Day 9: One state down, many more to go!

Carol:

The morning in Panhandle Creek Campground was the coldest one yet. Layered in our winter cycling pants, gloves and hats, we set off for Newport, WA. Flattish terrain with gently rolling hills led us to Newport. On the road we passed a bison ranch which was a great novelty for me.  Oddly enough, the road first went into Idaho, before coming back into Washington, leading to some confusion as to where Newport was located as it sits on the state border. The panorama of a road and photo at milepost 0 are at this unheralded border before the seemingly more official one in town. We spent some time looking for momentos of completing our first state before heading to Sandpoint, ID. The ride was pleasant, and without significant climbs for the first time since day 2 however very strong headwinds kept us from reaching Sandpoint as quickly as I would have liked.  A few miles on I-95 next to barreling trucks made the ride slightly stressful as well. Fortunately, there was soon a dedicated bike path and protected lane on the bridge. 

Colin and I have come up with a few games to make the time pass on the road. When climbing Sherman Pass, we each named an item we saw following the letters of the alphabet. Contributions included: urbanite's nightmare, xenophobe (Trump 2016 sticker) and quintessential American snack (Fritos truck). Today's game involved naming 3 things that had something in common and the other person had to name the 4th item that would belong. For example: Matthew, John, Luke - Mark. If you have a fun road game, please let us know! We're still a long way from home :) 

With a few rounds of the game underway, we rolled into Sandpoint and checked ourselves into a motel. After some much needed showers, we treated ourselves to a massive meal at the local brewpub. I look forward to stocking up on groceries and cleaning our clothes before hitting the road tomorrow.

68 miles.

547 miles total.