Heading east after leaving the greater Seattle area we had a beautiful but totally different view of the magnificent Mt. Rainier and its surroundings.
Some of the experiences and people we met up with in the following 6 days are offered here in a spirit of sharing some of the peace and joy we had as we rode our bikes across this incredibly beautiful and vast state of Washington to Idaho.
As you can see we were truly off road between Ellensburg and Vantage as we headed towards Idaho.
Getting ready for a big 15 mile downhill all the way to the great Columbia River.
The Columbia River provided a wonderful respite from the heat of the day.
The Columbia River is the largest river system in the Pacific Northwest. It originates in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada and flows 2000 Kilometres (1,243 miles) through Washington State and Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean.
Camping by the river with a beautiful and peaceful waterfront view.
Crossing the mighty Columbia River on a bicycle is quite a memorable experience.
Two happy riders as they enjoy the peace and beauty of the Columbia River environment.
Beautiful nature along the river.
We had to face some more big hills as we made our way to Ralston, Washington, and getting closer to Idaho.
Rasmivan has a nice rest after finally making it to Ralston, Washington on our way towards Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Randy Roth volunteers for the local Grange service group which takes care of the park. It was a welcome oasis of green grass amid the recent dry surroundings we have been riding through for days.
A great place to camp for the night.
Later we had our first school ceremony today impromptu. We were riding through the very small town of Benge and we noticed there was a school with some young children curiously looking out the window. So we went in and met 12 children and some staff, and we enjoyed a small ceremony with everyone. We asked the children what peace meant to them. One little girl named May said, "Peace is when I'm not chasing sheep around, trying to get them to go through the gate."
May, who didn't like chasing sheep, is the tall girl holding the Peace Torch with a young boy making a wish for peace.
Everyone was happy to have an opportunity to hold the Peace Torch as they offered their goodwill and wishes for a more peaceful world.
We are very grateful to this wonderful group of peaceful individuals of various ages. They truly 'made our day' as we carry and share the Peace Torch as a symbol of friendship, peace and happiness across this beautiful country.
As Rasmivan enjoys a beautifully vast 'sea' of green, we thought this looked like a Windows XP wallpaper photograph.
On our way we stopped in at EClairs Cafe in Tekoa. It was their last day before sold to new owners. The name EClairs comes from a combination of Elise and Claire, the two daughters pictured here, offering their happy smiles and wishes for peace with 'Mom'.
We happily enjoyed their delicious ice cream which gave us some energy and joy as we made our way further down the road.
This sweet young girl with her 'LOVE' shirt sweetly shares the Peace Torch, offering her goodwill and love for peace.
Our next section as we approached Idaho we road along the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes which was exquisitely beautiful, almost completely flat and smoothly paved the whole way.
The scenic Coeur d'Alene River entering the state of Idaho.
Along the way we met some more wonderful people. (L. to R.) Pete,Shari, Colleen and Kim. The two Peace RIders are in the back, Rasmivan, wearing the sunglasses and helmet, and Salil the happy tall gentleman who organized this Peace RIde as well as many aspects of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run.
Pete and Colleen, live in Ballard, Seattle, and most days ride past the statue of Sri Chinmoy who is the Founder of the Peace Run. They always stop for a few moments of peace before continuing on.
Resting bikes.
Special thanks to the @Fairbridge Inn in Kellogg for so kindly hosting our riders, offering them a much needed rest after a long day on the road.. Greatly appreciated!
