Cindy's Silver Valley Ride to Defeat ALS

Ready to ride!!!!  Not a huge team but the best team ever.  

We started in Kingston, Idaho and rode along the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes. Bonnie and I had planned to ride about 12-15 miles.  It was our first ride of the season.  Trish had been riding more so pretty sure her goal was much higher.  

The official ribbon cutting!

Beautiful scenery along the route.  There was a moose in some of the official pictures but we didn't see it!

I am pretty good at taking pictures while riding my bike.  It's a talent!

I wanted to stop for these pictures because of the reflections in the river!

First rest stop!  This was the last time we saw Trish for awhile.  We thought the next rest stop was at 10 miles and we would see her there but it was farther.

We took off and rode past the 10 mile point. No stop.  Bonnie and I were ready to turn around because at this point our ride would have been 20 miles.  We kept riding trying to find Trish and the rest stop.  We didn't want to turn around and have her waiting for us so we kept going. No cell service so we couldn't text her.

The rest stop had to be right around the corner, it wasn't.  Another corner, nope!  We finally saw Trish coming the other direction.  Our 12 mile ride ended up being 25 for me, 26 for Bonnie ( she had to back track because I was talking instead of riding), and over 27 for Trish!

These three men were not with the group but they were riding all over the area.  Lots of miles.  They matched.  So cute!

We did it!  Boy it felt good to get off the bike for sure.  That is a long ride for the first time out.  It was worth it and for a great cause.

Food time.  The entry included a fabulous lunch made by the The Snakepit!

There it is. Yummy and so good after biking!

Thanks to Trish and Bonnie for joining me.  We had a great time and creating a world without ALS is something I want to see soon.  No cure and no treatments but progress is being made.  Time is one thing ALS patients don't have.  Join us next year for this ride!

Cindy's Ride To Defeat ALS, 27 Miles of Fun!

Why in the world haven't I done this before???  I am not sure.  It was so much fun!  I wasn't going to make a team but Trish persuaded me that a team was a must.  Here we are Team Gleason ready to ride.  It was a beautiful day.  

We took the drive to Kingston, Idaho to start the ride.   The trail head was right by the Snake Pit restaurant.  The drive was about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  

There was a silent auction and a raffle! 

 Friends!!!!!!

I thought Trish should have been singing the national anthem.  She has a beautiful voice, really it is beyond beautiful.

 Getting ready to roll!  Becky had some information to give us.

 Then Nathan!

This is our before picture.  All geared up and ready to go!  Our plan was to ride 20 miles.  We rode 27 miles.  Next year maybe more!

 Here goes Sheila!

 This is the Snake Pit.  They supplied the food after the ride!

So beautiful.  I have said it before.  God loves us so much and he created this beautiful scenery for us to enjoy.  You might ask how I was taking pictures.  I can take them while I am riding my bike.  Some turn out blurry but most are AOK!   One hand on the handlebar and the other on the camera! I haven't crashed yet.

 There was a moose on the trail that others saw but we didn't.

 A thunderstorm was expected later in the afternoon.  Skies are blue here!

 5 mile rest stop with random strangers in the picture.

Off we go again!  The lily pads were amazing.  I missed getting a picture of a spot that had hundreds of lily pads!

 We didn't get to see the moose but we did see a lot of horses!

 We are at the half way spot.  Snacks and a quick stop!

We picked up the pace on the way back.  Not as many pictures.  If you click on this picture and make it bigger you can see a group of bikers on recumbent bikes.

No White Flags! We did it! 27 miles of beautiful scenery on a fabulous day.  The weather was perfect and the thunder storm never arrived.  I have some pretty great friends that support me a lot.  I am so thankful!!! One day we will hear that there has been a treatment discovered or even better a cure discovered for ALS!

Wow!  What a great lunch.  I was thinking burgers or something like that for the BBQ but no!  Rice, BBQ beef and pineapple. So, so good! The BBQ was included in the fee for the ride.  Well worth it!

 Still no rain!

I can't wait to do this again.  I know that Trish and Sheila are in for next year.  The great thing is you can ride 1 mile up to 63 miles.  You can turn around anytime.  The route is pretty level and the scenery is amazing.  Not to mention the BBQ and most importantly it is for a great cause.

 To top the day off we had a raffle winner, Trish!!!