On A Gold Wing and a Prayer: Day 8: Thursday June 26, 2014

We left Omak around 8:30 to overcast skies. We headed east on highway 20 and the ride thru the mountains was tranquil and the lakes, streams, rivers and waterfalls were captivating. Because of the weather we did not stop to take many pictures. The skies started turning dark gray and the clouds were building in the mountains. We stopped outside Kettle Falls to put on our rain gear as we were getting sprinkled on. We rode to Cloverdell for lunch and met some friendly people at Stephanie's Restaurant including Mel (yes another Mel) who mentioned he was a Gideon, a retired deputy with Los Angeles Sheriff and lived for a time in San Diego (Vista area). After a great lunch we continued east on 20 thru the mountains and merged with highway 2 around Newport near the Idaho border. We followed highway 2 past Bonner's Ferry (Myrna's favorite little town when she rode with me) into Montana and settled down for the night in Libby, Montana. There wasn't a welcome sign greeting us as we crossed into Montana so no picture of that. Today's ride was pretty intense while riding thru the mountains. There were numerous signs posted regarding deer crossings and we saw several deer roaming the shoulders of the highway and at least 3 dead deer on the shoulder. The presence of deer and there unpredictability makes us be on a heightened alert. I also saw my first moose in the wild crossing the highway a hundred feet from me.

To all of you that have been praying for protection in our travels thank you. Dave and I begin each day in prayer and know that God has provided a shield of protection around us. As The Lord brings us to your mind keep on praying, we appreciate it. Thank you Jesus!

We lost one hour today as we entered the Mountain Time Zone. We were off the road at 6:45 mountain time. The temperature dropped to 54 today while in the mountains and warmed to 70. Miles ridden today 346 total for the ride: 2276