In Spokane
Spokane is a great wheel town, and there are many fine roads through the country to outlying towns and lakes.
My two cohorts and I have also noticed the fine cycling terrain in the area surrounding Spokane. From Ritzville to Sprague the countryside was barren of trees which made the hot days seem even hotter.
Some Seattle wheelmen were guessing how many wheelmen we would meet on the way. The first two days we met one man learning to ride. Aside from that, and the wheelmen we met at Ellensburg and here at Spokane, we have seen but two.
We have seen very few wheelmen of any stripes on the whole trip from Seattle. We are somewhat off what has become the "chosen" route for the long distance tourer, that being along route 20 to the far north, Perhaps the heat is driving wheel riders to the cool evening hours.
I can also say that Spokane proper is a hilly city and one must be prepared with low gears to get around easily.
The distance by rail from Seattle is 430 miles, and our cyclometer shows that by going cross country we have made it in just 341 miles, some of them hard ones. We were in the saddle a little over five days. We leave Thursday morning via Coeur d'Alene.
Our route from this city will be along the railtrail in the direction of Coeur d'Alene, but our destination is Sandpoint Idaho, and thence to Missoula. This route will be less congested and noisy than the road up to Wallace and accommodations are more evenly spaced.
80 miles on this day and 360 from Seattle. It looks like the heat is with us for awhile.
Dennis