Day 13
I've said it before, it don't get any better than this

DAILY REPORT: We got an early start this morning.  We had lots of miles to bike and we were going to beat the heat.  Fortunately, the heat never materialized and it was comfortable almost all day, but the best part was the killer tailwinds we had most of the day.  I was riding free today and planned to get out front and take some photos then wait for Karen who was sweep to keep her company after the first SAG.  I was taking shots of the front riders when the fast train of Al, Ralph, and John came charging up behind me...Steve had also zoomed by in the brisk tailwinds on a mission to get in in record time.  Darn, I'd promised Karen I'd wait for her...it was hard not to put some pressure on the pedals and push it in with them.  It would have been nice to play all the way to the motel and get in before noon.  As it was, my average for the first 15 miles was only 13 MPH, but I was still able to get in a 5 hour century after Karen and I hitched up.  Did I say it was a good day?

Even though Karen and I were bookin', we were at the back and wondering if we'd catch up with any of the group.  No matter, we had planned a stop in Aberdeen about 73 miles into the route to get a bite to eat.  As we were cruising into town, we passed a little diner on the left and from the looks of all the bikes outside, we were now in the front third of the group...nice to see some riders for a change.  We stopped and got a nice lunch and still got out before anyone else had left...not at the rear any more.  We were shooting to get to the motel by 2:00...I guess my nav training paid off as we rolled into the parking lot at 1:59 and change...another great day in the books.

The first 50 miles of our route were in a very desolate part of Idaho.  We were away from the fertile fields and mostly in sage grazing land, which was all open range where we had to deal with several "cattle guards"... the rails they put across the road to keep the cattle within a section of range.  We had cattle crossing our route in several places today (right), but even if we didn't see the cattle on the road, we could tell they were there by what they left behind.  The picture left was one of the deposits that we had to avoid...there were many of these on the road today.  If we didn't detour around these droppings, our water bottles got a nice coating that created a unique flavor to enhance our Gatorade.  

The second half of today's route was more farm land that was irrigated and green with crops...corn, potatoes, and wheat.  The second half was also more populated and took us into some small towns...really small, but at least some civilization.  There wasn't much climbing except for a few hills around the 45 mile point.  Until then and after that, it was relatively flat but the tailwinds made everyone rejoice no matter what the terrain. The last 50 miles were on a road that could best be described as mind numbing.  It just went on and on and on with not much to see as far as variety, but it had a shoulder and, thankfully, the wind was at our back most of the way.  We also got to ride on I-86 for about 8 miles near the middle of the day.  It was the best shoulder I've ever ridden on...smooth concrete without a rumble strip, and it was the cleanest I'd ever seen too.  It was so nice that a couple of the riders wanted to just stay on it and go to the next town...Idaho Falls. 

One interesting landmark we came across today was Register Rock at about the 42-mile point on our route.  It's a big rock on which early pioneers carved their names to record their passing along the Snake River in the mid 1860s.  One individual on his way to Portland, Oregon, scratched a head of an Indian on the stone in 1866 when he was 7 years old.  As an adult, he became a sculptor and returned to the rock to check on his work and sign it again in 1906.  It really was an interesting landmark, and I tried to imagine what it was like in 1865 when settlers braved the elements, but found time to record their presence for all time.  It was probably an easy place to find as all they had to do was follow I-86 to exit 28 and they were right there.

After getting in, we were treated to a feast outside the motel.  The Shilling House caters our dinner and sets it up in the shade...one of the best spreads the whole trip.  It's always good to see them every year when we come through and we're always looking forward to a great meal to refill our tanks before pressing eastward.  A couple of the riders asked if we could take them with us...we'd like to.  Tomorrow we'll go to their place for breakfast...that's the best we can do.

Tomorrow we have a short day...whew, we need it.  It's sleep in and leave late...see you then.

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