Miles Ridden: 64.6
Avg Speed: 14.9 mph
Avg Heart Rate: 118 bpm
Climbing: 1,460 ft
Calories Burned: 2,676
Our first state line ... knee continues to ache ... hot and flat ... bison ... outdoor cafe ... rest day tomorrow
Less than a mile after starting out, we crossed our first state line into Idaho. Seven days and almost 600 miles in one state. Oregon was a great way to start our ride. Ups and downs, lush forests, dry desserts, amazing snow capped peaks, great people, fast rides. The weather forecast called for highs above 90, but it did not seem as hot as we completed our first 60+ miles in Idaho. The terrain was relative flat with only a sprinkling of rolling hills. My knee was happy for that, but still caused me a fair amount of discomfort throughout the day. I even used my indoor one-legged drills a few times to lighted the constant turning. Our cue sheet had us watching for each turn. It was good thing the
ABB crew positioned themselves at a few of the key spots, or we might have gone off course.
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| Not As Hilly As It Looks |
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| Way to go Idaho ... |
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| The Gang Minus One (Dave Must Have Snapped the Picture) |
We passed small farms and ranches with fields of crops, cattle, and even a few bison. I rode with the Thoroughbreds for the first twenty miles or and then dropped off a bit to rest my knee. We reconnected at a small store and rode together to the first SAG. In addition to lots of water and some Gatorade, I have used
Monster Energy drinks to help boost my energy levels. I have also been adding potassium and salt supplements to maintain my electrolytes and make sure the heat does not steal all the salt from my body. The temperatures continued to climb, but my vest actually cools me down, so I kept it on. Not much scenery in contrast to our earlier days. Quieter back roads reminded me of Lancaster, PA (minus the Amish and covered bridges).
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| Rolling, Rolling, Rolling ... |
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| Country Roads ... Ranches ... Quiet |
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| Onions? Carrots? |
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| Lots of Cattle and Then I Saw These Guys |
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| Cyclist Can't Follow Instructions Unless It Is On The Cue Sheet |
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| Monster Break ... |
After the SAG I continued to ride with the gang for awhile, but again dropped back to a less intense pace. No worries ... the solitude is fun for a while and gives me the chance to connect with other members of our group who I do not ride much with. I rode with Kay again. She is the
CIO of
JB Hunt Trucking in Arkansas. 22 years with one company ... that is a long time in our industry. Thanks to Toronto Mark's small bladder :-), I was able to reconnect, but swung off the back again ... do we see a pattern here?
After another sling shot back to them (they were picture taking this time) .. I pushed on ahead assuming they would grab me soon enough. My knee was feeling a little better and I pushed on through the rural fields until I hooked up with Bob from Virginia. We rode together until the gang and several others joined together for a nice pace line into the outskirts of Boise. We stopped in Hyde Park for a nice lunch at an outdoor Mexican cafe. Fish tacos and an ice cold beer (
shhh ... don't tell my tour leader,
Mike Munk) really hit the spot. Another two short miles into downtown and past the capital and we arrived at out hotel for not one night, but TWO!
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| Teresa and Kay Take A Break |
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| Typical View Today |
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| Some Nice Spreads and Homes As We Got Closer To Boise |
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| Hyde Park Outdoor Cafes |
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| Fish Tacos and Fat Tire Beer ... Ahhh |
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| Jeff Raises A Glass To Our The Completion Of Our First Leg |
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| Idaho State Capital |
After 8 long days and 650 miles, we take our first rest day tomorrow. My body needs it big time and I hope to rest and nurture my knee a little. Some ice and a massage should help, I hope! After check-in I crashed for a sweet two hour nap. We had a nice catered BBQ for dinner with all the fix ins. I headed to the movies with Mark, Jeff, Joe, Sandy, and Leo. We saw
Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron
Diaz. Reasonable and mindless fun. I will need to load the pictures in the morning and then post. I am looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow and nice dinner. Laundry day ... massage day ... rest day.
Good night moon ... good night 8 days in a row ... good night knee ... good night GU ... good night Thoroughbreds ... good night Idaho ... Hello Rest!
