Illini 4000

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Day 52

The team woke up an hour earlier than normal, at 4:45, this morning to avoid the heat and wind. Connor bought waffles for all of us, which made breakfast a lot more fun than just oatmeal! The ride dedication today was for Ken, whose wife submitted a written portrait last night in Twin Falls. He is a 9-year survivor of pancreatic cancer. He went through an incredibly difficult amount of treatment; at one point his wife was told to come in and say goodbye. By surviving, he overcame cancer to bring encouragement to others struggling with the disease.We were expecting a rough day, but the first 40 miles ended up being relatively easy. We descended into the Snake River Canyon after a bit of a cue mix-up. Turns out the map lied about what was a road versus a private driveway. We simply took US-30 and old 30 for most of the ride, which added several miles. After the rest stop at mile 40, we entered the middle of nowhere. At that point the wind became extraordinarily strong, and was from the northwest where we were headed. Throughout the ride we faced 20-30 mph headwinds and crosswinds. The wind was strong enough for tumbleweed to be flying by, and the heat was nearly unbearable in the later part of the day. The desert is a smothering place with miles upon miles of dead-looking bushes and fences to keep non-existent cows from running away.We are at the First Baptist Church in Glenns Ferry. This town is the crossroads where the pioneers on the Oregon Trail crossed the Snake River. We went to The Fudge Factory for some of the best ice cream ever. Then we hose showered! This is an experience which hasn't happened yet on this year's I4K, which is actually quite shocking. It was fun and perfect for such a hot day. The church made us a fabulous taco salad with homemade guacamole dressing for dinner. We weren't even expecting dinner, so this was a pleasant surprise. We are going to bed an hour early again tonight.