Being on the western edge of the time zone, it didn’t get dark until after I was asleep. The rain started first.
It started raining at 10 PM and was still r
aining when I woke up at 5. I took down the tent in the rain, packed up in the rain, and rode down to breakfast in the rain.
Breakfast is the only photo I have to upload from the day. It was too wet to take any other pictures.
We rode 103 miles in the rain, the last 50 into a headwind. I would not have made it without the company of Alan from Kirkland, WA and Ed and Ally (a father-daughter team) from New Jersey. I rode with Ed and Ally for much of the day, Alan for part of it, and the four of us together rode into Missoula, after we came upon Alan changing a tire just a few miles out of town.
Ally is a newly-minted RN from Rutgers who decided to go on this trip “before I have to be a grown-up”. I can attest that she is a grown-up, riding relentlessly through a driving rain that left us all coated in grit and soaked.
Ed is a union carpenter. He confessed that he likes to ride in front in order to control the pace so Ally doesn’t leave him behind. Being a good daughter, she waits for him at the top of climbs. She is a mountain goat.
Since I have no photos from today, I’ll add some that wouldn’t upload from Thompson Falls. 
The dam at Thompson Falls
Half-fast Cycling Club 
Riding in so much rain sure seems hard Steve. Yikes. Was you tent and sleeping bag dry by night?
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Dry every night! (Except last night (Saturday) when I slept in a dorm. I dried everything out today once the sun came out. Luckily this was a rest day so we had time to dry out and maintain bikes.
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Wow how hard with so much rain. At least you got to ride with other people. How many all together?
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Sorry I didn’t see this sooner. The Spam filter ate it, but gave it back today. 34 total, 22 going coast-to-coast. Week 2 added 3 new riders and 3 left.
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You are doing an amazing job, Steve! Keep going! I’m so impressed–You are beating out the rain, the wind, and the temps! You’re a rock star!!
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Thanks! 8 weeks to go. We senior citizens aren’t all old!
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Our datameister tells me the average temp was 49 degrees. I also see the photo of Alan failed to load, so I’ll add it tomorrow.
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Looks beautiful! I’m glad you’re making friends and seeing beautiful places; you deserve it. I hope the rain stops so you can dry yourself and your bike. This would’ve been a good day for the belt drive so you don’t have to worry about rust!
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I posted a reply but I don’t see it. Internet service is weird on this campus so I’ll avoid reposting it in case the rest of you see it and don’t want it twice.
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