June30, 2017

June 9, 2017

Today was almost a like two different days.

Titus and Deb Dutcher arrived at the motel this morning at 6:45 a.m., and we left a little after 7:00.  As we drove out of Mountain Home you could see the mountains in front of us.  To be truthful they looked pretty intimidating.

Soon after we passed interstate 84 we began an 8-mile climb.  When we got to the top my legs were pounding.  I said something to Titus, who is a physician, that I am concerned about my legs.  He asked about my liquid intake, and he thought that was great.  Then we talked about food intake, and he soon said you have a food deficiency.  If I eat what he wants me to eat, I will look like a walrus by the end of this ride.

At about the 24-mile point, we found a café out in the middle of nowhere.  We road to the front door, which was open, and the proprietor told us they did not open for an hour.  That café was the only spot for food and water for the entire day.  He invited us in to use the restroom and fill out water bottles.  His wife was the cook and she told us to order and she began to prepare our food.  Their hospitality was nearly as good as the food they prepared.

As we were heading out the door, she told us that there is one more climb that we will need to make.  That climb was 5 miles long with parts of the climb an 8 percent grade.  Overall, today we climbed over 3500 feet.

Once we made it to the top of the mountain, we spotted an elevation sign of over 5500 feet.  From that point on the road was pretty level.  For the most part we had the wind to out back on the flat, which allowed us to ride at 19 and 20 miles and hour.

When we arrived at the motel Deb was there with fresh cherries and nectarines.  They are really trying to fatten me up.

The motel we are staying at is rustic; yet the offer very nice rooms.  We are in the town of Fairfield.

Deb enjoys watching birds, so she spent most of the day doing just that.  She identified 11 different species, including a bald eagle and a golden eagle.

The scenery today was magnificent.  Periodically we would stop and look to the back of us to see where we rode from.  The sights were amazing.  Today we rode 59 miles.

Tomorrow will be a long day of nearly 90 miles.  The temperatures in the morning will be 32 degrees.  I have never ridden in anything like this, so I am anxious regarding tomorrow.  Most of the day the ride will be flat.

I am grateful to have the Dutcher's with me on this part of the journey.  I look forward to the next few days as we get closer to the Grand Tetons.

Good to be alive!