Day 44 July 13, 2019

Henry's notes for today

Susan and Rob Hickman at the bagel shop

Day 44: We packed up camp, had a pre-breakfast snack, and pedaled towards Sandpoint, a mere 21 miles away. That was pretty much the extent of our ride for today, which was going to be mostly a rest day. An exciting itinerary was planned, as this was going to be a homecoming of sorts, and many friends were coming to greet us. Jeff's friends Dr. Sarah Kirkpatrick and Dr. Jonathan Lee first received us in Sandpoint, where we were to store our bikes for the day and overnight. We rode to a downtown Sandpoint bagel shop, met Jeff's sister-in-law Susan Edsall and Tim's wife Priscilla there, and had a proper breakfast. We met briefly with Ann/Russ Oakley and Bruceann/Tom Culbertson just outside the bagel shop; they had ridden their bikes to Sandpoint from the Oakley's Bottle Bay cabin. We finally returned to deposit our bikes in Sarah and Jonathan's garage. The 4 riders were shuttled in Priscilla's van, first to the grocery store, then to Jenny and Kevin West's magnificent Pend Oreille lakefront home, where we were compelled to spend a languid afternoon basking in the sun's warmth at the waterfront. Leisa and Dave Moss were already present. It was particularly heartening to see Leisa, who had suffered a hip fracture since we began our trip. She is still non-weight-bearing per doctor's orders, but hopes to begin putting weight on her injured leg in about 10 days. Linda and Henry's son Michael arrived with his friend Chris Baus, a former German exchange student. The Oakleys and the Culbertsons arrived via boat, and Diane/Bob Britton also materialized to join the soiree. In a word, it was a feast of a potluck. Every dish was truly delectable. Alas, all parties must end, and we said our goodbyes to the visitors as daylight waned. We stayed overnight at the West's, and will retrieve our bikes tomorrow morning in Sandpoint. We have another week of riding before we reach Anacortes, our final destination. Our spirits were buoyed by all our friends' encouragement today.

Maps of today's ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3841808933

https://www.relive.cc/view/u3664477828

Pictures at the potluck: