Friday 15 June - Hitching a ride!

Bellevue - Mountain Home

93 miles
6 hours and 53 minutes in the saddle
33.7 mph max speed
13.4 mph average speed

We got up at the crack of dawn this morning, literally. We got up at 5am and were on the bikes by 6.10. The purpose of the early start was to beat the wind, since the weather forecast was for yet more breeze (Idaho terminology for gales), but the breeze never materialised. In comparison to yesterday we were flying along and by 9am we had done 45 miles on the flat Snake River Plateau.

When we reached Fairfield (60 miles) it got a bit more hilly and also more enjoyable to cycle. We had good views across to the mountains and saw several sign posts for ski slopes. We finished our ride with a fantastic 5 mile down hill onto a low lying plain. The temperature increased dramatically as we dropped down from the plateau and into Mountain Home.

Tonight we are staying in Boise, 40 miles north of Mountain Home. When we stopped at a petrol station in Mountain Home to get some water we managed to hitch a ride in a pick-up to Boise. Yes, it is cheating, but the bike route was more than 100 miles to Boise compared to the Interstate (not allowed to cycle on Interstates) which is only 40 miles. Hitching a lift was a no-brainer.

We are glad to be in Boise. It is a big city with lots of places to stay and to eat. We have been out for a lovely Italian and we are staying in a nice (read: clean) hotel. Tomorrow we are looking forward to a rest day and to kayaking on the river with Ken and his family.