First off I must say that today was a sweet, sweet ride. No problems at all on the bike. I felt renewed, energized and ready for almost anything. I really believe that many people are holding us up in prayer and this makes the ride so much more doable. The relaxing day off might also have something to do with how great I feel.
Starbucks opens up at 5 a.m. and you can just bet who were the first ones there. John and Pete were at the door before the employees opened up. Barb & Andy quickly followed their cue. I chose to set my alarm for 5:09 (there has to be one rebel in the crowd), packed up a few things in my tent and then made my way over for the caffeine fix. Shortly after I asked Andy what time it was and he told me 6:50, so I quickly packed up a lunch, gobbled down my oatmeal, banana and juice, did the washroom thing, hurry, hurry only to find out he was joking. It was really 6:30. I guess that was repayment for holding up the pace line Sunday morning. Barb had another flat tire so after John had changed it we were off shortly after 7 a.m. It promises to be another hot day, thus the early start.
The devotional book elevation for the day looked really scary, but we hardly realized that we were climbing. Almost missed Pleasant Valley Rd, Gerry K caught that mistake before we racked up any additional kms. The Interstate hwy was free of debris and we sailed thru this section with the wind on our back. We came upon this truck and asked if he needed help (like we carry tools on our bike!...but Gerry had a cell phone if he needed it. He said everything was under control, so we carried on).
We stopped for around 5 minutes at Walter’s SAG on our way to Desert Wind Rd. Then it was back on the bike.
We had one section that our pace line was working beautifully. Louie was pulling John who was pulling Barb. Pete was pulling me and Andy and Gerry drafted off of us. This section was the best. We had top speeds and everyone but Louie was riding in a ‘sweet spot’. Our devotion for the day described the ‘sweet spot. How fitting that you would read it and then we would experience it first hand. I’m told a coyote and a badger crossed right in front of us…..I was too busy concentrating on the wheel in front of me and missed this wonderful display of nature. Although I didn’t miss the dead raccoon that the person in front of me failed to call out. Andy, Gerry and I swerved and barely missed this wonderful specimen of road kill. As for the scenery, we noticed a lot of sage brush. The area we biked thru today was pretty desolate.
Cory Nyhuis was just setting up his SAG station when we pulled in. We thanked him for the water, used the facilities and we were off. Just an additional note: we’ve been told the next two weeks will be very hard on us, with the extreme heat and the desert conditions that we are cycling thru. So we are not passing any SAGS, instead we stop and top off our water bottles. The trick is to stay hydrated. 
Pictured here are: Barb (Pete is 'busy'), Cory, Louie, Gerry, John and Andy
Arrived in Mountain Home before lunch. We stopped at a coffee shop, ordered yogurt shakes, followed by coffee and chatted with other cyclists as they came in. We probably stayed there for over an hour, then headed to Walmart to buy some cashola. I’ve misplaced my debit card, alas they will not give a cash advance on my m/c so now I’ve got to do some serious searching if I want to buy some cash.
Mountain Hope JR HS was just down the road. The gear truck had just arrived, so everyone pitched in to unload the duffel bags. I set up my tent, had a refreshing shower and then settled down in the cool hallway to type up this blog.
Mountain Hope is a nice community. This JR HS is quite impressive. When the temperatures reach the high 90’s -100’s F its’ a great to find relief from the oppressive heat in an air conditioned building (even if it is only the hallways and gym). Trees are something you don’t see much of in these hot, dry conditions.
P.S. Ralph never fear, I did find my debit card (so don’t go canceling it on me!)…it was in a ‘safe’ place. So now on my agenda for the reminder of the day.... I have a trip planned to Walmart and the post office. Then we’ll have the usual routine of supper, peloton and small groups before retiring for the evening.
I also want to give acknowledgement to Ed Witvoet. His work never stops. He is constantly on the phone or computer every evening making sure that the MT and police know we are coming thru. So far the daily routes have been fantastic. I know it has taken Ed a long time in planning to come up with the route and it shows. So, three cheers for Ed. We all appreciate all the work you’ve been doing.
Gotta go and see if the internet is working, and then it’s off to run some errands. Till next time, Cynthia
Average speed on the bike 28km Maximum speed 54.2km Bike time 3:14
Starbucks opens up at 5 a.m. and you can just bet who were the first ones there. John and Pete were at the door before the employees opened up. Barb & Andy quickly followed their cue. I chose to set my alarm for 5:09 (there has to be one rebel in the crowd), packed up a few things in my tent and then made my way over for the caffeine fix. Shortly after I asked Andy what time it was and he told me 6:50, so I quickly packed up a lunch, gobbled down my oatmeal, banana and juice, did the washroom thing, hurry, hurry only to find out he was joking. It was really 6:30. I guess that was repayment for holding up the pace line Sunday morning. Barb had another flat tire so after John had changed it we were off shortly after 7 a.m. It promises to be another hot day, thus the early start.
The devotional book elevation for the day looked really scary, but we hardly realized that we were climbing. Almost missed Pleasant Valley Rd, Gerry K caught that mistake before we racked up any additional kms. The Interstate hwy was free of debris and we sailed thru this section with the wind on our back. We came upon this truck and asked if he needed help (like we carry tools on our bike!...but Gerry had a cell phone if he needed it. He said everything was under control, so we carried on).
We stopped for around 5 minutes at Walter’s SAG on our way to Desert Wind Rd. Then it was back on the bike.We had one section that our pace line was working beautifully. Louie was pulling John who was pulling Barb. Pete was pulling me and Andy and Gerry drafted off of us. This section was the best. We had top speeds and everyone but Louie was riding in a ‘sweet spot’. Our devotion for the day described the ‘sweet spot. How fitting that you would read it and then we would experience it first hand. I’m told a coyote and a badger crossed right in front of us…..I was too busy concentrating on the wheel in front of me and missed this wonderful display of nature. Although I didn’t miss the dead raccoon that the person in front of me failed to call out. Andy, Gerry and I swerved and barely missed this wonderful specimen of road kill. As for the scenery, we noticed a lot of sage brush. The area we biked thru today was pretty desolate.
Cory Nyhuis was just setting up his SAG station when we pulled in. We thanked him for the water, used the facilities and we were off. Just an additional note: we’ve been told the next two weeks will be very hard on us, with the extreme heat and the desert conditions that we are cycling thru. So we are not passing any SAGS, instead we stop and top off our water bottles. The trick is to stay hydrated. Pictured here are: Barb (Pete is 'busy'), Cory, Louie, Gerry, John and AndyArrived in Mountain Home before lunch. We stopped at a coffee shop, ordered yogurt shakes, followed by coffee and chatted with other cyclists as they came in. We probably stayed there for over an hour, then headed to Walmart to buy some cashola. I’ve misplaced my debit card, alas they will not give a cash advance on my m/c so now I’ve got to do some serious searching if I want to buy some cash.
Mountain Hope JR HS was just down the road. The gear truck had just arrived, so everyone pitched in to unload the duffel bags. I set up my tent, had a refreshing shower and then settled down in the cool hallway to type up this blog.
Mountain Hope is a nice community. This JR HS is quite impressive. When the temperatures reach the high 90’s -100’s F its’ a great to find relief from the oppressive heat in an air conditioned building (even if it is only the hallways and gym). Trees are something you don’t see much of in these hot, dry conditions.
P.S. Ralph never fear, I did find my debit card (so don’t go canceling it on me!)…it was in a ‘safe’ place. So now on my agenda for the reminder of the day.... I have a trip planned to Walmart and the post office. Then we’ll have the usual routine of supper, peloton and small groups before retiring for the evening.
I also want to give acknowledgement to Ed Witvoet. His work never stops. He is constantly on the phone or computer every evening making sure that the MT and police know we are coming thru. So far the daily routes have been fantastic. I know it has taken Ed a long time in planning to come up with the route and it shows. So, three cheers for Ed. We all appreciate all the work you’ve been doing.
Gotta go and see if the internet is working, and then it’s off to run some errands. Till next time, Cynthia
Average speed on the bike 28km Maximum speed 54.2km Bike time 3:14
3 comments:
Tony's Bike shop Mtn Home Idaho really enjoyed your stop plus the visit with you that night,
check out youtube I put a video of the pictures I took, GREAT JOB
Valerie.
Cynthia:
I'm pretty sure there is no MTO (Ministry of Transportation Ontario) in Idaho or any of the other states you may come through. Once you hit Ontario, though, Ed will want to check with them. You could find out for those of us in the Great White North what it is they call their equivalent.
Sorry, I couldn't help but comment. It struck me as funny that you would refer to them as the MTO.
Janette Fieten (Ingersoll ON)
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