FRIDAY 24 JUNE

Day 8: Priest River - Troy


Distance: 87.5 miles (including a massive detour)


Woke up to another amazing fruit smoothie and breakfast, showered and packed up the bikes.


We met Cindi's Dad, an ex school teacher, and had a chat about schools and the education system in the States before we said our goodbyes to Rick and Cindi and thanked them for all their help. They really have gone out of their way to put us up and help us in any way they could. It was not only a godsend that Rick found us on the side of the road but it has been a pleasure to stay with them.


Before we left, Rick and Cindi made sure we were stocked up on food including our first peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and mac and cheese - American delicacies we had never experienced before. They also very kindly let Dave have a backpack to carry his gear from the front panniers until we can find a shop that sells front pannier racks - potentially Whitefish, three days ride from Priest River.


In Sandpoint we stopped for our PBJs - superb - and went into the bank to get out some more dollars.


While Dave was inside, Dean Karnazes look-a-like, Laith, came over to say hi. An avid cyclist himself, he had cycled around the States for 7 months when he was in his early 20s and offered to take us for a beer, invited us to a house party at his friend's after a local festival in Sandpoint and even had a set of front panniers he offered to fetch for Dave that he hadn't used for some time.


Instead, having had a rest day the day before, we chose to cycle in the wrong direction for half an hour and ended up having to reroute to make it back onto the correct route up several big hills! Dave will still need to find and purchase a set of front panniers and after all, who needs free beers, free equipment and to be the British guys cycling across America at an American house party.. In hindsight, a terrible decision but good dedication to the cause.


We got in late to the campsite and it started raining as we put up the tents. Ate macaroni and cheese in the dark and went to bed. We had to laugh at the situation or I think we'd have cried.