Day 13: Burley to Pocatello ID

This day started out glorious and stayed that way almost to the point where it ended with a thud. We rode for miles through the landscape pictured above-- open cattle range, no traffic, a completely straight road. It looks a bit grim but it felt wonderful to be flying through such vast open spaces. My riding was great through the first seventy miles of the day-- faster than I have been able to go in the past in cool temps with yet another tailwind.

A highlight of the day was a stop at "Register Rock", an oasis along the Oregon Trail where the pioneers could camp, rest and refresh themselves and their livestock for the miles ahead. Many of them took the opportunity to carve their names or initials on a large rock, now surrounded by a fence but still very interesting.

Things began to feel a little less rosy when the staff flagged us down with the info that there was a four mile mistake in the cue sheet-- that is to say we had to ride four miles longer. I try to keep in mind that the journey is what matters, not the destination. Nevertheless, I almost always end the day by wishing that the hotel was a few miles closer, not a few miles further away. Four miles added to an 82 mile ride is enough to make me whine and curse. Just about the same time, I began to feel cramping in my left leg. This was minor at first but by the time I dragged my sorry self to the hotel, I was in lots of pain and had trouble walking.

I researched bicycle cramps on the internet and talked to the staff and it seems that a combination of factors contributed to the problem. It was cool and I therefore didn't drink as much as I should have, the bananas have gotten very ripe and I have been skipping them and I was riding harder than I have on other days. We have a reasonably short day tomorrow-- 65 miles and I will take steps to see that I do not repeat the cramping experience.