Hank – When we were leaving Palouse an older couple in a car pulled up next to us. The gentleman behind the wheel asked, “Can I have your bikes?”

“For a price,” I said.

“There’s always a price, isn’t there?” He then told me he was in a bike shop in Moscow Idaho and there was a bike with tires this wide (holding his hands about five inches apart). I told him that was a fat bike. He was thankful to learn that and told me the real reason he was wasting my valuable time was because he needed directions to Seattle. I told him he was on a northerly route towards Spokane but that he needed to go west. I said I wasn’t sure of the route from Palouse but I thought he needed to get on State Route 26 and go west and he’d eventually reach I-90. He asked if he’d get to Spokane if he get going north. “Yes,” I said, “Did you want to reach Seattle today?”

He looks at me and says, “Nobody likes you, do they?” He really cracked me up. I hope he got to Seattle okay.

It was a hotel night in Pullman for Kathy and me. We also relieved ourselves of some weighted items and boxed them up for shipment home. It was great to have showers and a bed for a change.

Kathy – It was a good 18 mile ride with the rolling hills in the Palouse. The temps were in the mid 80’s with some cloud coverage and a bit of a head wind that actually felt good with the heat. Arrived in Pullman and seen a few sites, got some nice fresh salads for lunch and then headed to the hotel. Hotel Day – Hooray!! So happy for a king size bed and a warm shower! It felt really good to actually have a shower rather than “baby wipe baths.” I’m clean, yippee!!

We did our chores: unpacked, laundry at the hotel, sorted though what we wanted to let go of, walked to Walmart (a mile or so away) to get packing material to mail some stuff home, and boxed it all up. We are lightening our load a bit at a time. Once we realize we are not using something or find a few things that seem less important now, we shedding weight. Just to note a few items being mailed home: 1. My mini flat iron is gone and crazy curly hair is my new do! 2. At 2.5 pounds each, our comfy collapsible camp chairs are a thing of the past. Most of the time we are going to be at camp sites so we really weren’t using them.

I know what you are thinking, why on earth did Kathy bring a flat iron? Well, you have to remember this lifestyle is all new to me. I am used to wearing business suits/dresses, having my makeup and hair done to perfection. I thought on hotel days and our off days that I could get prettied up and do my hair. I’m …s.l.o.w.l.y… learning this new life and realizing my hair really is not important to me any longer. Good thing it is long enough to pull back into a pony now.

Hank and I are getting used to our new life and spending time together 24/7 pretty good. On a rare occasion, we may need a five minute break (such as in Walmart). As I mentioned we walked to Walmart and got pretty soaked from a downpour. “Light sprinkle” according to the forecast…False! Wet, chilled and a bit hungry are not good combinations to start with. Then Hank following closely behind my every footstep and questioning each of my purchasing choices was beginning to bother me. To continue marital harmony (as any couple married 37 years would do) I said, “Why don’t you go over there by the produce section and find us some snacks for tomorrow while I finish finding the suntan lotion.” Worked well, as the small break was all that was needed. 🙂 We tried walking back to the hotel but the rain continued and we didn’t want the cardboard box to get wet, so we took an Uber. It seemed a bit odd as it’s been almost a week since we have been in a car. To end the day, I had a relaxing and very enjoyable dinner with my sweetie. All is well.

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