Trail of the CDAs July 2014 with the EAOD

A bike ride with the EAOD ladies.  Always a good time with lots of stories, laughing, smiling and always an adventure.  Trish, Bonnie, Mandi, Sheila, and Michelle.  We started at Silver Mountain! 

We just got started and pop Sheila's bike tire went flat.  I think Trish fell over as an act of sympathy for Sheila.  So nice but not necessary Trish.  Of course we all yelled, "Welcome to the club!" "You are an official biker now that you fell." We sort of forgot to ask her if she was OK because we were so excited that she joined the club.  As you can see she is OK!

 The flat tire fix.  Sheila is good at it because she gets flats more than anyone.

I am sure our supervision of the tire fix was appreciated.  We were good at it.  It is a one person job so we just looked on and hoped for the best.  We were on our way in a flash.  Sheila is a pro!

We did stop at the bike shop for another tube.  No riding without a back up.  Sheila did not have to use the backup!

OK, now we are really on our way for the 24 mile ride. 

 Beautiful scenery!  God's handiwork for us to enjoy.  Thanks!

 And there they go!

 I took most of these pictures while I was riding.  Love my new camera!

 Getting to warm! Time to shed a layer.

 Tradition to take a picture under this overpass.

 Aren't they beautiful!!!  Good friends are precious for sure!  And appreciated!

 Our bikes are resting!  They go faster after they rest you know.

 Off we go again!

 We made it too Wallace.  Mandi and Sheila did a few more miles!

 Not sure what is happening here.

While Sheila and Mandi did a few more miles we visited the Center of the Universe in Wallace, ID.  Don't believe me?

 It says it right here!  The Center of the Universe.  It must be true.  You have to watch out for cars when you stand on the Center of the Universe.  It is in the middle of the street.  Cars you know.

We headed to lunch at our favorite lunch spot in Wallace.  We were hoping to see Ian again before his move to Boston but he was hanging out with family on a walk.  I was disappointed I didn't get to see him one more time but we talked on the phone and I was able to say good bye for now.  What a nice, kind, young man.  Glad we can say in touch!

 This is Ian's father taking our order.  He even let us put our bikes in the restaurant. Nice!

 Really yummy food here!  I ate way too much.  No dinner for me!

 We had a relaxing lunch!  Pretty sure the lemonade was the best I have ever had.

Time to head back to Silver Mountain.  Sheila took off while we were still gearing up.  She rode slow so we could catch up! What's the rush?  :)

 Yes, we are in Wallace, Idaho and there are 4 wheelers all over on the streets.

Another tradition!  Right before the end of the trail for us!  Pictures on whatever this thing is!  We did it last year and this year so it is now a tradition!

What a great time with great friends.  They make me smile!  We support each other, laugh with each other and sometimes cry with each other.  There could not be a better support crew!  Love you all! Truly I do and I am so thankful for all of you!  My cup runneth over!

We Escaped the Heat on the Hiawatha Trail

It's too hot to ride the Hiawatha trail, It's going to be hot, leave early.  It wasn't hot at all.  So glad we went!  It was a first for Freida Cook!  I love firsts!  Sheila, Jackie and Freida!  The first challenge was getting three mountain bikes on my 4 bike rack.  There is no way 4 bikes would fit on this rack.  Ever!  Three big bikes were a challenge but it got done.  

 The traditional chain oil picture! Look closely it's there!

 Here we go!  It was 67 degrees when we arrived at the beginning of the trail.

 Such cute smiles!  Love these ladies!

 Entering the trail!

The first and longest, darkest, tunnel.  1.7 miles of darkness.  I discovered that the lights I brought were not sufficient.  Sheila rode right in front of me and Freida was behind me letting their light shine on me!

 There goes Sheila!  You will see many pictures of Sheila out in front!

The first tunnel was a bit wet and muddy.  Some of us were effected by that more than others.  Sheila had no mud on her clothes!  As for Freida and I a different story!  Freida was way worse obviously!

 There she is again the fearless leader through the dark, dark tunnels!

This guy and all of his cousins visited us at every stop we made.  No food for you!  Don't feed the wild animals!

 What a view!

 This trestle is one of the trestles we would be crossing later on the ride.

 We stopped and read the signs along the way telling about the history of the area!

I was standing on a trestle and tried to get a picture of how far down it was.  I didn't want to get too close to the edge even though it was very protected.  Didn't get the full effect!

This area tells the story of a fire in the forest when a train was passing through.  One man panicked and jumped out of the train car and...well, not a good decision.  He did not survive.

 My new camera takes selfies!

More sign reading.  Ask Sheila and Freida, they know all there is to know about the history of the trail.

Love this picture.  This was a short tunnel so there was some light.  You can see the sides of the tunnel and Sheila at the end of it.

 There she is again, the fearless leader!

 We made it!  Now the bus ride back up the mountain to our cars!

One last tunnel.  You get to ride through the very first tunnel (the one at the start) after the buses drop you off.  Sheila was having issues with her headlamp!  Glad she figured it out because she was my guiding light.

 Clothing and bikes muddy!

As we always do we have to stop someplace after our outings.  Ian (who was the guide for our zip lining a year ago) told me his brother's restaurant was pretty new and great!  Boy was he right.  Such good food.  I highly recommend the Nook in Wallace, Idaho.

Guess who was there!  Ian!  So good to see him again!  A great guy!  We have communicated this past year because he had someone in his family with ALS.  My one disappointment was no piano.  He is a great piano player and we got to hear him last year!

 Group shot!!!

We visited for a while and then headed back to Spokane!  I am so blessed with great friends in my life.  Even if they didn't know the song, The Long and Winding Road!  I thought we could all sing it on the bus ride.  Nope.  They didn't know it.  I still love them a bunch.  They are obviously younger than I am.