A Mellow Day...

Such a fun day today...but let me back up to yesterday.  The planned ride was 97 miles from Mountain Home to Twin Falls, ID.  Unfortunately, I ate something on Wednesday night that caused big issues.  I was up all night and by morning I was dehydrated, drained and exhausted.  I planned on riding but breakfast did not sit well either so it was recommended that I sit out for the day.  At first I was extremely upset because I was pretty psyched to ride but after some discussion I agreed I would rather sit out for one day than end up in the hospital and out for many days.  I ended up sleeping in the van and sleeping most of the day when we got to the hotel.  By this morning I was able to eat again and felt much better and ready to ride.

Today was our shortest riding day on the trip - 39 miles from Twin Falls to Burley, ID.  Because it was such a short day, we also had a scavenger hunt - in teams - for items to find along the way.  In regards to the scavenger hunt, the only thing I will say is that "We were ROBBED!!"  It was nice to have a relaxing day, because the next 6 days are probably the hardest of the trip.  I think we are ready!!!

Our Scavenger Hunt team, Me, Karina, Jeff (one of our leaders - not on our team), Jeff and Lucy

Snake River - I think we have been following the Snake Rive since we got to Idaho

Lucy with horses

Wind can be your BEST friend!!

Today was awesome!!!!  We rode 54 miles from Boise, ID to Mountain Home ID.  We had an incredible tailwind - probably about 30 MPH.  The entire group (including me) finished before noon.  We rode on the interstate again and I was going about 30 MPH - I wasn't even pedaling most of the way.  I kept thinking, Wow, I'm going 30 MPH on the highway and not wearing a seat belt.  We had a nice section early in the morning on a trail in Boise.  After the interstate we rode on a FUN rode that had nice hills that we barely even had to pedal to get up because of the tailwind.  It was almost like 2 days off in a row.  Which our bums thanked us for!

Today we had our first risk of rain since our very first day in Astoria, however, since we rode so quickly, we beat the storm by a few hours.

When we got in, Mike, the head ABB leader ran a tire clinic, to teach us all how to change flat tires.  He can change a tire in about 48 seconds - it is truly amazing to see him in action.  I definitely learned a lot and we had a nice group discussion.

Despite the fact that we were in early today, it will be early to bed tonight because we have a long day tomorrow - 97 miles.  So it will be an early morning too. 

We have been very lucky with the weather - so that means we have been getting a ton of sun.  As you all know, my roommate Lucy is British and has very fair skin.  Take a look at her sunburn!!!  I can guarantee she has learned her lesson!

Lucy's back after our day off in Boise

Food...Glorious Food

Today was our first day off and it felt great to relax.  Boise is a great city with a busy downtown area.  Since I am pretty sure you are not interested in hearing about all of the errands I did today (including a manicure and massage - this is supposed to be a vacation too) I thought I would tell you what the food situation is like to feed 40 hungry bikers.

Breakfast and dinner are included in our trip - lunch is on our own during the day as we are biking.  Since everyday we are in a new place - every meal situation is different.  There have been times where we have gone to a restaurant for meals where we order off the menu but most of the time we have catered meals in our hotel.  This involves a lot of buffets!! As most of you know, I am vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free and mainly egg-free so I typically get a meal especially prepared for me - many times the meal is big enough to feed 4 people so I wrap up the rest and eat it for lunch the next day.  There are two of us that have significant dietary limitations so we have a special box set aside for us in the SAG van with our own snacks, breakfast foods, etc.  So I put my leftovers in the box to eat at a SAG stop.  This helps because it is typically very hard to find food in places while we are riding that I can eat.

For the rest of the group breakfast is usually a hot meal with eggs, bacon/sausage, potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, cereal, yogurt, etc.  (A typical market research breakfast!)  You have to be very careful not to eat too much because then it will be very difficult to ride.  Throughout the day we can stop along the way and eat and during RAP, our leaders usually point out the good towns and restaurants along the way.  Additionally we have our SAG stops which are stocked with tons of food - fruit, cookies, peanuts, trail mix, etc.  So we really should never be hungry.

We also eat together as a group at dinner which has been divided between buffets and restaurants.  We are usually starving by dinner so there needs to be plenty of food - dinner is usually around 5 or 6 PM - remember we go to bed really early.  There is usually a variety and there is always dessert.  We even ate at the Sizzler the other night - what a salad bar!  (I did not know they were still in business).  I am sure a Ponderosa is in our future.  Overall, I think the meals have been very good and satisfying however I think after 50 days - a break from the buffet option will be a must. 

Tomorrow we are back on the rode again for another awesome day of biking!

The Capitol Building in Boise

Bye, Bye, Oregon...Hello Idaho

Today we rode 63.5 miles from Ontario, OR to Boise, ID.  Luckily my roommate Lucy rode with me today.  She is usually super fast, so it was really nice of her to go so slowly today  so I would have someone to chat with while I ride along.  It was a nice ride through the Idaho farmland - sunny and hot too - hydrate..hydrate...hydrate.  Lucy got two flat tires today while we were riding.  The front tire in the morning and the back tire in the afternoon. 

Boise looks like an awesome town and I am looking forward to exploring it tomorrow on our day off.  And boy, we are all ready to sleep in and give our bodies a break. 

Today we said goodbye to three of our riders, Tom, James and Doug.  They are heading back home to reality.  I believe we will have two new riders joining us as when we leave Boise on Wednesday.  It feels like we have already become a family so it is sad to say good-bye. 

It feels like such an accomplishment to finish riding through our first state.  Only 10 more to go!!!  See pics below -

Lucy saying goodbye to Oregon

Me - ready to hit the road

State #2 - Lucy and Me



Doug and James - their last night



Ride like the wind, Baby!!!

Today was unbelievable!!  We started with a 30 mile downhill - and I know what you are thinking, but it was the perfect donwhill.  There were a few places where I had to take a deep breath, but it all worked out.  So the morning flew by - My top speed was 28 MPH and that was slow for this group.  Today we rode from Baker City, OR to Ontario, OR.  The ABB plan was 84 miles, the Sharon Griff plan was 87 miles - I got a little confused with directions at the end of the day.  It was perfect weather, a little cool in the morning and then in the 80's by mid-day.  We also crossed over into mountain time from pacific time. 

Today we also rode on the interstate - I-84.  This was my first time riding on a road like this - it is not legal in many states but it was so nice.  The shoulders were really wide and it just felt cool.  There can be a lot of debris so we have to be careful - flat tires increase when riding on the interstate - and we also have to be careful about the on and off ramps. 

We have finished week 1 of the trip and tomorrow we will leave Oregon and say hello to Idaho.  I can't believe how fast things are going.  This week the ABB mileage plan was 580 miles.  The Sharon Griff plan came out to be 473 miles completed in 1 week.  I am very proud of the whole group.  Injuries continue to plague riders, more folks sat out of the ride today.  I think considering the distance covered, we are in a good place. 

I also wanted to share with you that my roommate Lucy does a GREAT impression of me.  You would all get a kick out of it!!

Next stop - Boise, ID.