiration I borrowed 50 cents and sprinted to my van. Only i ran East instead of South until I realized my mistake. I was up against my knee dr appointment causing me to shorten my $ appointment. I drove several blocks to dr office sweating getting there on time. I ended up several minutes late and then spent the next 40 mins in waiting room and then another 15 in the exam room. Cody wiggled and pulled on my knee and pronounced it sound and don’t cut on it. He said i have tight hips and that is the way my body is. My right hip is painfull after the massage but doesn’t affect my riding, just sleeping.

I met JD for his insurance info. Long wind but coverage is now a full time RVer eliminating my work around reneters insurance. He saved me about $600.

I was driving towards The Elk and a side trip over to Riverside SP XG to earn if there was a shower when the phone rang. It was Jennifer, my old neighbor, asking when i was coming over. I said I could do it now and navigated back roads to their house. I drove by my old house hoping to avoid the new owners and succeeded. Bill and Jenifer said that the new owners pretty much stay on their side of the road. Cool. We visited and ZDick showed up, another neighbor. We drank 2 beers and I affectionated their 2 labs and cat. They remembered me.

I drove into valley and towards Sunset to The Elk in Brown’s Addition where I used to haunt on Friday nights. Tonight was more of the same. Kyle & Derick were still there. Enjoyed dinner and 1 beer. Kyle comped my bill. I had parked several blocks away from Elk on a quiet side street. I was considering sleeping on the street. I studied the environment for several minutes and decided to sleep here. My hip bothers my sleeping and the 3 beers had me in a hangover around 4:15AM. I lay in the dark trying to sleep when the van started shaking. After several shakes I flashed that somebody was trying to take my bike off the rack. I bounded out of bed and threw open the door and screamed “Hey” and whoever it was ran down the street. He had yet to remove the cable lock and the rear wheel and remove the front wheel and attach it. The bike was save.

I never fell back to sleep and got up around 6:00 and drove to Rosauers for a jug of water and drove to Riverside Bowl & Pitcher for b-fast and my big ride. I rode 38 miles in the park in just over 4 hours reacquainting myself w’ old trails. The trails are hardly technical but allow for wonderful spinning. Just like old time rides. In 4 hours I saw maybe 10 riders.

Tonight I am sleeping in Bill & Jennifer’s driveway for quiet & no interruptions. I am tired from today’s ride.

Bill’s birthday is Monday and mine is Wed. Jennifer invited me to a shared bday celebration w/ Bill’s family. We have done this over the 16 years I used to live there when I was at home. Nice people.