Day 3 - God's Canvass

I guess I need to come up with something better than WOW everyday, but it is just WOW!  Todays ride started with a 2.4 mile steep uphill in traffic.  The signs on the downhill side from yesterday said 6-10%.  On my recumbent, I am just not comfortable with a 10% grade with multiple cars going by.  Out in the country with the occasional car is one thing, traffic is another.  So, I elected to get a "bump up" today.  I started at mile 12 as that is where it was the most convienent to be let out.  The weather was cool - maybe  low 70's so I was wearing arm warmers - HA! arm warmers in July!!!

The terrain changed again.  We still had amber waves of grain, but we added green and brown hills and dales. As I elected to start at mile 12, I ended up riding most of the day alone.  I would get to ride briefly with others as they passed by, but most of the time I was solo.  Today, this was great as I was in awe of the countryside.  Riding along I realized that the earth is God's canvass.  As I climbed each rolling hill, I could not wait to see His brush strokes!  Some hills were brown earth recently tilled and others had the great yellow wheat.  There were also fields of young wheat that blended every color of green imaginable.  I am blessed to be able to ride my bike looking at all the beauty!

mountains, wheat and tilled earth between Wilbur and Keller WA

Young wheat - aren't the clouds marvelous, too!

going to dinner will write more later!

Back from dinner -pretty good Mexican.  One good thing about this tour is eating anything you want and as much as you want.

The last two days have been really neat as we have had a fantastic tailwind and beautiful comfortable weather.  It amazes me how nice it has been - even when it is hot without humidity, it is still so cool and comfortable.  Yesterday my bike computer said the ambiant temp reached 108; however, it really only felt like it was in the 80s.  With the tailwinds we are flying,  too.  I averaged 17 mph today without breaking a sweat - although todays high was only in the low 80s.  It was 68 at 3pm!

Well, I have got to go get ready for bed, but here are a couple more pictures:

Mustard field

Craig and Vicki (backs turned) and Susan (back ground) at the lunch truck.  Lunch is fantastic.  Normally we have lunch meat or chicken salad, a variety of pasta/veggie salads, fruit, pudding, and tons of sweets.  For whatever reason, minus the pudding, I dont eat the sweets.  I stick to the pasta/veggie salads and fruit. 

Cyclists eating lunch on PACtour benches

One of these things is not like the other... Bike parking PACtour style.  Lon said that they began using this bike parking set up for the Northern Tour in 1993. 

Tomorrow we will be crossing into our 2nd state! Sandpoint Idaho.  The predicted low is 45!  Leg warmers in July! LOL!!!