it was a cool 52 degrees starting out. and, even with the extra layers, i never quite got comfortable until afternoon, when we were almost to our destination. there were some brisk winds going through the mountain passes and i was wishing i had on just one more layer!   the climate was not the only change we noticed. the terrain also changed into flatter, rolling hills and farmland. but we soon saw the "welcome to idaho" sign. (interesting sign along the way in idaho was: "leaving apple maggot quarantine area". hmmmmm. i thought washington was the apple state! and what are apple maggots?)   we stopped for gas and hot coffee at coure d'lene and were in awe of the scenery along the area lake. beautiful country!
next, we were in washington. some of you may wonder what i do all day on the back of the bike. well, here's an example of what occupies my mind while paul concentrates on the road. shortly after passing spokane, a road sign read, Crop names posted and, sure enough, blue, individual tourist attraction-type signs started appearing every mile or so, on both sides of the highway. first, it was "potatoes" then "alfalfa" then "peas" followed by "pasture", "timothy hay", "sweet corn" "carrots" and "field corn," each one presenting acres of the named crop. but the most surprising was a field of darkest green, identified as "peppermint." so, looking for the signs held my attention for a good, oh, 10 or 11 minutes. then, the questions filled my mind. "why are these signs here?" "are they intended to entertain me, the traveler?" "is this the state of washington's way of educating the average traveler?" you get the picture. my mind wanders for another 8 or 9 minutes and before you know it, while not having come to a conclusion, we're 20 minutes farther down the road! one last comment. i had said earlier that this trip is not about sight-seeing or specific destinations. but in all fairness, paul is good about stopping, as he did today when i had a feeling something spectacular was just around the bend. sure enough, a "scenic overlook" sign appeared and he pulled over and we spent time enjoying a fantastic view of the columbia river! what a sight! i could've spent a lot more time, but am happy we were able to enjoy it briefly. a special memory! |
