Month: July 2017

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Start: Pocatello, Idaho
End: Idaho Falls, Idaho
Mileage today/cumulative: 67 / 991
Elevation Ascended: 726
Weather: Sunny, 59° at start; sunny, 79° at finish
3D Relive Video (approx. 1 minute)

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday: head winds and crappy roads. Today: little wind and nice farm roads. There was a slight dreaded east wind when we left Pocatello this morning but we tricked it and headed north toward Idaho Falls.  This was also our first day with a total elevation gain of less than one thousand feet. We were pretty happy about that after yesterday’s slog, so everyone in our group agreed to an active recovery pace today – not too fast, not too slow, keeping our heart rates low and comfortably spinning our legs. We were all looking ahead to tomorrow’s ride over Teton Pass (elevation 8,431′), so nobody wanted to go hard on today’s flat stage. It was a low key and entertaining ride, especially when our friend Nikki taught Bev the Potato Song and my wife kept tormenting, oops, I mean serenading us with the chorus.  It goes like this. You’re welcome.

Today was our last full day in Idaho. We didn’t have any expectations about this state, other than potatoes. There are a lot of those but we also saw the Snake River, beautiful gorges, cool waterfalls, and a wide variety of livestock. We met very nice people who gave us lots of encouragement, even while openly questioning our sanity. We’ll put Idaho in the rear view mirror tomorrow afternoon but we won’t soon forget it (at least until Minnesota or wherever we’ll be in another 14 days…).

Wyoming and the Grand Tetons await, so it’s time to rest up. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be epic!

Saturday , July 1, 2017

Start: Burley, Idaho
End: Pocatello, Idaho
Mileage today/cumulative: 87 / 924
Elevation Ascended: 2,397
Weather: Sunny, 64° at start; sunny, 81° at finish
3D Video

While we waited to pay our lunch bill yesterday, a nice woman asked us a few questions about our trip. She was very interested in what we were doing in Burley, Idaho, unlike her husband, who was a ranch man of few words and appeared disinterested. He stood about 6’4″, large and solid as an ox, with weathered skin. When he learned that we were riding to New Hampshire, he said, in a Sam Elliott voice, “why, you’ve just begun”‘ then for good measure, added “you’re in the real thing now.” No explanation. No smile. No well wishes. Just that comment.

After today’s ride, I believe the rancher. This was a get your head straight, put it down, and get it done kind of day. Flat, straight roads without a turn for 20+ miles and nothing to see but more damn potato plants and sagebrush.  About ten miles on the Interstate and who knows how many on the frontage road. Even the Relive video couldn’t make it look pretty. Headwinds for every one of the 87 miles. Two miles of dirt road where the State of Idaho tore up the old asphalt, grated it, then were too damn lazy to repave it. Halfway through that stretch I was yelling “What the f*** Idaho? It’s called asphalt!” as my arms were being jack-hammered to a pulp keeping my bike upright. Bev got through it faster than I did but she was also just trying to remain upright as she powered through. The road condition was new to the ABB staff since last year and by the time anyone arrived upon it, there was no detour available. We’re in the real thing now. We both said it was one of the harder days so far and we’re looking forward to climbing Teton Pass in a couple of days. The mountain stages are nearing!