Day 51

What a short, fun day!  For the second day in a row, we had tailwinds.  Today we had even fewer hills.  I would call this part of Idaho the Illinois of the West.  We awoke in Rupert to a great breakfast provided by Trinity Lutheran Church, including a french toast casserole and quiche.  Anne asked to dedicate today's ride to Matt Perille and his family, for all they went through when Matt was diagnosed with leukemia. Matt is now 5 years in remission.The ride was just 44 miles, and with strong tailwinds it went by quickly.  We only had one real rest stop, but we of course had to stop at the gorgeous Snake River Canyon.  The elevation chart was funny for today and seemed to depict us descending a cliff hundreds of feet and climbing it again.  But we soon realized the bridge was probably a better way.  Arriving in Twin Falls, we went to the bike shop for repairs and other fun things, then headed over to the unquestionably best grocery store on the planet: The Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.  We found lots of food for amazing prices there.  The some of us went to the Shoshone Falls, also known as the Niagara Falls of the West.  The lake, Dierkes Lake, had great views and cliff jumping (or falling, in some cases).  While some swam at the lake, a few riders went back to Hazelton to talk with a woman we met during our rest stop.  She shared her story about her son who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma before his first birthday.  He battled the disease for 23 years, and passed away last month.  With a loss so recent, the woman was amazingly brave and had positive things to tell us.  It is for these fighters that we ride.The church generously made us dinner of pulled pork and the best cookies ever.  We are going to bed early in an attempt to avoid killer winds tomorrow.