Day 13--Pocatello ID to Idaho Falls ID--July 4
Miles Ridden 64.7
Avg. Speed 17.3 MPH
Climbing 760 Ft.
Total Miles Ridden 941
Miles To Go 2688
One last easy day in the Snake River valley before hitting the real mountains. We spent the 4th of July in flat farmland crossing and recrossing the river for what seemed like the 50th time. The weather gets better every day with cloudless skies, moderate temperatures, and, most importantly to us, strong tailwinds. Every so often, turns in the road take us back into the the wind and we realize we have been extremely lucky with the tailwind and are not as strong as we sometimes feel. But that's why we go west to east. The only negative was some very bumpy roads which brought out the aches and pains many of us are feeling.
We arrived in Idaho Falls at about 1:00 PM. Our hotel is right at the falls of Idaho Falls which is a 12-15 foot drop in the Snake River stretching about 3/4 of a mile across. It seems like a prosperous town with lots of new buildings.
All day it seemed like the riders (including me) were preoccupied with tomorrow's ride. America By Bicycle is very concerned with our safety and they gave us a very sobering preview of the next day. After riding 75 miles with lots of lesser climbs, we then hit the biggest climb of the trip over Teton Pass (altitude 8500 feet) which requires about 3000 feet of climbing in 7 miles with the last three miles having a 10% or greater grade (That's steep). They warned us about altitude sickness on the way up and the fact that riders have hit a very unsafe 65 MPH on the way down. I've found on this trip that when I go over 45 MPH I get very nervous so I will be using my brakes extensively.
I'll let you know how it all works out. I know I'll have some better pictures tomorrow.
Many of the riders have fancy bike computers/heart rate monitors which claim to measure the number of calories burned (among lots of other useless stuff) as we ride. If they are correct, we are now at about 30,000 calories burned for the ride. Seems like a lot but so far I don't think I've lost any weight.
Looking upstream along the Snake River near Pocatello
Rapids along the Snake
Views of Idaho Falls
Avg. Speed 17.3 MPH
Climbing 760 Ft.
Total Miles Ridden 941
Miles To Go 2688
One last easy day in the Snake River valley before hitting the real mountains. We spent the 4th of July in flat farmland crossing and recrossing the river for what seemed like the 50th time. The weather gets better every day with cloudless skies, moderate temperatures, and, most importantly to us, strong tailwinds. Every so often, turns in the road take us back into the the wind and we realize we have been extremely lucky with the tailwind and are not as strong as we sometimes feel. But that's why we go west to east. The only negative was some very bumpy roads which brought out the aches and pains many of us are feeling.
We arrived in Idaho Falls at about 1:00 PM. Our hotel is right at the falls of Idaho Falls which is a 12-15 foot drop in the Snake River stretching about 3/4 of a mile across. It seems like a prosperous town with lots of new buildings.
All day it seemed like the riders (including me) were preoccupied with tomorrow's ride. America By Bicycle is very concerned with our safety and they gave us a very sobering preview of the next day. After riding 75 miles with lots of lesser climbs, we then hit the biggest climb of the trip over Teton Pass (altitude 8500 feet) which requires about 3000 feet of climbing in 7 miles with the last three miles having a 10% or greater grade (That's steep). They warned us about altitude sickness on the way up and the fact that riders have hit a very unsafe 65 MPH on the way down. I've found on this trip that when I go over 45 MPH I get very nervous so I will be using my brakes extensively.
I'll let you know how it all works out. I know I'll have some better pictures tomorrow.
Many of the riders have fancy bike computers/heart rate monitors which claim to measure the number of calories burned (among lots of other useless stuff) as we ride. If they are correct, we are now at about 30,000 calories burned for the ride. Seems like a lot but so far I don't think I've lost any weight.
Looking upstream along the Snake River near Pocatello
Rapids along the Snake
Views of Idaho Falls
David -- We're really enjoying your blog here in VT. I couldn't seem to find your trip's schedule posted anywhere...perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places? Janet
ReplyDeleteI don't have your email address with me. Send it and I will forward the schedule.
ReplyDelete