Day 10: Boise to Mountain Home

Although why this town is named Mountain Home I cannot fathom because it seems that the closest mountain isn't very close. Our ride today was a total blast. It started out on a nice bike path along the Boise River-- a delightfully cool morning with lots of runners, bikers and dog walkers on the path. At mile 13.5 we hopped onto interstate 84 and had a great 10 mile run with a tail wind to the first SAG. There I had what they call a "SAG flat"-- a flat tire that happens right at the SAG stop. Since the mechanic is always sitting right there, they had me back up and riding in about three minutes. Flats are very common when riding on the interstate because the truck tire debris includes tiny wires that are impossible to see but lethal if you pick one up.

From there we got onto unnumbered routes that essentially followed the interstate east but with little traffic. Sadly several dead snakes as always out here. They come out onto the road for the warmth and get hit with great frequency. I have seen three that were identifiable as rattlers but most are too squished to get any idea.

I had worried that I wouldn't like the wide open terrain-- variously called high desert, plain or prairie, but it felt just wonderful to be out there riding in the wide open spaces with endless vistas in every direction. Clearly I wouldn't have loved it so much if I had been riding into a headwind but we got a wind assist all through the ride and I pulled into the hotel at mile 53, not even slightly tired. Let's hope I feel half as good when I finish tomorrow's 97 mile ride to Twin Falls.

SAG officially stands for Support and Gear but unofficially it is the place you get to just when your energy is sagging. Stopping at the SAG is mandatory on this trip and there is a very precise routine that we are asked to follow: sign in with gloves on, remove gloves, blow nose (optional, but strangely we all do it even though no-one is sick), clean hands with a wet wipe, and disinfect hands with gel. Only then can we get water, peanuts, cookies, etc. We have at least one SAG every day, usually two and on the long days, three. In between, the vans drive back and forth along the route and we can stop them for water or other assistance by patting the top of the head. Although the riders get strung out along many miles of the route, the two vans and the big box truck always know where everyone is, particularly the stragglers. Two of the slower riders left us (as planned) in Boise and we gained no new riders so there are fewer of us tortoises but the route was so great today that I flew in pretty much with everyone else. The fast riders are called "thoroughbreds" but if there is a special name for the rest of us, everyone has been kind enough not to mention it in front of me.