Burley, Idaho

Today was the longest day of the tour so far, though it didn’t feel like it. That was mostly because of 3 nice breaks along the way, and because of the beauty of the trip itself. The first extra break came half way to Twin Falls at the dairy farm of Ted Miller. He invited cyclists to stop for refreshments and tour his dairy farm if they wished. The milk he served was delicious, and though it was stored in bottles labeled low fat, I think I still know whole milk when I taste it. It was awesome. Ted currently milks 10,000 cows – amazing! And there were several other such large farms in this part of Idaho.

The second nice break was courtesy of Twin Falls Reformed Church. They provided lunch, beginning at 9:30 – not your usual lunch time of course. But by then we’d put in over 2 hours cycling already. They served ice cold milk, subway sandwiches, and ice cream bars for dessert. Sounds like a sure fire weight gainer, but the truth is that I’m losing weight. I just weighed myself on a scale in the men’s shower room at Burley High School, and if it’s at all accurate, I’ve already lost just over 10 pounds.

From the church it was on to view Shoshone Falls, which was not on our itinerary but only a short distance out of the way. It involved a steep descent, which means it requires a steep ascent. For that reason, and because it’s such a long day already, many of us, including myself, only went as far as the first view point, in order to save our energy for the distance to follow. What I saw I post below (first picture).

The following 2 pictures are of myself overlooking the Snake River canyon, and the other is the bridge over the canyon leading into the city of Twin Falls. You may remember that this was the canyon that now deceased daredevil Evel Knievel attempted to jump over. He didn’t make it, of course, though he was saved by his parachute, as I recall. I had no such inclinations to jump the canyon myself, in case you were wondering. I love my Argon 18, but it doesn’t come with wings or parachute.


Diane had a busy day as well. One of the RV’s needed repairs, so time was spent hanging out at a garage. One of the SAG wagons ran out of water, so Diane and the Tracker gang had to find water in one of the towns. I am also spoiled by the fact that Diane has gotten very proficient at setting up out tent and stuff, which means that on some days – such as yesterday - our tent is already up when I arrive. She also set up today because I was hot and tired. OK, I confess, I was a little crabby too. At the moment we are sitting in the shady corner by ourselves, with a nice breeze blowing. Weather today was again sunny and hot, and I think I probably drank the equivalent of 10 water bottles of various liquids today (milk, Gatorade, water, pop).
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Today’s Stats:

Distance: 136.67
Average speed: 24.6
Maximum speed: 53.9
Time in saddle: 5.32.38
# of flat tires on trip: 2