D'oh!

I think I went through most of my spectrum of moods today, beginning and ending with being quite content. I won't describe all the stuff in between; you can use your imagination. (Included, in case it doesn't occur to you, is the slapstick scene of my falling off a curb - while walking -and landing face down on the street, while a passing teenager on a skateboard recovered the water-bottle I'd flung in the process as her friends checked to make sure I was ok. I was; just really embarrassed).

The lesson of the day seems to be: it's a good idea to get your bike tuned up right before a trip (to avoid an unexpected layover to deal with repairs); but the motto of the day was delivered by a woman at the pub where I had dinner, when while waiting for her to-go dinner order she said, "I should have a beer." I took her advice, and it helped.

I'm spending the night here in Sandpoint, Idaho, unexpectedly... but very happy they have a good bike shop (as well as a cheap motel within walking distance, and a City Beach! on gorgeous Lake Pend Oreille). That rear wheel gone slightly out of true was actually starting to crack (and would have failed completely), so I am biding my time while the wheels of commerce allow a new wheel to be shipped overnight from Seattle. I've been a pretty good sport about it - given that it's only my second day on the road, and this throws my itinerary off completely, AND I could probably have prevented it... but who knows, maybe it came on very suddenly... the folks in Spokane didn't catch it either....

And: MUCH better that this kind of thing happens on a beautiful, easy day, near a town w/all the aforementioned services, rather than, say, in the middle of nowhere...

Oh, the bike ride: I only rode about 12 miles today, from lovely Round Lake State Park up here to Sandpoint. The absolute highlight was the two-mile bridge across the Pend Oreille River (which flows into Lake Pend Oreille) - complete with a ped/bike path. And that was after a really cute (if slightly rustic) bike path for about 5 miles that got me off of Hwy 95 again.

The beach was pretty darn pretty, too... and it's such a small town that everything is within walking distance. It's nice to walk, except for the falling down part. But I can't wait to get back on my bike... (hoping that on Weds. it's done in time for me to make it to the next town over, Clark Fork...)