String of Friends

(Milestone passed) Mileage: 74 Video:  https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqgMYDkoVO Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/92786799 Tomorrow's Destination: Lander, WY Tonight's Accommodations: The Twins Pines Lodge Today was tailwinds the whole way! They helped me grind up Togwotee Pass and powered me down the Wind River Valley. I passed the Continental Divide, a big psychological milestone for this West Coast boy. For the first time (thanks to tailwinds) I beat the Ride With GPS estimated time, which is for people without 40 pounds of gear on their bikes, mind you. (Nice to wake up to this) The day began with breakfast with Marco. We’d had a wonderful, long conversation the evening before. Marco didn’t have a stove so I boiled water for coffee for him. We chatted over coffee and granola. He caught a fox sneaking up on us. About 8 am we sent out on our separate ways. He is headed to Salt Lake City where he’ll catch a train to California to do more cycling before f...

(Jenny Lake and me) Mileage: 36 Video:  https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5EMVnBQq Map:  https://ridewithgps.com/trips/92735652?privacy_code=WV8YLzXJorZpFZjy Tommorrow’s Destination: Dubois Tonight’s Accommodations: Jenny Lake Campground (Posted a day last because I had poor signal at Jenny Lake) Today was a shorter day so I could hang with my hosts in the morning and have time to enjoy relaxing in Jackson and at Jenny Lake. It was happy that I had a later start because we stayed up to the late hour of 11:30. My eyes popped open at 5:30. I was glad to have a slow start. Thomas and Sarah invited me morel hunting. I would have loved to go, but I am pretty single minded about adding miles even on a short day. (Beautiful bike paths almost the entire way) I started out at 10:00. The cool thing about today was most of the riding is on bike paths! These are the first since Boise. It was so, so nice not to have to think about cars even when the bike path paralleled...

Mileage: 50 Video: no video because I messed up the tracker Map: ditto I left the tracker on too long and shows my host's home. Once I edit that out I'll upload. I had so much fun with Sarah and Thomas that I didn't have time to do a post last night. This will be a short one just to say all is well. I am in beautiful Wyoming in the Jackson Hole area. Today I am biking to Jenny Lake.  (A new state!!!) Yesterday, I started out from Pine Bar down Idaho 34 to US 89 through the town of Freedom. At the junction I headed north to Alpine. US 89 turns east and heads up the beautiful Snake River valley to Hoback Junction. Four miles before you get there, you'll find Astoria Hot Springs where I had another soak. I met a 61 year old ultra runner, Pam, who was recovering from a broken leg she got in a Ironman when a woman stepped in front of her on mile 111 of the bike.  (Having a soak) My hosts Sarah and Thomas fed me elk meatballs and pasta. Thomas is a che...

(My dinner) Mileage: 69 Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vevWQJxVYG6 Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/92524761?privacy_code=OIkeBP7OfTrQKvpq Accommodations: USFS Campground The wind has died down. The birds are singing and I just had the loveliest time with Kim and Debbie my neighbors. This is a very small campground with only 6 spots and no potable water. Kim and Debbie invited me for dinner. Actually, they’d already eaten, but they made a fire so I could roast hot dogs. I had homemade potato salad on top of that. So, so good. Some people exude generosity and they do. (So cute!) I dawdled this morning in the lovely camper. I had a cup of coffee in the morning for the first time in a while so I could sit and enjoy the quaintness. But soon it was time to go. I hit the road shortly before 8:00. I had pleasant backroads including some gravel. The wind was at my back most of the day. The temps were cool. Life was good. (The road way from my cute campe...

(A camper named ... Ruby!) Mileage: 42 Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/v4OGRwA2x5v Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/92375512?privacy_code=nEJ7gRnsr1CEosQN Accommodation: Cool retro camper  Tomorrow's Destination: Pine Bar Campground Today started with my niece's graduation from Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield MA. Congratulations Ruby! I was able to catch the whole thing on Zoom!  The graduating class was only 48 seniors so they were able to give each graduate a special sendoff. They contacted families and got teacher reports for each kid from previous teachers including many of their kindergarten teachers! I wish Hisako and I could have been there, but Kisho was there to represent us. Thanks Kisho! Catching Ruby’s graduation meant a late 10:30 start. I’d already determined that the ‘shortcut’ through the mountains to the Blackfoot Reservoir was a no-go road condition-wise. Luckily, the resort town of Lava Hot Springs is just 37 miles from Pocatello. It’s a ...

(At the Pocatello Farmer's Market) Mileage: Probably about 10 around town Tomorrow's Destination: Lava Hot Springs Pocatello occupies a weird place in my heart. When I was 7 I considered it exile in Siberia. I was angry about my parents divorce and took it out on the city. By the time I was 14 (when my dad passed), I was used to it and more importantly, I was just starting to connect with my dad more deeply. (Where I spent my summers) The neighborhood he lived in was different than the old homes in Kirkland. It was, and is, subdivisions of modest split level ranch houses. The house my dad owned looks a little run down now which made me sad. The yard which I was tasked helping was a little overgrown. Still, I saw the house of the ill-fated Kiss lip sync where the sawhorse propping up the drum riser collapsed in the middle of Detroit Rock City. And there was the house where the retaining wall fell down and here’s where we played kick the can at dusk. I won...

(L'il Yellow enjoying the view at the Airbnb) Mileage: 79 Video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vNOPo5R3G2v Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39605369 Tomorrow is a rest day I left Rupert around 7:15 and got to Pocatello at 3:00. Cooking! The route was mostly flat with slight rollers and I had a tailwind the whole way. I was worried about the mileage, but they flew by. Today’s lesson was straight doesn’t mean boring.  (Straight != Boring) I started the day with a jaunt around Rupert’s Square with the action camera, but I am not sure how to add those videos to the blog. Maybe, I'll post on Instagram. I started out of town only to remember that I forgot to refill my water bottles. I doubled back the few blocks I’d ridden to the Chatterbox (!). While the friendly waitperson was filling up my bottle with ice (!) water, a friendly guy opened up a conversation. The bike gear is a great conversation starter. Like a lot of folks in rural Idaho, he is amazed I can ...