Slept in, as we have a low mileage day (closest we can get to a day off).  Amazing how good one can feel after ten hours of sleep!Crystal clear, 70 and sunny as we pedaled out of Newport at 9;45 in the morning.I asked our course director if the ride was flat today, “fairly flat” he said.  Note to self:  fairly flat = Rolling Hills.  But there is nothing like a Sunday morning ride, to make the day right!

Our first seven miles were surrounded by pines and again the beautiful smell of Christmas.  Then we dropped to the Pend Oreille Lake and were greeted by a stiff headwind displayed by the flag above the lumber yard.

As a side note:  the Pend Oreille River, which we have followed for two days, is 43 miles long and is the 5th deepest river in the country.

We rolled up and down, lake to our left, forest and fields to our right.  Even with a head wind, it was a beautiful day to ride.One of those days that every turn offered a picture perfect scene, so we will save most of the photos for below.

With the clear skies, it did not take long for the day to heat up, so we were looking forward to this sighting.Never found it, but did see several Osprey;this one not happy with us trying to take her photo.  Idaho we know is known for potatoes, but happy cows??? so looking for commentary on this one……

We had a three mile trek along the highway.  Though the shoulder was wide, the traffic was deafening after the serenity we had biked in up until now.  However, after three miles along the highway, we were rewarded with two large mocha expresso milk shake and a dedicated bike path to take us into town.  It was still another six miles, but with a private path just off the highway, it was easy to enjoy the ride.  Our 35 mile ride was a bit tougher and longer (4 hours) than anticipated, but still a great day, eh!