Pacific Coast Riding Day 1, Bellingham to Port Townsend

75 miles, 3,700' of elevation gain, foggy
   Unfortunately, we had a good deal of fog for most of the ride. I'm sure the views would have been quite impressive with the San Juan Islands well within sight but alas we struggled with less than a mile of visibility.
   No, the ride is not flat. The hills are not long but we had several climbs well over 10% with a couple over 15%. We did arrive in time to make the 3 pm ferry and arrived in Port Townsend in beautiful weather so enjoyed the sights during the crossing. We spent the night in Fort Worden where we were assigned the officers housing. A little dated but really charming with all of us having our own room. No wifi but no one cared as we were outside taking in the sights. Our chef made an amazing meal and the 33 of us were happy even if it was a long day for some of our group as they got lost. Thank you Garmin 800.

Pacific Coast Day 1, Bellingham

Well, I've arrived in Bellingham, WA for the beginning of the Woman Tours Pacific Coast Ride. I immediately found the best restaurant in town for dinner, D'ANNA  which makes all its own pasta, sausages and Spumoni. This morning walked into the downtown to go to Mt Bakery coffee shop. The place that the locals go to and had their famous Eggs Benedict. What can I say. I've had enough calories for at least three days of riding.
The bikes, husband and Holmes all made the travel well. The smoke in Montana and Washington was really bad but no smoke here on the coast. Bellingham is where the Alaska State Ferry starts its journey northward and the town reflects the many people who come through for the cruise season. Over 40,000 people with endless coffee houses and eateries.
The weather is amazingly good today as it was yesterday when I arrived. Hope it stays this way.

Selirk Loop Ride, Day 11 Coeur d'Alene to Spokane

38 miles, 750' of elevation gain, 50 - 80 degrees under clear blue skies
   We walked around the resort for a short time and got a little latter start as the area was worth enjoying. The room in Spokane was not likely to be ready until 2 so we thought it best to sleep in and stay in Coeur d'Alene for a little longer.
   Once on the road, I cycled with the two tandems for a few miles. The entire ride was on the Centennial Trail which links Coeur d'Alene to Spokane and with the exception of  a few road crossings was straight forward. The most scenic was when we road along the Spokane River all the way to the back door of the Doubletree Hotel. Once checked in, I packed my coupled bike and am always happy to have it all fit back into the case.
   The bike tour was absolutely great with interesting riding, towns and hotels. Good company with the other 12 in our group. I would highly recommend riding the International Selkirk Loop to any cycle tourists.

Selkirk Loop Ride, Day 10 Sandpoint to Coeur d'Alene

62 miles, 1,800' of elevation gain, 48 - 76 degrees under bright sunny skies
   The weather broke and we had beautiful sunny skies for the entire day. I woke early and when I couldn't fall back to sleep, I decided to get on the rode and make my way to the resort town of Coeur d'Alene. The route was well planned out by Gary and Rita to keep us off any major highways except for one short stretch on US95 but that had a good shoulder. We rode over the river using an old bridge that was now dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians and enjoyed the views all around without having to watch for traffic and such.
   Once we left the Sandpoint area, we were on quiet back roads with Bald Eagles and Osprey nests with young Osprey poking their heads out of the nests. Deer also were a common sighting along with more mountain ranges. Since I left before the breakfast service started in Sandpoint, I did stop at a local cafe and visited with the waitstaff and had a somewhat delayed breakfast.
   I arrived in Coeur d'Alene by 1:00 and Dion had just gotten our room so we were able to deposit luggage and bike and go to the famous dessert bar located within the Coeur d'Alene Resort. We probably should have shared but we didn't and it counted as lunch for us. After a quick shower, we went up in a float plane and were treated to spectacular views of not only the lake, but the rivers and mountains that make up the area. With such a beautiful day it was the best afternoon activity we could have done.
   We were treated to a wine cellar tour of the resort by Eric the Sommelier. Their collection is about 15,000 bottles and with a glass of wine in hand we were able to view not only all of the collection but how the wine is organized and the temperature controls used to preserve the wine.
  The group had its last dinner at Beverly's, the signature restaurant of the Coeur d'Alene Resort and the food, wine and views were a special way of spending the last night as a group.

Selkirk Loop Ride, Day 9, Bonners Ferry to Sandpoint

44 miles, 1500' of elevation gain, mid-40 degree temps and pouring rain the entire ride.
   No one wanted to leave our B&B school house. The breakfast was outstanding. little cozy sitting rooms dispersed around the inn and the rain gave us more reasons to stay than go. Unfortunately, we needed to get to the next town so off we went. I rode with Dick and Janet today and the company was a great morale booster and kept me going through some tough weather and riding conditions.
   We were on a few busy roads and the spray from the big trucks were annoying and the traffic with the rain made riding sometimes less than safe. Nevertheless, everyone just kept going and we all finished into a beautiful hotel located right on the lake. Laundry is everywhere drying and bike has been cleaned again.
   The are seems to be lovely and hopefully we will go out exploring latter.

Selkirk Loop Ride, Day 8, Creston to Bonners Ferry

42 miles, 1800' of elevation gain, 55-68 degrees with occasional showers.
   The morning looked promising with clear blue skies and off we went. We were back in the US within 8 miles and all our cell phones worked again. We had a tail wind on flat roads, but unfortunately, there were thunder clouds in the distance so I donned my rain gear and wrapped my Camelback and sure enough, the showers eventually found all of us.
   We went past a National Wildlife refuge so we all took the time to visit and see what we might run into. Yes they have Grizzly Bears as well as Black Bears in this area but we haven't seen any on our riding. We spent the day riding on fairly flat terrain and did have to navigate 4 miles of dirt/gravel road which didn't pose a problem.
   Bonners Ferry is a small Selkirk Loop town with about 1,500 people and one brew pub with excellent food. We are staying in the Northside School Bed and Breakfast. A retired couple bought a decommissioned school house and totally renovated it into a lovely B&B with 9 rooms all uniquely appointed. Some of the rooms still have the original blackboards which only adds to the charm. After lunch we enjoyed the heated pool and hot tub and the endless homemade cookies. It really is a tough life.

Selkirk Loop Ride Day 7, Crawford Bay to Creston

49 miles, 2500' of elevation gain and pouring rain for the first 40 miles.
   The ride went along the eastern shore of Kootenay Bay which was beautiful when we could look around and not have to deal with the rain. Nevertheless, it was a good day on the bike with the last 10 miles ridden under clear blue skies. The ride was mellow rollers along the lakeside and for the most part little if any traffic.
  Dion picked up our Harry Potter broom all wrapped and ready to fly home, pun! The town of Creston is yet another small town but has an enormous super market and we are in suites tonight so eating in is a real possibility.