Paul n' Barbie, Part II

The best half of the loop essentially followed the route Rick picked for the Camp Motorsports Breakfast Ride in June, including all of Upriver Drive along the Spokane, Evergreen to Forker Road, then up the crest to Peone Prairie. The tougher part was the return, as apparently Bigelow Gulch road has become a de-facto freeway for the McMansion crowd. Vespas were born to share the road with a host of vehicles, but blacked-out SUV’s, paramilitary and monster-sized trucks with oversized grilles and names like “Ram,” “Nitro,” and “Avalanche” probably aren't among them. Good thing the group managed 50 mph or so, because civility seems to be tracking the price of oil in these parts.

The rest of the trip was far more civilized. Rick brought the group back along Nevada and Hamilton to the ride’s end at David’s Pizza, where good food, beer and conversation made up for any of the evening’s other minor shortcomings. Paul was a hit with his comeback to our ride recap article two weeks ago – he, bearing an actual pink hoodie with “Barbie” embroidered across the chest. Mark pledged to seek out a longer, more scenic, and less travelled return route for the next trip out to the prairie.

Thursday rides will continue through September, but look for Saturday rides soon, too – it's almost time to take advantage of cooler temperatures for some longer rides…Pullman, Reardan or Coeur d'Alene, anyone?