Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes

Gas over and back to Smeltersville, Idaho - $120.00

Our portion of two day rental for vacation house - $128.00

Dinner at The Snake Pit - $24.95

A weekend with 8 great friends and surviving a 62-mile bike ride - PRICELESS!

You probably can figure this one out, but if not, Julie and I trekked across the state last weekend along with Abbey and Dave, Mike and Mardell Ryan, Dave and Dawn Boyle and Rob and Heidi Zylstra and participated in a 62-mile bike ride on the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes. If you are interested at all in biking and haven't done this trail yet, we highly recommend it. First, because it is paved, second, because you have several options of great segments to ride and third (and most importantly) because it is flat!

We found a great vacation rental house in Smeltersville that accommodated all of us, a quaint place to eat in The Snake Pit and because Julie and I (along with a couple of other riders) were lagging behind at the end of the ride - we just missed seeing a Moose (actually a couple of them but I wasn't quite sure what the plural of Moose is - I'm thinking Meece!).

There were some in our group that were far enough ahead of certain ones, that said they saw them, but there was no picture evidence and so my story is - if I didn't see it, no one saw it!

It was a great weekend and I'm sure we'll try it again sometime!

Dinner at The Snake Pit! (from L to R) Mardell,

Mike, Abbey, Dave, Dawn

Dave, Julie, Mike, Rob and Heidi


The House on Happy Trails in Smeltersville.


This is at the start of our ride, so that's why

everyone is smiling!

No, this isn't one of our bikes stuck up in the trees.

.

Julie and Dawn still looking fresh!

The infamous Snake Pit.

The Hot Tub was a popular gathering spot for

the ladies!

Tri-Turtle Triathalon 2009

Julie participated in the 2009 Tri-Turtle Triathalon
this morning, her second triathalon this year. She finished
with a time of 1:55:35, which was three minutes
better than she did last year! She was sixth in her age
group (45-54) and 75 overall (out of 300).


A see of bodies takes off for the 2009 Tri-Turtle.
The men (green caps) and fast women (yes fast-women),
went first, followed by the ladies three minutes
later (pink caps)...it was a half-mile swim.


None of the pictures will really be flattering (you swim
a half-mile and then run up to your bike and see how
good you look!)...but Julie is out of the lake and on
her way up to the transition stage.


She had a really quick transition from the swim to the
bike and is heading out to the road course.


At the start of a 15.6 mile bike ride, just a nice little
ride through the country side of Holly and Seabeck.
Think you want to do this? One of the very first
riders was hit by a car in today's event. Ambulances
and medics were on the scene by the time Julie got there.


Finishing safe and sound is alway a good feeling!

But then you get to transition from the bike ride,

to a 5K run, so off she goes for the final leg.

Crossing the finish line in a Tri-Turtle career best

time!

This was our happy group (happy that they were

done!)...from left to right: Heidi Zylstra, Mardell

Ryan, Dave Boyle (an official Tri-Babe now that he

is done), Dawn Boyle and Julie.

Michaela comes to visit (Adam and Brook too!)

It was a great weekend at Grammy and Popi's (self-given names, but quickly adopted by all) house as Michaela Faith, Adam and Brook visited Seabeck!

Most of the pictures you'll see in this particular post, in some form or fashion deal with holding Michaela, but hey...that's what this weekend was all about - racking up baby-holding time!

Abbey came out ahead in that department (but she made out the baby holding schedule, so go figure), with Julie in close second. But it was fun to see who ate their meals the quickest, in order to rescue Michaela from that boring old life of being "not held" or who would jostle in to position when she started to fuss.

Even Great-Grandpa got his time in, including holding her for an entire game of Settler's of Catan, which Brook came away victorious in!