Today's Report: 

OK...I'll not bore you with another "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" paragraph, but suffice it to say IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!!  NA NA NA NA NA!!!!  Well, that description applies to rain, wind, and even temperatures today.  It was in the mid 50s when we left but it got into the mid 80s before the final riders got to the motel.  Actually, in this part of the country it feels pretty good until mid afternoon.  Even though it was in the upper 80s by ride's end, the air felt comfortable as you were moving...when we stopped for something we could tell it was warming up.  I think the brisk tailwinds we had all day had something to do with the comfort of the afternoon too. 

It was sure nice to get in so early yesterday.  Everyone was feeling pretty good at the start today, and it turned out to be a relatively easy day out in the Idaho countryside aside from the late warm temperatures.  There were lots of smiles as the tailwinds made this high mileage day seem like a snap.  A couple of riders were enjoying the day so much they decided to get lost just to experience a couple of knarly climbs into the wind that had been pushing them all day.  As I said, everyone was in great spirits, but if the wind had been blowing the other way, we'd still be out there.  You might know it, I was in the van today...geeze, I never get to have any fun.

I may not have had any fun riding, but my fun is making the day go smoothly in spite of outside influences.  At one point we dodged some new chip seal that was being applied to our route.  Everyone except two riders got through before they started laying down the new oil and by the time they got there, the DOT truck hauled them through the sticky stuff.  More on the "entertainment" side than the fun side was the fact that Lauren was having one of those days.  She went beyond a hat trick with 4 flats, a ruined tire, and a broken shifter cable throughout the day.  I told her she had used up all her support chits today as it seemed every time I saw her, she was standing on the side of the road tapping her helmet for me to stop.  Sometimes it goes that way...some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.    

Every time I come through this area I'm in awe of how fertile it is.  I always try to envision how it must have been riding across this country in a wagon pulled by a team of oxen before irrigation made the countryside green.  It must have been an awesome task walking behind a dusty wagon and trying to avoid the natives, trying to stay alive, and trying to keep the livestock from wandering off.  If you've never seen this area, the climate is really dry--only 9 inches of rain a year--and if you don't irrigate the soil, the only thing that will grow is sagebrush.  Idaho's motto is, "Just Add Water" and this area is a true testament to what you can do with a little water.  Along the Snake River plain you'll find some of the most fertile agricultural areas anywhere, but only a few feet from where they apply the water, you'll find only dust and sage.  The contrast is remarkable...it's either green or brown.  Then imagine walking over 20 miles of parched desert only to find your way blocked by a deep canyon with perpendicular walls on both sides and the water you so desperately need at the bottom.  We rode through such an area today.  Some beautiful canyons have taken over 3 million years to develop, and they'll still be here long after we are gone. 

This area is also well known for its dairy farming.  Twin Falls was settled 98 years ago by a man named Ira Perine.  He came here from Pennsylvania to take up mining.  After a bit, he found it to be too difficult, so he bought some dairy cows.  About that same time, a group of people moved into the area and set up a tent motel along the area near Shoshone Falls.  So, according to the info provided to us by the chamber of commerce, Twin Falls was settled by a dairy farmer and a bunch of tourists...and it's still like that today.

The final mile into town is really beautiful as we cross a gorge on the Perrine Memorial Bridge.  Every time we get here we see bridge jumpers and today one of them offered one of our riders a chute and a free jump.  My stock in our rider's good judgment just went up as he politely declined.  The views from the bridge are beautiful and I'm not sure how far it is to the bottom, but as they say in Alabama, "It's a fur piece."

Well, it's about time to go to dinner.  Even with the long day, I was able to get the page done before rap and dinner.  Maybe I can go to bed early for a change.  Tomorrow's a really short day, only 38 miles, so everyone should be able to have a riding rest day.  I hope so, we've got some long days coming up.  Hope you have a great evening...see you again tomorrow.  M.

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