Cabins for Kids: Days 6 – 11

Syd and Stephen are on their 12th day! Here are some photos on the past six days. To find out what all this is about, or see days 1–5, click here.

Day 6:

Thursday, May 14th
Start: Ritzville, WA
End: Liberty Lake, WA
Distance: 83 miles
Elevation: 1,777 ft climb

Weather: The sun was shining through partly cloudy skies. Temps started in the 50’s and rose to almost 70 with a slight head wind. A beautiful day.
Today was a fairly flat day and a welcome change from yesterday. After the rain and wind yesterday we were very happy to see the sun right from the beginning this morning. Stephen had a couple of flats that we were able to fix pretty easily and continue on. As we rode into Spokane we were not allowed to ride on the interstate so got off and found an amazing trail called the Centennial trail that runs the whole length of Spokane and took us all of the way to our destination. We had a wonderful evening with a couple the I found out has close connections to my family back in MT.

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Liberty Lake, Washington

Day 7:

Friday, May 15th
Start: Liberty Lake, WA
End: Pinehurst, ID
Distance: 54 miles
Elevation: 2,245 ft climb

Weather: Mostly cloudy with a little rain on the top of 4th of July Pass. Overall a good day for riding.
Today we continued on the Centennial Trail saying goodbye to Washington and hello to Idaho. The trail was a beautiful route to ride and took us all of the way to the other side of Coeur d’ Alene. From there we literally jumped on Interstate 90 after finding that the trail that Google was trying to lead us on wasn’t actually there. We crossed 4th of July pass and finished up in Pinehurst ID.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain and possibly even thunderstorm. Please join us in praying for weather conditions we can ride in.

Starting day 7 on May 15th from the home of our hosts, Ray and Twyla, in Liberty Lake, WA. Thank you, Ray & Twyla, for your hospitality. God bless you!!

Starting day 7 on May 15th from the home of our hosts, Ray and Twyla, in Liberty Lake, WA. Thank you, Ray & Twyla, for your hospitality. God bless you!!

Just crossed the Washington /Idaho border! Goodbye Washington, Hello Idaho!

Just crossed the Washington /Idaho border!

Hello Idaho!

Goodbye Washington, Hello Idaho!

Day 8:

Saturday, May 16th
Start: Pinehurst, ID
End: Superior, MT
Distance: 77 miles
Elevation: 3,618 ft climb

Weather: Cloudy and cool. Thick fog on the top of Lookout Pass. A little rain on the way down the other side.
Today we rode the first part of our day on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes which is a beautiful trail that runs on the west side of Look Out Pass. The Lord answered our prayer and gave us a window of good weather to get over the top. It was really foggy and we had to walk around one section because there was road construction and combined with the fog it wasn’t safe to ride our bicycles there. We came off of the pass into Montana and had a good ride the rest of the way to Superior. It rained a little and I had a flat tire but as soon as we fixed that we raced the rain all of the way an only got a little wet. Tomorrow is a rest day that we are greatly looking forward to.

Absolutely gorgeous scenery on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.

Absolutely gorgeous scenery on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

On top of Lookout Pass

On top of Lookout Pass

Day 9:

Monday, May 18th
Start: Superior, MT
End: Greenough, MT
Distance: 88 miles
Elevation: 4,246 ft climb

Weather: Sunny with a constant east wind. 9mph in the morning but quickly increasing to a steady 20mph and gusting to 30.
After a great day of rest in Superior we started this morning ready for the day especially since the sun was shining. The wind quickly drained our energy and what could have been a nice day of riding became a very draining day. It was a gradual uphill ride all day and the headwind was relentless. We are both crashing tonight very tired and not excited for tomorrow since it will be an even longer day with forecast for more headwinds. I would rather climb a mountain pass any-day rather than face a strong headwind.
On the upside more donations have come in and we are at 36% of our goal!! Thank You Lord!

Day 9 begins at 9:00 A.M. MDT from Superior,MT. Thank you to LeRoy and JoEllen for great hospitality.

Day 9 begins at 9:00 A.M. MDT from Superior,MT. Thank you to LeRoy and JoEllen for great hospitality.

Scenic start to day 9 of the "Cabins for Kids" ride this morning, May 18th.

Scenic start to day 9 of the “Cabins for Kids” ride this morning, May 18th.

Day 10:

Tuesday, May 19th
Start: Greenough, MT
End: Helena, MT
Distance: 95.5 miles
Elevation: 5,156 ft climb
Weather: Cloudy and cool with an east wind 20mph and gusting to 30 up the pass.

After a tough day of battling the wind yesterday we started this morning a bit tired and battling the wind again. We thankfully had a bit more variation because of the valley we were pedaling up. It was a beautiful ride though the wind made it quite challenging. We climbed the continental divide at MacDonald pass reaching the top at mile 80 of our day and then coasted most of the rest of the way into Helena. It was a long and tiring two days and we were quite glad to get off of our bikes. It was great to see friends at the the end of the day and have a hot shower and meal. Thanks Jeff and Amber for hosting us.

Starting day #10 @ 8:30 A.M. A 100 mile day and a forecast headwind of 15-20 mph. At least it's more downhill, we think. A big thank you to our hosts last night and this morning, Steve & Brenda! Good food, fellowship, and rest.

Starting day #10 @ 8:30 A.M. A 100 mile day and a forecast headwind of 15-20 mph. At least it’s more downhill, we think. A big thank you to our hosts last night and this morning, Steve & Brenda! Good food, fellowship, and rest.

At mid-day, May 19, riding on Hwy 141 about 10 miles from Avon, MT. Cloudy, cool, and breezy. Temp 49, wind ENE @ 15-20. A pedal fell off Stephen's bike which caused a little delay.

At mid-day, May 19, riding on Hwy 141 about 10 miles from Avon, MT. Cloudy, cool, and breezy. Temp 49, wind ENE @ 15-20. A pedal fell off Stephen’s bike which caused a little delay.

Summit of MacDonald Pass. 6325 feet, temperature 48, rare patches of snow around.

Summit of MacDonald Pass. 6325 feet, temperature 48, rare patches of snow around.

Scenic views of the "Cabins for Kids" ride the last two days. A thousand thanks (Tusen Takk) to all of you praying for and encouraging Syd and Stephen. Though today was their longest ride, and in spite of the head wind, they made it and both were still able to smile. The route we took from Potomac to Helena is very beautiful.

Scenic views of the “Cabins for Kids” ride the last two days. A thousand thanks (Tusen Takk) to all of you praying for and encouraging Syd and Stephen. Though today was their longest ride, and in spite of the head wind, they made it and both were still able to smile. The route we took from Potomac to Helena is very beautiful.

Day 11:

Wednesday, May 20th
Start: Helena, MT
End: Manhatten, MT
Distance: 80.3 miles
Elevation: 2,499 ft climb

Weather: Sunny with a stiff headwind to begin the day. The wind changed and diminished in the afternoon.
After two days of battling the wind we were not excited to wake up to another headwind, but that is what we got. The day started very slow. We didn’t have as much climbing as yesterday which was good. In the afternoon the wind did finally decrease a little and even seemed to change a few times to a tail wind. That didn’t seem to make a difference for Stephen’s bicycle though. His pedal came loose again… twice. We are hoping to get into a bike shop tomorrow in Bozeman and get it fixed so we can continue without any more pedal problems.
Two highlights for the day… At breakfast this morning little 4 year old Avery brought out her coin purse and gave her own 70 cent donation to Cabins for Kids. It was an honor that she thought of us and wanted to give.
The second highlight was getting to see Don, who knew that Stephen and I were pedaling to Manhattan today and stopped to say hello on his way to Helena. It was quite a surprise since I know him from Bowman and was not expecting to see him out here at all. Thanks for stopping and saying hello, Don.

Left: Starting day 11 from Helena very grateful to our host family, the Olssons; Jeff & Amber, their children, Avery (4) and Lief (2).  Right: Don with Syd and Stephen

Left: Starting day 11 from Helena very grateful to our host family, the Olssons; Jeff & Amber, their children, Avery (4) and Lief (2).
Right: Don with Syd and Stephen

This is Avery on her bike, with Syd and Stephen, after her donation to "Cabins for Kids."

This is Avery on her bike, with Syd and Stephen, after her donation to “Cabins for Kids.” Thanks Avery!

 

All pictures and updates were pulled directly from Musana Camps’ Facebook page (you don’t need an account to access). Stay updated!

Praise God, we’re at 36% of our donation goal! You can help us reach 100% by clicking here and designating your gift to Musana Camps Cabins for Kids.