the third tuesday - mountain home to gooding

Tuesday July 15th 2008.

Unbelievably, it is already the third Tuesday of riding, the third Tuesday of being a community together. So, thinking on those terms we have set up and taken down maybe 15 days now and really are getting used to each other and how we work together as a team. Today on the ride in, the roads were not well traversed by motor vehicles…possibly because the road was known as OLD OREGON TRAIL…the roads here are quite porous, and lumpy, somewhat making it for a non smooth pedal than nice lovely smooth pavement, but that really doesn’t slow us down…it’s the wind that will be the damper on many peoples pedals and grind them to a faltering cadence. So, upon this old Oregon trail, we managed to pass next to nothing, the fields are desert like and filled with sage weeds. Many a dead rabbits were seen on this leg of the trip. Much of what we saw was barren and dry looking, much like the hot dry air…no wonder the amount of sprinklers and irrigation systems in this area that the farmers have in their fields…Jeff, Katrina, Steph and I rode together for the first half of the ride…and then Jeff and I took off after that…we managed to get some photos when entering the town of ‘Bliss’ and as well by these tacky dinosaurs the town had.
The first dinosaur I tried to get on, was quite large, and I had grabbed a log and a crate to try to climb up on the dinosaurs back…Jeff was helping me out too, but to no avail, I did not manage to get up on the dinosaurs back…..when taking off from this place we noticed that there was another dinosaur across the road…smaller in size…we both managed to get up on its back and have a hoot trying to do this as well, we snagged a cyclist (JIM – 73 years young) who was cruising by to get a snapshot of us fooling around on this dinosaur…he in turn also wanted a shot taken with this cool green reptile.
In all we made it into camp a little after 1, and that’s pretty good for a 100km ride.

I was on sweep team duty today, so we started to set up for supper, and make 5 gallon jugs of juice and other beverages for the masses. Sweep team also serves supper, and the next day’s breakfast as well as the riders. Ultimately it means the next days ride is a slower ride and you just take your time getting into camp…
This evening we had peleton, and small groups like most nights, and what is happening at peleton meetings is we are learning more about the organizations that are being supported by this tour and where and what they do for those impoverished. Check out the seatosea website if you need to know more.