Thursday, June 24 to Spokane, Washington

Riding… riding..

I knew I had to ride around 500 miles to reach Spokane, where I was invited to stay by Wende and Tom. I was told the ride would be 11 hours because the road follows the winding Salmon river north towards Missoula.

So I started out at 7 am, again in very cold weather and in full gear.

There was hardly any traffic so I could ride relatively fast, enjoying the landscape and the road curving continuously and going up and downhill.

The Salmon river runs through a relatively narrow and steep canyon. The rugged rock formations have a dark reddish brown, vegetation is sparse and in some places the steep sides are full of loose rock and scree that could come down on you at any moment.

It is an impressive and very masculine landscape.

It is also known as The River of No Return, apparently because in the early days many explorers did not return from their trip.

It flows for 425 miles through central Idaho, and is the dividing line for the two time zones in Idaho: Mountain time to the south, Pacific time to the north, bisecting the state at approximately 45.5 degrees north latitude. In August 1805, just after crossing the continental divide, Lewis and Clark ventured down the Salmon River, but found it to be too rough to be navigable. Clark wrote:”.I shall in justice to Capt. Lewis who was the first white man ever on this fork of the Columbia Call this Louis's river. Afterwards its name was changed to Salmon. The Salmon River historically produced 45% percent of all the steelhead (salmon) and 45 percent of all the spring and summer chinook salmon in the entire Columbia River Basin.



The mountain range around Stanley is known as the Sawtooth range and the pictures show why.

The ride was going well and I spent 6 hours in the saddle before stopping in the town of Salmon to buy some food. North of Salmon I rode along the Bitterroot river and ate my lunch in a scenic spot on the river bank. I got gas at Missoula and phoned Wende to let her know I was close.



Then I got on the I-90 , a very scenic freeway over the Bitterrroot Range , past Coeur d’Alene into Washington State.




I looked this strange name up in Wikipedia:

French Canadian fur traders allegedly named the local Indian tribe the Coeur d'Alene out of respect for their tough trading practices. Translated from French Cœur d'Alêne literally means "heart of the awl" which might mean "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd." Others interpret "Heart of the Awl" to translate to "Eye of the Needle", perhaps referring to the narrow passage through which the lake empties into the Spokane River on its way to the Columbia.


After 10 hours and 480 miles of riding hard, I finally arrived at Wende’s house, located on a hilltop outside Spokane and was greeted by Wende, Tom and Lucky, their dog. Tom was well prepared and whipped out several bottles of specialty beers.

I chose a Widmer Hefe Weizen and then a Mirror Pond Pale Ale while Tom had a Porter. We sat out on the porch and enjoyed a great view from their home over the mountains, drinking beer and eating Gouda cheese. Tom and I quickly discovered a number of common interests, both having visited the historical museum in Cody and owning Winchester rifles.

It was a very pleasant conclusion of a long ride and after a delicious dinner I slept like a baby in their guest quarters.

Jean, the Riding Dutchman

The Trans America ride
is a small effort to help transform the lives of poor Maya children. During my trip I will speak about the importance of educational projects like Ak Tenamit, and especially girl´s education, and its connection to illegal immigration in the United States.


YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANS AMERICA RIDE!!

The target of the ride is to raise $10.00 for each mile of the ride.

I you decide to support this ride, you may:

1. Buy miles: Buy one or more miles at $10.00 per mile. There are 3,500 miles to be sold.
2. Sponsor a local event when I am in your area (a ride, a barbecue) for a $200.00 minimum.
3. Become a Student Sponsor at Ak´Tenamit for $30.00 (one month) or $360.00 per year
4. Become a Health Care Partner for $10.00 or $120.00 per year.

All funds should end up in the GUATEMALA TOMORROW FUND in the United States.

If you would like to sponsor a child, become a Health Care partner or simply want to buy one of the 3500 miles of the ride , just go to http://guatfund.org/

Tick the box ¨Trans America ride¨and authorize a charge to your credit card.

If you prefer to not to use a credit card, just see Chapter 5 of this Blog on how to donate.

JEAN , THE RIDING DUTCHMAN

transamerica.tenamit@gmail.com