Day 39: Missoula, MT to Haugan, MT: Day 40: Coeur d'Arlene, ID (J's Version)

Good morning! Yesterday afternoon was a bit hectic. After I left Caffe Dolce, I met up with G at a rest stop. He told me find a place in Haugan, MT because Wallace, ID would be too much. I Googled Haugen, MT to Spokane, WA and it was 110 miles which would mean we'd skip staying over in Idaho all together...so I thought...

There was only one hotel off the highway in Haugan, and it was very nice. The Silver Lincoln Inn was a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Apparently, the Lincoln family knew what they were doing in the 1950s because their land consisted of owning a hotel, restaurant, and large souvenir shop in the middle of nothing. The only thing that was not fun was the lack of cell phone service I was getting. Nada! But, Verizon gets service there. Oye. So, I emailed G (using the wifi) and said I was in a no cell area. I was following him on the GPS tracker, but it did stop for a while, but I've learned that could be because of a million different reasons, so I didn't think much of it.

About an hour later, the phone in the hotel room rings!! Whenever that happens which is rare, it always is bad news. NO one knows i'm even here! I say, "Hello? Hello?" The reception was horrible. Then I hear, "J, it's me. I'm okay but..."

Initially, this all happened so fast, that I didn't even get to really process, why the heck is G calling me at the hotel??? Luckily, he started off with "I'm okay." He was talking very fast, and all I heard was something about him falling off the bike, but HE WAS OKAY. Apparently, he was about 15 miles east of Haugan and was still getting service there and called my cell which went straight to voicemail.

Tough guy

Broken Derailleur

Wounded

I drove out to get him and thank the Lord for watching over him! His falling was definitely worse than the mountain experience because he fell and possibly could have had no way of getting in touch with me; however, because I wasn't a witness to it all and found out about it as an after event knowing that he was okay, I was rather calm about the whole thing. It wasn't until an hour after we got back to the hotel that it all played out in my head and my worries came about. "I'm done. This trip is too dangerous! I want you alive!"

Both of us are slightly superstitious, but we honestly think the two quarter necklaces that L had hand made for us are our guardian angles. We put them on every morning before we start our day like clock work.

Thankfully, G was okay from the fall (cracked road; he explains it better in his entry), but Jenard took quite the beating. Root beer came out of the bull pen, and G is riding him/her (I keep forgetting) today. This morning I drove all the way ahead to our next destination in Coeur d'Arlene, Idaho to a bike shop that G called last night (long distance from the hotel room) and explained the situation and what needed to be replaced on Jenard. I really felt like I was dropping off a patient at the doctor's. The girl took notes on her pad of paper, and I felt good about it. Hopefully, Jenard will be fixed by the end of today.

When I pulled up to the bike shop though (Bike Sales and Services in Coeur d' Arlene) this morning

BEAUTIFUL scenery so far in Idaho

it was 10:30, and they were closed. The girl said last night they open at 10, so I was rather miffed that I made sure to get their on time. STUPID me forgot that as soon as we reached Idaho we were in Pacific Time! It was only 9:30!! Crazy that back home everyone is 3 hours ahead of us. Not all of Idaho is in the Pacific Time Zone, but the part that we are in (north) is. Coeur d'Arlene is actually only about 20 miles from the Washington State border.

Since I had half an hour to kill I went to a local coffee shop. Surprise. Surprise. The Grumpy Monkey was fabulous. I had my usual black coffee and had a chicken salad for my breakfast. The salad was perfect. Artichokes, feta, the special olives I like that I can't remember the name for, etc. Now, i'm at a Starbucks waiting for Jenard to be done.

I almost forgot. This morning I had to drive back to the spot that G fell, so he could start from
there. Luckily, he took his sensible pills this morning, and he opted NOT to drive on dangerous

You can see the orange construction signs ahead

narrow construction area with NO shoulder. Instead, I drove ahead 8 miles and waited on the side for him. (The construction site was only 4 miles) While I was waiting, I experimented with the SXM Sirius radio that came with the truck. It's really cool! There's a million different radio channels. One of the channels plays old Jack Benny radio programs when all they had was radio. I read about them in history books.

Three things I learned/tips:
1. Use a GPS tracker: Safety. Safety. Safety. The tracker is so useful to keep track of where the person you're supporting is. Although, when you're in an area of no cell service it stinks. Like right now his tracker is at a stop, but I don't know if he really did stop or if he lost service and this is the last spot that he was before it stopped working. It helps the roadie support crew have an idea of how far away the person is. Honestly, we

There he is!!! (To the left)

didn't do this BUT G should have had a GPS tracker on me, too. Knock on wood nothing shady has happened to me, but unfortunately stuff happens.

2. Sunscreen. Always wear the strongest sun protection that you can. You're outside for hours on end, so it makes sense. Also, put on the special sun screen chap stick for your lips. Speaking of the sun, wear a hat under your helmet that has a visor to block out sun.

3. Have an alternate route/know your limits: Construction, closed roads, floods, etc. There are many factors that could affect your route, so make sure you have a physical map with you and have another route planned ahead of time. Also, know your limitations. Will you ride in the rain? On the highway? On a dirt road? In 90 degree weather? These questions are particularly important if you're cycling with another person. You might be okay with bad weather, but maybe he/she isn't.

PS. Remember way back many moons ago I told you about the geo cache that G's nephew and niece left for us in Idaho? I looked back on their original message, and unfortunately, I don't think we'll be anywhere near where they left it. At the time, it seemed like Idaho was forever away.

PPS. This guy next to me came into SBKS, and he has been working but never even bought anything. That's annoying.

G does a funny Joel Osteen impression.

Have a good day!