Last year’s route dropped us straight onto the I-90 just a few miles after leaving camp so this year I’d discovered an alternate that would help us avoid that stretch. What I didn’t realize was that the detour would require us to climb directly up and into the hills alongside the lake adding a considerable amount of difficulty to the early miles, before having coffee! Considering it was Whitney’s (who going forward will be referred to as “Fire”) first day the added challenge was a tad unwelcomed but she graciously understood my error (and appreciated not being on the Interstate)! After grabbing our goodies from the bakery we pedaled to the Coeur D’Alene Coffee Co for and sat a while enjoying the surroundings and chatting with several interested folks about our past and upcoming adventure. It became evident the day was to be a hot one and as a result required several stops along the way to ice up the bottles and top of with H20. Still we were way ahead of schedule and had plenty of time to stop at the Yoke’s Market which pretty much was one of the best grocery stores ever. A few delicious strawberries, bottled starbucks treats and pre-made salads later we were on our way for the final 15 miles to the camp. The roads between the market and our destination were windy and rolling and lined with huge mansions all sitting on acres of prestine manicured properties making the end of the day even more enjoyable.