Ready to pedal!

I'm officially On an Adventure - starting in Spokane, WA of all places! I actually went to Washington State Univ., which is just about 90 miles south of here - but I never really spent time in town (just the airport). It's actually very cool, with old brick buildings and railroad tracks and this river running through the middle of everything.

I lucked out in finding a cheapish motel near downtown, just a few blocks from a bike shop where I could (and did) ship my bike - and also just a few blocks from all the stuff I needed to get to be ready to hit the road tomorrow morning.

The Spokane River is really neat; it winds all

through town, or I guess the town winds all around the river, and there are actually these turbulent tumbling falls that provide power. There's also pedestrian & bike bridges crossing over - very fun, and amusing. I was at least as excited as the average 6-year-olds I saw running around Riverside Park this afternoon...

Now I have to tumble into bed in order to get up at the crack o' dawn and hit the road, for real: starting with about 35 miles of mostly off-the-road bike paths called the Centennial Trail, running from west of Spokane all the way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Then I head north up the Idaho panhandle... eventually getting to Canada!

Next time I find an internet cafe (in about 90 miles or so!) I'll try to post a map of my route...