Day 11: Mountain Home to Twin Falls Idaho

We left Mountain Home at 6:00 this morning, just getting light. Now that we are in the Mountain Time Zone we go to bed while there is still lots of light and get up in the dark. With 97 miles to ride, everyone was glad of an early start. As usual, the morning was lovely and cool and the scenery was gorgeous. We had gotten a glimpse of the Snake River a couple of days ago but today we saw lots of it. For several miles the river, the railroad track, "Old Route 30" and the interstate swooped and curved through the landscape in parallel lines.

Things started to get a little hotter and a little tougher at the 50 mile mark in the town of Bliss (population 275). Although our 117 mile day last week was very tough there were many miles of downhill. I count on downhill as a way to rest my butt and hands and there was very little rest for me today. The route generally trended up, although at a gentle grade, but it was pedal, pedal, pedal with no break. Then, as our leader Mike Munk later said, I got "caught in a seam". With five riders way behind me and everyone else way ahead, I didn't see a support van for about thirty miles. One van was ahead and one was behind and realizing that, they sent a fast staff rider to catch me and give me a nice full bottle of cold water. Badly needed.

At mile 95.7 I finally reached the bridge over the Snake River that is famous as the site of Evel Knieval's attempt to jump a motorcycle across the gorge. The big take off ramp built for the stunt is still visible up river from the bridge. I was fortunate to arrive just when several people were preparing to leap off the bridge with parachutes-- I believe I saw seven jumps, all beautiful and successful. Nerve wracking, nevertheless. From the bridge it was just a couple of miles to the hotel so I am now clean, cool, calm and collected and looking forward to a very SHORT day tomorrow.