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Selkirk Ride-Day 2: Colville, WA to Nelson BC

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Day 2 (September 10th) includes the Canada crossing.  Passport loaded into day pack and off I go. Today we traveled from Colville, WA to Rossland, BC.  Thats 62.40 miles, 4377 feet climbing.... about 40 less miles and about same amount of climbing.   I'm thinking this will be a tougher day than Day 1. Started out from Colville heading west.  Picked up the Columbia River a few miles in.  From there we road about 25+ miles looking out over the Columbia and Roosevelt Lake.   It was like riding inside a postcard.   But I still kept my eyes on the road. This was our rest stop along Roosevelt Lake... If we go hungry on this ride, it's our own fault!! After lunch, we headed north towards the border.  The views changed and still beautiful... Six major climbs today. The 5th one was 900 feet and over 3 miles.  OK, but the temperature at 1pm was 105 degrees and not much shade.  I was grateful every for every few feet of shade. Patterson cros
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Selkirk Ride Day 1: Sandpoint to Colville

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Day 1 is our longest day.  104.20 miles, 4,931 feet of climbing. Got an early start to beat the heat and hopefully avoid being last to finish. Ride started with a 20+ mile loop around Lake Pend Oreille.  Great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. This ride is 100% volunteer supported.  Funds raised support Rotary clubs in N. Idaho, NE WA, and E. British Columbia.  Clubs talk about what they support in their communities and it's impressive.  Snack stops are all hosted by local Rotary clubs.  We get a local delicacy at each stop, usually home baked treats along with standard fare. At mile 55 we left the lake views and headed to lunch in Usk, WA.  Bit of a one blink town.  But the lunch at a local bakery was delicious.   3 homemade soups, sandwiches on fresh made bread, and of course cookies. Lunch signified the end of our jaunt around the lake.  At mile 60 we started a series of 3 climbs up to mile 79.  This is called Flowery Trail Pass.  Sweet name for a beastly climb We wer
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Getting Ready for the Selkirk Loop Ride

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I've been training since February for this ride. If I'm not too tired, I'll post photos and stories along the route. It's 6 days on the road. Five days cycling and a rest day in Nelson, BC. Total miles on bike are about 400 with lots of climbing. They promise good SAG support and if needed, I'll take the ride. But hoping to make it all the way on the pedals.
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Day 9: Cycle Algarve - Sagres to Lagos

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 As we leave our resort hotel, it's hard to believe this is our last cycling day. Marco planned a ride out to the lighthouse in Sagres which sits at the western most point in continental Europe.  Great views and a selfie salute towards Boston... Kathy you look great in those sandals but we've got miles to go and a 17% grade to climb!! As we leave Sagres on the road we entered, we are treated to a headwind, or in this situation,  a reverse tailwind. Ricardo gave many of us the nudge we needed to keep going... After the headwind and some gnarly hills, we stopped at the beach for a break... The 20% descent came upon us with ominous warning sign... And the 14 - 17% grade just stared at us with an evil grin... With those hurdles behind us we cycled peacefully to our beach side lunch spot.. and on to our final viewpoint on the cycle tour, Ponta da Piedad
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Day 8: Cycle Algarve- Monchique to Sagres

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Moving from our relaxing retreat, our destination today is the ocean. After a couple of 'warm up' climbs, we were treated to nice views and rolling hills. When the ocean views opened up we saw the styles of homes change and brighter colors all around. Marco added a beach loop for an extra treat.  A bit of a short steep climb, but so worth it...  right Ralph? Time for another famous selfie to record the moment... Then off again through colorful beach villages, many with fun murals... And on to lunch spot that seemed the middle of  nowhere.  I had the fish special after the server promised the fish was caught 2 hours ago ... or did he say I'd have to wait 2 hours??  Either way, it was a delicious and eventful lunch... Off again towards Sagres.  Marco recommended a visit to the fortress at the end of town.  The grounds were immense with 360 views.
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