Colville to Usk, WA
We did not leave Colville until after 9am for a day in which we would explore a new route. Last night, Bob, the host at the Colville Fairgrounds CG, told Kevin of Flowery Trail Pass, a “much better, more scenic” way to get to Usk than riding Hwy 20, so it was decided to take this route.
On the way out of town, I noticed the lampposts. Each had a metal silhouette with a woodsy or western theme and I wish I’d stopped long enough to take a couple of photos. The one below is from the Internet. I later learned that metal sculptor, Chris Anderson, had designed and constructed these sculptures as well as the clock tower on Main street featuring a Native American fisherman, a logger, a miner, and a trapper encircling the base with an eagle’s nest atop. On our way to the Mexican restaurant last night, I photographed Diane in front of this clock.
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| Chris Anderson's metal silhouettes were on each of the city's lamposts |
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| Chris Anderson's metal sculpture clock tower |
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| Raven sign in Colville, WA |
The road out of to town was level for the first few miles and then we took a left onto a steep climb. I had to walk part of it. It leveled out marginally and then climbed again. A young girl came down the road toward us on a loaded touring bike. She had a family to stay with in Colville, compliments of Couch Surfing, a service similar to Warm Showers but not confined to touring cyclists. She seemed fit and bouncy. By comparison, I was feeling unfit and flat. I was hot and tired and told Diane to go on, I’d try to hitch a ride. Tim passed me and I watched with envy as he climbed. After a couple of miles, I was walking my bike again, looking behind me for any vehicle that could accommodate the bike and BOB. Very few cars passed.
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| Bill Upton, Diane, and Rick just before we all took a left and started climbing |
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| Beautiful barn at the beginning of FloweryTrail |
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| Tim beginning the Flowery Trail climb |
Finally, a young student, Jennifer, stopped and crammed my BOB, bag, and bike into the back of her jeep on top of her own camping equipment. She had just graduated from college and was going to the learning center near the ski area at the top of the mountain. Said that she didn’t normally pick up hitchhikers but I looked so tired. Oh, yes, indeedy.
It was cold and windy at the summit. I had told Diane that I was going to hitch a ride and I thought that the climbing riders had seen me wave from Jennifer’s jeep, so I descended . . . only to find another climb and descent, and then a third climb and descent. When I was descending the third time, it began to storm. It rained so heavily that the road was a river, masking any potholes or debris that might be on it. I was soaked to the skin and cold, but I eventually found myself in Usk.
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| You're not over it until you're over it . . . |
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| Despite telling both Tim and Diane that I was going to hitch, the group waited anxiously for me at the first summit; Tim's photo |
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| Diane jubilent at the first summit |
I saw Boo Boo’s Café/Laundromat/Used Book Store across the street. The café was offering hot turkey sandwiches. The place had a little veranda-like porch on it. So, I splashed across the street and ordered a hot turkey sandwich. After ordering, I sat at an outside table under the porch roof and called Tim to tell him that I was looking for a dry place for us. I found that Diane had not told Tim that I was trying to hitch. None of them had seen me in the jeep and they were waiting and looking for me at the summit. I felt guilty.
I used the laundry rest room to change into dry clothes, putting my wet clothes in a dryer and even putting my shoe inserts in a warm dryer. Much warmer now, I enjoyed my hot turkey sandwich and a salad and a cup of coffee. It was still pouring. A couple pulled in and I talked to them about finding a dry place to pitch our tents.
They really got into it, driving around the small town and checking with churches and friends. Some time after Tim, Rick, Diane, and both Bills arrived, the couple pulled back into the parking space before the porch and gave us some possibilities—a church, the pastor of which had to agree and couldn’t be roused; a home that would let us pitch under their carport (too many tents, no shower), and a permanent RV development, Eagle’s Landing Resort Community, on the Pend Oreille River three miles down the road in Cusick that said we could pitch our tents there. This was our best option, even though it required setting up in the rain.
I was worried when Kevin didn’t arrive, so called him. He had not yet encountered the rain and was still climbing. When he arrived, he said he had checked the incline of the road several times and got readings of 8%, 9%, and 10% on the climbs, by far the steepest yet. His BOB had also come unhooked on one side nearly resulting in a crash, but he brought it under control just at the edge of the road.
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| Rick, Tim, Boo Boo's owner, Wendy, and Bill H. devouring one of Wendy's chocolate cream pies |
After Kevin arrived and all had eaten (the guys demolishing a whole chocolate pie and washing /drying their clothes), we biked to Eagle's Landing RV Resort about 3 or 4 miles down the road on the Pend Oreille River. We found a large modern clubhouse and a parking lot-like area for mooring permanent RVs — RV lots we found later sold for $125,000 and up. This development was run by former Georgian, Chris Evers, and her husband John Scott. When they met us, I asked if we could throw our sleeping bags on the clubhouse floor to save setting up our tents in the rain. Chris and John were more than happy to accommodate us, telling us that we could stay in the clubhouse and sleep on the floor and couches, use the kitchen (stove, refrigerator, coffee, cocoa, drinks in the fridge), shower, bathrooms, large screen TV, binoculars . . . They then left the clubhouse to us and moved to their nearby RV where John even cooked hamburgers for all of us!
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| Eagle's Landing RV Resort where we spent a warm, dry night across the Pend Orielle river from the Kalispell Reservation |
This feeding of the flock was yet another example of the unexpected kindness we have encountered all along the route. We have found many wonderful people interested in our ride and glad to offer us what help and hospitality they can.
Tomorrow, our last day in Washington, we ride along the Pend Oreille River to Sandpoint, Idaho. Tune in.
Tomorrow, our last day in Washington, we ride along the Pend Oreille River to Sandpoint, Idaho. Tune in.
