View Fort Spokane Overnighter in a larger map
Justin and I did this ride yesterday and today. All up, 180 miles. We did Springdale-Hunters-Fort Spokane yesterday, then Fort Spokane to home today. Good ride. Perfect weather. Lots of time in the saddle. About 10 hours yesterday and about 4.5 hours today.
Justin finishing the climb between Springdale and Hunters.
One of the best descents ever. Certainly top 3. It's about a 15 mile descent from the top of the small pass down to the Columbia River.
We guerrilla'd at the visitor's center portion of Fort Spokane park. We slept aside the ruins of what was originally built as the Bachelors Quarters for the soldiers at Fort Spokane. It later served as a "sanatorium" for Spokan Indians that had contracted TB. Fort Spokane was also home to the "education" and "civilization" of Native American children, who were systematically stripped of their culture, pride, and childhoods by both military school teachers and the Catholic missionaries. Weird to think that 100 years later we'd be drinking beers, enjoying the view, and sleeping soundly so close to where so much suffering surely must have taken place.
Tarik: what do you see here?
I know what to say, but good lord man, your lungs are leaking salt.
ReplyDeleteSo these then are the imprint of the lungs of the mighty JS. Should be framed and kept in the bike room for a couple thousand years. Then scientists should analyze it.
No helmet,wrong side of the road...keep fightin the man, justino! Seriously, though...how do you keep the beer cold?
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great ride. HWY 25 is one of the pretty stretches of the planet.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great route. I'm going to give it a whirl one of these days. Maybe do it backwards? Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTarik: last time I posted a nasty salt shirt, you saw the face of Jesus. I was thinking you were like a tea leaf reader or soemthing.
ReplyDeleteNate! Nate!
Michael: It's funny -- the only times I've ridden 25 are going north from Hunters. I've always had a strong head wind, lots of traffic, and sort of greyish rainy. So going south on an amazingly beautiful temperate day with suprisingly low traffic volume was really wonderful. That's a nice stretch b/t Hunters and climbing out of Fort Spokane area. Rollers of Davenport: not so much.
Glen: unfortunately, our beer choice was dictated by the last conviennce store we passed. For the record, it does take 100 miles of riding to make the King of Beers taste good.
Awesome ride, awesome write-up. I'd love to ride out there at some point, especially since I grew up camping all along there (Ft. Spokane, Hunters, Gifford, Kettle Falls, etc). Thanks for posting the map.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the taste of any beer goes up exponentially with a combination of air temperature and miles ridden.
I knows what I said last time. But I am not seeing it this time. But I do see the burned in image of the lungs of saint JS the cyclist. It will take thousands of years before scientist can analyze it for authenticity. Unless blogger still works, then they can just read the primary document.
ReplyDelete