July 26: Sandpoint, Idaho

     It seems the old saying is true:  If you cheat once, it becomes easier to do it again and again.  Take me for instance.  On Wednesday I accepted a ride when Aaron's bike was broken down and, sure enough, that made it easy for me to let The Feeshko (my wife) drive me from her folks' house to the edge of the Spokane metro area which saved me 18 miles of negotiating heavy city traffic.
     She got her punishment for aiding and abetting though.  I forgot my wallet, so she had to go back and get it for me while I pedalled north on Highway 2.  I hope she learned a very valuable lesson.
     Lest you think I got away scot-free (I wonder what the origin of that phrase is) for my transgression, I was cursed with a flat tire in Newport which, in itself is no big deal, but in addition to that, my tire pump broke and that WAS kind of a big deal.  I walked over to the Newport Chamber of Commerce Building and asked if they had a bike shop in town.
     "No, we don't," was her answer.  "I think the closest one would be in Sandpoint, which is about 30 miles away."
     "Bummer," I said.  "Well, thank you."
     She apparently hated to see me walk away unsatisfied and called out, "What do you need specifically?"
     "I need a tire pump for my bike."
     "We have a hardware store that might carry some bike supplies," and she gave me directions.
     I was skeptical but I gave it a shot anyway.  I found my way to the hardware store and the lady there tried to sell me a little air pump that is used for kids toys or, perhaps a basketball.  So I dug deep into my bike stuff and found an adaptor so that I could pump up a new inner tube using the air hose at a gas station.  (FYI:  Air has gone up in value.  I paid a freaking dollar to fill up that tube.)  Then I took the chance that I could pedal the 30 miles to Sandpoint without another flat tire.

     My gamble paid off and I bought a new pump from a bunch of very helpful guys at a bike shop on the edge of Sandpoint.  They were also clearly envious of my adventure.

     My ride today was notable for three things:  the many mobile home parks north of Spokane, the pretty pine forests, and the spectacular Priest River which accompanied me all the way from Newport to Sandpoint, Idaho.
     Sandpoint is the ultimate tourist town.  It has trendy restaurants, plenty of hotels, some historical assets, bike trials, gift shops, outdoor stores, fudge and candy shops, and, most importantly, a gorgeous setting next to a big lake and totally surrounded by big, daunting mountains.