TODAY'S TALES: 

WOW...what a perfect day to ride a bike.  The sun was shining, the winds were light and if any, behind us.  And guess what...tomorrow we take a little time off the bike and do some sightseeing...or rest...which is a good thing.  It was pretty hectic this morning as it seems to be every morning with this many people, but everyone finally got on the road before the traffic got too heavy in front of the motel.  Last night we shuttled everyone to dinner due to the heat so we didn't have an opportunity to have RAP until this morning...no sweat...everyone got to breakfast and then we RAPed.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Today we entered our second state...Idaho.  I was in the van today and by the time I got to the state line (which was only a quarter mile from the motel) there were several standing around taking the usual photos to record the event.  The first part of today's route trekked east on little trafficked farm-to-market roads bordered by small farms and occasional houses. The road rolled considerably and looked at times like a piece of ribbon candy. It reminded me of Missouri in some areas.  The first 15 miles contained 7 turns, so riders were kept alert checking their computers.  Nonetheless a few riders missed a turn or two...normal on a day like this.  If there's more than one turn on the cue sheet, someone will miss something.  Of course no one's 'fessing up to having misread their route sheet but we saw several riders sneaking back on course in a spot or two.

Since it was a short day, we set up only one SAG stop midway between Ontario and Boise.  It was in a large, clean Shell station and country store.  With the favorable conditions, almost everyone was there at the same time so we pretty much took over the place.  Two years ago when we were on our way out to the West Ride; Karen, Barb, and I changed the routing into Boise from the SAG stop.  Previously, we came almost all the way into town on a highway that was a little on the busy side.  But armed with information from some local riders, we found a nice quiet road that paralleled our previous route which made for a much less busy arrival and more scenic terrain too.  One section of the backroad was closed to traffic, but we made our way through without incident or detour.  The new route meandered along the foothills through irrigated farm land and horse ranches.  Hats off to Idaho as they had widened and placed bike lanes on one road where Karen and I were a little hesitant to bring the ride.  Life was just too good I guess, but we could take it.

As riders neared Boise, the road became more urban, but continued to be quiet as the route veered off into a residential area and then eventually entered Hyde Park. Hyde Park, an esoteric narrow spot on the road, is a favorite place for riders to stop for lunch before continuing to our motel...The Marriot on Broadway.  Even with the slightly later start, almost everyone was early since it was a short, relatively easy day. Riders have learned by now that their rooms may not be ready if they arrive too early and the baggage may not have been unloaded either. So, riders kicked back and relaxed in Hyde Park for quite a while or took a detour to a bike shop before stumbling to the motel.

After getting to the motel, riders helped unload the luggage truck, then took clean rags from a giant box of rags donated by the motel and used the outside hose to clean their bikes of accumulated road grime to prepare for the next leg on our journey.  We had rap at 4:45 to discuss the day off activities and our continuation on Wednesday and say good bye to DeLynn and Sally, our girls from Alaska.  They had only planned on riding the first leg and we'll miss them as we continue our travels.  The riders that are continuing have proven they can accomplish the physical part...now the rest of the way for them is mostly mental.  We do pick up 2 new riders tomorrow that will find out quickly if they are ready or not...I'm sure they'll do fine. 

For dinner we were treated to an outdoor BBQ from AJ's.  This was something a bit out of the ordinary and well suited for a meal prior to a day off...according to the riders, it was a big hit.  As I said, tomorrow we have a day off.  The next report will be in Mountain Home on Wednesday.  Hope you have a great day...I and my crew are going to sleep in before doing our chores and prepping the new riders.  Check back with us then...good day.

PS:  Great to see Jean Zaske a local who rode with us two years ago...and Tom from Fast...great to see you both.

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