June 7, 2017
Last evening, both Michael and I had deep tissue messages, for 80 minutes, courtesy of Michael.  That hurt so bad, yet it did so much good.  Me legs already feel better.

This morning we left the motel at 5:00 a.m., under the cover of darkness.  It was 53 degrees and the wind was almost unnoticeable.   The reason we started so early, is Michael had a bus to catch at noon.  The bus was taking him back to Boise Airport, where he is flying out of later tonight.

We road for 25 miles before we stopped for a break.  We were riding on the interstate since that was the fastest way to get to out motel.  We road through the heart of Boise which meant that we needed to pay attention.  We also had several long climbs, including one of over five miles long.  Right after our short break, Michael had a flat.  I was glad he had at least one flat.  For a while I thought I might be the chosen one for flats.

After riding 47 miles together, we decided that Michael needed to go ahead without me, making sure he made his bus.  Michael’s legs are 26 years younger and quite a bit longer.  Michael has tremendous stamina.  I peddled on my own as I watched Michael pull away from me.  After seven miles, I could no longer see him.  Now I was alone, with truckers and God.

As the day progressed, the wind picked up.  When I got off the interstate, I could only go about nine miles an hour.  The wind was steadily in my face at 15 miles an hour, with gust of 20 miles an hour.  From the interstate, I had about five miles to the motel.  When I arrived, Michael was still getting cleaned up.  Saying goodbye to Michael was a little hard.  Yet, I am so grateful for his gift of presence over the last week.  Thank you Lindsey for supporting him as he road with me.

Michael had to ride his bike to a Pilot Truck Stop, where the bus would pick him up.  He left his bike there, so I walked to the truck stop to pick it up.  I thought I would ride it back, however the seat was at least five inches too high.  So I walked his bike back to the motel, covering two miles one way.  By the time I got back to my hotel, the temperature was 90 degrees.

I look forward to some down time tonight and then again tomorrow. On Friday morning, Titus Dutcher and I head towards Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  It will be nice to have Deb with us for the next week.  With Deb here, that means I won't need to carry my gear.  That means I will lose between 25 and 30 pounds of weight.  That works for me!


Good to be alive!



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 7, 2017 at 6:14 PM

    Sounds like you enjoyed having a riding partner! I know if I ever do the ride, I wouldn't want to do it alone. Hang in there and enjoy the ride!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 8, 2017 at 5:57 PM

    Michael must be trying to win the award for best biking partner.

    ReplyDelete

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