Day 15: Kooskia,ID to Lewiston,ID

Miles sharin' the road with those crazy Idahoans: 74

Weather: Mostly sunny, headwind out of the west, temps in the low 80's

Terrain: Nice slow descent down to about 700 feet above sea level at the end. We followed some river the entire day and continued to enjoy the beauty of the great northwest. However, it was kind of difficult to enjoy at times as we had a small shoulder to ride on and traffic was very thick. We shared the road with loud trucks, big RV's, semi's .... not to mention people that were not happy we were on the road to begin with. We got the "mean" horn honk at least three times.

Road Kill: For those who venture across the country for the sole purpose of viewing road kill, today was a goldmine. An absolute jackpot. We saw all of the following on Hwy 12:

1. 3 deer

2. 2 skunks

3. 1 fox

4. 1 snake ...not sure if it was dead or alive ... but it freaked my wife out pretty good.

5. numerous birds

Tomorrow's Ride: 98 miles, appr. 4,000 ft of elevation gain .....all with a little rain in the forecast!

Songs stuck in my head: "Easy come, easy go" -George Straight "Blessed Assurance" -sung by Tom Rand

WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR MONEY?

I'm becoming more convinced that some of life's most interesting (and hilarious) conversations happen in gas stations in small towns across this great country. Here's a replay of the events that occured at appr. 11:45am this morning in Orofino,ID. I happened to have the privlege of chatting with a younger female attendant who took my money as I purchased a cheeseburger for lunch. Yeah, I know. Kind of a risky move purchasing a cheeseburger in a gas station. Well, I was in the middle of admiring the purple streaks in her hair when the following convo occurred:

Me: (I hand the girl $10 to pay for a $2 cheeseburger)

Attendant: This bill is all wet. (She holds and waves it up in the air) What's the deal with that?

Me: Oh, I know. I'm really sorry about that. (I didn't tell her this, but my money always gets very wet from sweat b/c I keep it in the back pockets of my bike jersey.....which I sweat through in about 4 min everyday)

Attendant: That's okay. Don't worry about it. I was at the bar the other night and I pulled a $5 dollar bill out of my bra and gave it to the bartender. He looked at me and said, "That's disgusting, this bill is all wet." I said, don't worry, it's not what you think. My girlfriend just spilled beer down my shirt. It's not a problem.

Me: Oh, I see. Hmmm. Great story. Have a nice day.

THE HUNGER RIDE SAYS GOODBYE TO ....

Former students of mine William Bateman and Stewart Gunther .... who did a fantastic job being our sag wagon crew this past week. We pretty much laughed our way across the great northwest from Bozeman all the way to Kooskia,ID this past week. It was truly an honor to have these guys fly 2,000+ miles to be a part of Hunger Ride 2010. We won't forget the 80's sing-a-longs, good conversations and, of course, the epic two-night game of Spades we played ....in which I went blind nil at the end to bring home a "W" for Luke and I. Thanks, fellas. It brings a tear to my eyes to see you guys gettin' all grown up on me now.

THE HUNGER RIDE WELCOMES ....

My parents and veteran sag wagoneers Roger & Rose Rand. There's not much these two haven't done when it comes to Hunger Rides. You want a story? Well, they'll surely be the ones to tell it. Why? Because there is a good chance that they were there. They were there in 06' when it rained cats, dogs, curling irons and bowling balls in a classic Kansas t-storm on me, then in Oregon for the monster hill climb to the top of Mt. Hood. There were on the shores of Seaside, OR of HR #1 to see me cross the tape and dip my bike in the mighty Pacific ...and they'll be there when it happens again next Saturday.

SHOUT OUTS....

*Thanks much to Casey at the Red Lion Hotel of Lewiston, ID. This place is pretty sweet fo sho! And Casey happened to hook us up with two complimentary rooms in support of Hunger Ride 2010.