Yep, I finally rode park! I must say, taking a gondola up the mountain sure as heck beats pedal power!

But before we get to that, let’s talk about the craziness leading up to that day! Two days before I would leave, while driving home from a ride, a girl turned left in front of me as I traveled through an intersection. I had a green light, she was supposed to yield! It was a pretty bad wreck, by far the worst I’ve been in, though I’ve only ever been in one other wreck, and it was a low-speed deal back in Indy on a day when it was snowing (same thing, though, guy turned left in front of me).

Thankfully, I only sustained minor injuries. I had some bruises, a few small scrapes, I bit my tongue, and my neck was quite sore the next few days. I felt very lucky to not have been seriously hurt, especially right before my trip! That impact is no joke. I keep thinking about that the most. It’s just so forceful. I’m grateful for seat belts & air bags!

I didn’t waste any time, taking the following day off and going to buy a new (used) car! I didn’t want to mess with a rental, and didn’t want the hassle of trying to buy a car after getting back from vacation.

From Dallas, I flew up to Spokane, WA for one night, where I paid a visit to Palouse Falls. Unfortunately, part of the trail had been closed. That part went to the best overlook of the waterfall, with the whole canyon in the distance. So I had to settle for what I could get.

The next day it was off to Sandpoint, ID for one of my best friends’ wedding! The ceremony was on top of Schweitzer Mountain, and the reception at the resort. It was probably the most beautiful & fun wedding I’ve ever attended! Plus, I had not seen my friend in several years, so it was great to reflect on old memories and make new ones!

Since I was relatively close, I had to make a stop at Glacier National Park! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a National Park fiend! I love them! I was barely able to scratch the surface of this park in just half a day, but my goodness what a beautiful place! The rocky mountains are tall & steep, and the valleys are bright green, with crystal clear blue lakes. The air was pretty smoky from wildfires, but that didn’t really detract from the beauty much! I even got up close & personal with some mountain goats!

Then it was time to hit up Silver Mountain Bike Park in Kellogg, ID! I wanted to ride fairly hard, but the main goal was to make it safely down the mountain! I rented a downhill bike, the Giant Glory, from the bike shop there in the gondola village. This would be my first time riding a downhill bike as well! There in the village, a guy comes up to me and says he rode there yesterday, and he could show me around if I wish. We ended up riding and hanging out for the whole day. He owns a business in Miami, but said summer is their slow time, so he comes out west to travel around in his converted school bus! He had a really nice setup, complete with A/C & a shower!

After a 20 minute gondola ride, it was time to hit the trails! Getting used to the downhill bike took a little while. The head angle is really slack, which makes cornering a bit tougher. You really have to muscle the bike through those corners. I sure was glad to have 200 mm of travel, however! The trails were very dry and bumpy! Numerous riders braking in the same spot creates braking bumps, but these were beyond that. These were full blown potholes! I can only imagine how amazing these trails would be without those potholes!

Once I got a good feel for the bike, I began picking up speed, and even launched off a couple jumps! I’m sure it wasn’t really THAT much air, but to me it felt like a lot! There was definitely one that I flew higher and further than I ever have before. The bike was as smooth as butter on the landing! Big difference from a trail bike!

The ride was so much fun, but you’d never guess how tiring going downhill can be! Not only are you muscling the bike around, but you’re also in a constant attack position, which is basically halfway down in a squat! Your legs really start to burn after a while! The biggest issue I had, however, was wearing a blister on my left palm. Two things likely contributed to this; hard braking through those potholes, and the thin grips. I have pretty big hands, and the thin grips that come on most bikes feel too small for me. As a result, it feels like there are a lot of skin folds on my palms, creating ample opportunities for blisters to form.

During our ride, we met a guy from Creston, AB, just north of the border in Canada. He said he had been riding downhill for 15 years, and he came to this park often. We stopped at a section that featured 3 consecutive table tops, where he gave us some pointers on jumping. I felt pretty good on these jumps, and cleared all of them with no problems! Getting good at jumping just takes a lot of practice, and slowly working your way up to bigger and bigger jumps. I’m not in any rush!

After two full runs down the mountain, exhausted from the heat, and a nasty blister on my left hand, we were done for the day! It felt amazing to rinse off in the cool waters of the Coeur d’Alene River! I had mentioned it was a great time for some ice cream as well, and figured there had to be a place in the village! Well, technically it was frozen yogurt, but that would suffice!

I left with a huge smile on my face. That was a truly spectacular day! Best of all, I did not crash once all day! Check out the video below!