ROUTE: Mt Home to Twin Falls, ID
DISTANCE: 97 miles
WINDS: 5 to 10 mph headwinds
WEATHER: Chilly in am and reaching a toasty 90 in afternoon
TERRAIN: A couple of mesa climbs, but mostly rolling
TOTAL CLIMBING: 2,860 feet
RIDE OVERVIEW: Well here we are in Twin Falls, ID, a city carved out of the rugged sagebrush desert and located on the edge of the spectacular Snake River Canyon. Twin Falls is the seat of Twin Falls County and both are named for the falls which are 7 miles away. Riders will see the falls tomorrow if they decide to take the optional routes.
Last night I cut the toes out of my Sidi's in preparation for riding Float today. I was pumped and started out strong with the other riders after a great breakfast of French toast at AJ's. Yahoo! My Minnie Mouse cycling shoes worked . . . no pressure on the sore toe. Life was good: It was cool, we were riding little traveled roads through fields of potatoes, buckwheat, corn, and wheat; the sun was shining, the road gently rolling.
At the first SAG Stop in the town of Glenns Ferry, we encountered a minor irritation--swarms of gnats. I remember that this was a gnatty SAG Stop last year, also. Riders did the "Gnat Wave" as they tried to eat. I think a few of us may even have ingested a little extra protein with our apple slices and peanuts. Nonetheless, I left the SAG in good fettle with a 15.7 mph average and a 41 mph fastest speed--good for me. Suddenly, ten miles later, somebody pulled the plug. I felt nauseous and queasy, a reaction to the antibiotics I'm taking I think. So, when Josh came along in White, I sagged with him. Bummer big time!
Mike says that every time we come through this area he's in awe of how fertile it is. He always tries to envision how it must have been riding across this country in a wagon pulled by a team of oxen before irrigation made the countryside green. It must have been an awesome task walking behind a dusty wagon and trying to avoid the natives, trying to stay alive, and trying to keep the livestock from wandering off. If you've never seen this area, the climate is really dry--only 9 inches of rain a year--and if you don't irrigate the soil, the only thing that will grow is sagebrush. Idaho's motto is, "Just Add Water" and this area is a true testament to what you can do with a little water. Along the Snake River plain you'll find some of the most fertile agricultural areas anywhere, but only a few feet from where they apply the water, you'll find only dirt and sage. The contrast is remarkable . . . it's either green or brown. Then imagine walking over 20 miles of parched desert only to find your way blocked by a deep canyon with perpendicular walls on both sides but with the water you so desperately need at the bottom. We rode through such an area today. Some beautiful canyons have taken over 3 million years to develop, and they'll still be here long after we are gone. 
Josh and I in White stopped at the Subway on Golf Course Road and found Silver and a good sized group of ABB's slurping down iced lattes and scarfing up Subway fare. I got a half a sandwich thinking that if I ate something substantial maybe I wouldn't feel so queasy. Then I transferred to Silver because Karen was going in. Before going to the hotel, we stopped again at the first overlook (which reminded me of Butch & Sundance when they jumped from the cliff). The vista here is fantastic. The earth just opens up in a wide crack with the Snake River running through it. Many also stopped at the bridge intoTwin Falls, which sits so high over the gorge that people parachute from it.
It was a fine day with few mechanicals and lots of great scenery. The day was made even better when everyone got in safely by 4 pm. Tomorrow is a very short day (38 miles), so riders will have a scavenger hunt and a couple of off-route options to see both Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls. I'm driving SAG tomorrow and will set up the SAG Stop at the halfway mark. Even though load is not until 8:30, I won't be able to dawdle after the first riders are on the road. It's only 18 miles to the SS, so I'll have to book it to get there before the front runners.
HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:
- "The gnats at this rest stop are gnasty!"
- "If a guy don't whistle [at a woman], either his wife's nearby or he don't know how." (This from a scruffy guy with a long grey beard that Dianne met when they stopped in Bliss)
- (At breakfast this morning) "Bob, have you had any flats yet?"
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| Mike kicks back at the second SAG Stop, and enjoys a half sandwich. Note that he uses his abs for a convenient chip tray. |
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| Jim displays the bumper sticker he wrangled from a Stinker Gas Station. After pasting this on his bike, he quickly found himself wagging the tail of the dog. No one wanted to ride behind him. |
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| Riders passed seemingly endless feedlots today before entering Twin Falls. Some said it was a very moooooving experience. Others said it caused them to moooove a little faster to put the lots behind them |
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| Keith and Joe search in vain for the road. They finally found it after asking for a little sage advice. |
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| Mike with The Flying Dutchmen and friends, whom he tried to sell on the name "Team Fossils" because most of them knew Wilber and Orville when they were still making bicycles. Not sure the name will stick. Particularly since Tim, the baby, is under 50. From left: Albert, Tim, Mike, Fred, Duane, Don, and Shep |
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