A light 60 mile jaunt through Boise’s suburbs and farm fields with lurking bluff ranges took us over the Snake River and into our sixteenth state: the Beaver State of Oregon! It feels nothing short of awesome to have reached a west coast state, though we will not see that coast for both quite some time and in another state, California. We also watched the absolutely spectacular ‘Oppenheimer’, thus completing our Barbenheimer mission over two days.
“Around the World” Group approaching the bluff in the latter half of the ride.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 62.1
Elevation: +851’/-1379’
General Direction: Proceed out of the stayover onto W Fort St., turn right onto 15th St. and left on Hill Rd., follow signs for this road for 8.5 miles until reaching State St., turn right and follow this road for 18.0 miles, before reaching I-84 turn right onto Old Highway 30, ride north through the countryside for 19.4 miles, upon reaching 1st Ave. near New Plymouth, use zig-zagging country roads to avoid the bluffs, at mile 56.5 turn right onto Elmore Rd. and follow this across the Snake River to cross into Oregon, turn left then right onto 5th Ave. then make three turns within mile 61 to reach the stayover entrance.
Points of Interest: Rocky Mountains, Payette River, Snake River, downtown Ontario
Tales of the Trail
This morning was a pleasant one to wake up to after our rest day. Our host Carolyn graciously prepared breakfast burritos for everyone and we set out on a gradual downhill through the suburbs of Collister and Eagle Island. This segment took us to northbound Old Highway 30 near the midpoint of the ride. On the way, groups stopped at a café for some truly massive cinnamon rolls. Ride conditions were pretty tame, save for the heat. One group even played “Around the World” by Daft Punk for the entire duration of their ride (and honestly didn’t get sick of it). Fields worked their way in between sandy ridges and bluffs, creating a path for us to zigzag our way toward the Snake River. Crossing the bridge in the early afternoon took us both into town and our new state as a whole.
“Around the World” Group during a desert portion.
Ridiculous.
Jean and Adam on Old Highway 30.
“Van back, passing!”
Tonight, we are staying at the First Church of the Nazarene. At 3:30, we piled into the van and went to watch ‘Oppenheimer’ on the big screen. This three-hour film was absolutely incredible for those that weren’t asleep (although how one could sleep through a movie as loud as this one is a mystery). We enjoyed some donated pizzas from Pizza Hut for dinner and went about our routine of some lovely and needed laundry and showers. Tomorrow, we set off through the desert for Baker City.
Ed says Welcome to Oregon! :)
Yup.
Jaylen’s new crop top . . .
Olivia giving JY a fresh cut as the sun sets.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Sam Michalak
How are you today? I’m doing well. Today was a quick and lighter day which was much needed even after the rest day and doing four centuries in a row.
In your opinion, what makes a good I4K teammate? Somebody who is always willling to put somebody else above themselves, because you never know how their day went, if they need help with their chore, etc. Someone who is willing to celebrate other teammates and be there for them.
Where was the best ice cream you’ve had so far? I would have to say the ice cream shop in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, called Chantilly Goods Ice Cream Shoppe. I remember getting salted caramel brownie, which was quite good, but it really stands out to me because it was our first ice cream, and in general, our first outing/activity as an entire team after a ride.
How have you improved in handling the bike during the ride? My biggest thing would be cornering, especially on descents. There’s a large learning curve for successfully doing this, because we can’t really prepare for the large descents in or around Champaign. Rosner’s words, “Lean the bike, not yourself”, were really helpful to me in figuring out how to take turns on descents. My overall confidence in the mountains has been building a lot recently as well.
If you could snapshot one favorite or at least special sight, place, or moment in your mind that you’ve experienced on the bike, what would it be, where was it, and on what ride day? I would pick finishing the day into Vernal, because that was our longest ride at 112 miles and it was our first day in Utah, which is a new state for me. The mental idea of “I got myself to a new state on my own power” was really impactful to me and helped me to know just how much I had accomplished so far.
In ten words or less, how will you remember this ride when we complete it? It’s an amazing journey that is much larger than myself.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
Safety Group superstar Nabeel holds back the van on a clearly busy country road.