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So we had a day off today in Walla Walla Washington. Ken and Kristin live about 20 minutes from town, but somehow I found myself in Walla Walla 4 times today on our rest day.. But the day was productive and relaxing (and included a brief nap).

After gifting us a good luck charm, I started the day by dropping Geeto at urgent care (poison ivy just won’t quit) and getting Monte back to Clover Island Inn (our cubicle zirconia in the rough). It felt odd going back to the scene of the crime of yesterday’s ride; the driving route followed much of our bike route. I saw the burned out bus, the mountains of wheat, the Marathon Oil tank farm, and crossed the Ed Hendler cable bridge. Each of our days seem like ancient history; this revisit was no different as we’ve experienced so much since yesterday morning.

Geeto seemingly got himself sorted at urgent care, then walked to Walgreens for some steroid prescriptions. Immediately after popping one pill, he was psychologically relieved. He’s been trying over-the-counter meds of all kinds for 8 days, and I’m glad he had the conviction to take it to the next level. I look forward to the absence of his 3-5 times daily ointment application; I’m sure he’s ready to shed the ounces of those tubes of goo.

Another productive part of today was a trip to the Bike Barn. I needed a new mirror and kickstand, Lecy wanted to replace his screwed tire, we all needed new gloves. I hope our steeds are now in good riding shape to get us at least to Bozeman. My new mirror is a different style; I haven’t installed it yet and don’t know where Jesus will ride, but that’s a problem to resolve in the morning.

Tonight we experienced a lovely wine and food pairing at the Reali tasting room. They’re making it difficult to leave. We had a lovely dinner at Passatempo Taverna where we drank an autographed bottle of Drew Bledsoe’s Cabernet Sauvignon; delicious dinner and wine followed by ice cream at the Pine Cone was a great “final” night send off (Lara, I used the “final” in quotes there for dramatic effect as it feels like we’ve been here for a week). After ice cream we met Kristin’s friend Stephanie as we were pulling away. Stephanie was excited to hear about our adventure; we were excited to hear about her catching a 37-pound salmon on 12-pound test in Door County. I think when we’ve gone to Broomball in Door County I’ve heard legends of “37-pound Stephanie”, now I was glad to have met her.

So, it’s with full belly and grateful heart, in comfy bed (without Monte’s snores next to me tonight) that I sign off from a great visit in Walla Walla. We talked earlier about tomorrow’s route and our pledge to avoid gravel; we’ll ride 71-76 miles tomorrow depending on our course. The hills and heat looking like they’ll be much like yesterday. I don’t really know what to expect as we seem to have had several surprises. However, I am feeling anxious overall about the coming week: there’s some really hard days around the bend. But after this week, most of the hills are behind us leaving our biggest concerns as wind and weather.

At 9am this morning I was behind the wheel of Ken’s pickup after dropping Monte off, thinking ahead and feeling worried. Then, stopped at a red light, a most exuberant pedestrian crossed in front of me and made me remember that I control the state of my mind. If I can carry the ardent energy of this patriotic pedestrian over the next 5-6 days, I have nothing to fear.

Tomorrow’s tentative route: Day 8: Walla Walla to LaCrosse WA

In memory of Geeto’s battle against the noxious weed disease, I wanted to offer a medical song. Also, I’m trying not to repeat any somgs from my Riverquest Rhythms playlist, so I shunned Traffic’s Medicated Goo. So, I’ve instead selected Paul McCartney & Wings: Medicine Jar

Also, to remind myself of the positive spirit I need to maintain, here’s what I hope each of us can be over the next week: Good Time Traveler 🧳