Miles Ridden: 65.2
Avg Speed: 17.2 mph
Avg Heart Rate: 122
bpm
Climbing: 640 ft
Calories Burned: 2,643
Independence Day ... Flat ... Dogs ... Easier Pace ...
Teton Pass Looms
KPVI link from yesterday's story ... also added to the My Media Coverage page on
markstrek.com
Our last late departure for awhile ... we headed out around 8:15. John from Ohio joined the crew as did Beth. Outside of
Pocatello we spent 10 miles on a quiet back road (
Philbin). Typically, I put the word "nice" in from of quiet back road, but not this one. The theme for this road was bumps, holes, and ruts. My knee had felt pretty good early, but the bumps rippled right through me. Good thing it was a flat day with another tailwind. We did turn into the wind a few times and that was hard work. We have been very lucky so far. I expect a day or two with headwinds at some point. Our surroundings were similar to previous days and included distant mountain views and lots of cattle and crop farms. Potatoes seemed like the crop of choice.
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| Jeff Turning Off The Bumpy Road ... |
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| The Mountains are Getting Closer |
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| Mark Amongst the Crops |
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| Flat Today ... Climbs Tomorrow |
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| Farms and Farms |
Dogs, dogs, and a goat! It seemed like every house and farm had at least two dogs and most of them wanted to join our ride. No real nasty ones or significant chases. We were chased at one point by a goat. A few great shots of the river as we got closer to Idaho Falls and the mountains. Beth snapped a great picture of the gang doing what boys do.
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| Chased by a Goat ... That is a First |
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| Boys Will Be Boys |
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| Cows in Pond ... Where is the Goat? |
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| Snake River on the Way To Idaho Falls |
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| Mark Rides Day 14 |
The time on the road seems to be flying by. Hard to imagine we have been out here two weeks already. I miss my family and our usual 4th of July fun in Frederick, Maryland. The 4th was evident at our SAG stop and throughout the day ... lots of flags flying. Leah sent me a text to celebrate the day ...
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| Happy 4th of July |
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| Missing My Little Girl |
We pulled into Idaho Falls around 12:30. A much different set of falls than what we had seen earlier in the week. The town has a nice path along side the river and around the falls. We grabbed lunch at a local brew pub and headed to the room to relax. I shed my large bike pack in favor of a smaller wedge for the upcoming climbs. I expect I will ride it for the rest of the trip. The extra weight will not be missed as we ascend and descend
Teton pass. That comes tomorrow. Almost 6,000 feet of climbing including a three mile push up at 10% toward the end. Lots of folks are apprehensive about the route and climb. My plan is to just ride my ride and gear down when necessary. The altitude will be pretty high ... almost 9,000 feet. An accomplishment awaits.
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| Idaho Falls |
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| Idaho Falls ... Long and Scenic |
Good night moon ... good night flat roads ... good night 4th of July ... good night lighter bike ... good night GU (I will need you tomorrow) ... good night 3 digit mileage totals (we will break 1,000 miles tomorrow) ... good night and goodbye Idaho (Wyoming awaits)
