Sunday, June 27, 2021

Coeur d’Alene Bike Trip - Day 13

I headed out this morning, again at 5 am, again ti avoid the afternoon heat. I headed west on Idaho SR-58, and continued on the Palouse Scenic Byway, crossing into Washington after a few miles.


The roads here go through rolling hills and farmland planted with alfalfa, hay, wheat, and the like. Surprisingly, some are fields planted with mustard, with yellow flowers just like springtime in Southern California. It’s cool and lovely riding in the morning, with the slanted rays across the rolling hills.
Scenery Along The Palouse Scenic Byway






The Byway Goes Through The Nice Little Town Of Rockford

It Also Goes Through The Town Of Valleyforge Where These Swallows Were Having Fun Swooping About 

The byway climbs and descends through and over the hills, at first gently, but then the climbs become more challenging, and a few were steep enough that I had  to walk up them. But it was a really nice bike ride into Spokane, and I reached the hotel about 9:30. It was too early to check in, so I hung out for a while in a coffee shop, and in the downtown mall, staying cool until I was able to get into my room.

In the evening I treated myself: An old hotel across from where I stayed, the Davenport, has been gloriously restored. It has a fourth floor terrace that looks south, with a view of the surrounding neighborhood including lots of swell old brick buildings, and best of all, and elevated track with substantial train traffic. I bought a Long Island Ice Tea at the bar and took it up to sip in some shade (it was evening but still quite hot), watching the trains roll by. I actually did this the previous two days I was in Spokane also.






This is the last day of bike riding for the trip. Now it’s just a matter of reversing the steps I used to get to Spokane.




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