Pure Torture, With A Couple of Spills

Today was a great day!  Of course we can say that after conqueringTeton Pass.  We beganthe journey in Idaho Falls and started our climb towards Teton Pass.  To get there we would have to climb to nearly 7,000 feet to Pine Creek Summit.  After going up and over Pine Creek we dropped down into the Snake River valley and stopped for a sandwich and smoothie in the town of Victor, ID.  After a short stop we started our climb to the Teton Pass.  After 10 miles of 5% grade climbing we met our most challenging climb yet with over 10% grade for the last 3 miles.  In true Kelli fashion she conquered the mountain and enjoyed a steep descent into Jackson Hole, WY. 

 

 

By the way!  One more state down and 7 more to go and a small ride through Canada.  We really enjoyed today as the views were amazing and the weather was beautiful.  We just missed a thunderstorm in Jackson as we came into the hotel so we were happy not to get wet. 

Below is a picture of Kelli and I on top of the world.  Not really but to us we summited Everest.  Tomorrow we climb even higher but the grade of the slope will be less than we experienced today so we are optimistic. 

 

 

Some of you may get some enjoyment knowing that both Kelli and I fell on our bikes today – more like our bikes fell on us.  Kelli fell while we were coming into our first stop to refill our water bottles and get something to eat.  I had stopped to take a couple of pictures of the valley we were biking through and when I looked up, it looked like Kelli had laid her bike down and was laying next to it.  It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized that she had in fact been blown over by a strong headwind we were battling all morning.  I got a good laugh and so did the bike gods when they saw me take a tumble on the Teton Pass.  I fell while trying to give Kelli some encouragement during our steep climb.  Previously, I had been able to just turn to my left and make a circle and come up behind Kelli and ride along side her.  Well, I wasn’t prepared for the steep grade and I just fell down.  The grade was so steep I actually slid down the pavement a couple of feet after hitting the ground.  What was even better was another rider witnessed my maneuver and has since given me the nick name “crash”.  AWESOME!  

I hope you enjoyed our day as much as we did.  Hopefully we won’t have too many more falls but if we do we will be sure to share them with you.

Semper FIdelis.

 

An Easy Day

 

Today was an easy day with only 33 miles to Idaho Falls. We were able to sleep in a little and didn’t get going on the road until 10:30. We usually have breakfast with the group but Nathan and I decided to just have continental breakfast at the hotel instead so we could get laundry done – and let me tell you what a good decision that was!! The continental breakfast consisted of Eggo waffles, Mrs. Buttersworth syrup, and mini chocolate donuts. For those of you who know me these are some of my absolute favorite things. Needless to say I was ready to ride!

Once I got on the saddle I could tell that I had put in 110 miles yesterday as my butt was pretty sore. The ride was pretty – rolling hills through quaint farms. The only downside was the three dogs that chased me along the way. It’s not so much the biting I’m worried about, but running over the dog and flipping over my handlebars that worries me. But we made it to Idaho Falls. Here’s a picture of the falls.

 

 

Tomorrow is going to be a really tough day as we are going through the dreaded Tetons. It will be 88 miles total and 77 of it will be climbing. The real kicker will be miles 74 to 77 where we gain about 1,000 feet in 2 to 3 miles at a 10% grade (really steep). Overall we will gain almost 6,000 feet. Well, we need to rest up for our big day tomorrow. More then!

Semper Fidelis!  

We Won!

First thing first.  Kelli and I won the scavenger hunt yesterday with our team “The Has and The Has Beens”.  We received some prizes such as bubbles, but the grand prize was front of the line privileges for dinner.

Today was a long day.  TODAY WAS A LONG DAY!  Kelli and I completed the 110 mile trek to Blackfoot, ID with a moderate head wind that made the day even tougher.  The morning was beautiful as always and I was able to capture a great picture of the Snake River and the distant horizon. 

Along the route we stopped by the Register Rock Park that had a large boulder that had settlers names that they had carved into the rock as they traveled the Oregon and California Trails.  Kelli and I took a small detour to find some other Oregon Trail Markers but were not able to find what we were looking for.  During our trip we have been able to see monuments dedicated to the Oregon Trail and the settlers who moved West.  It has been really interesting biking across the country and trying to imagine what it must have been like for those that first explored these parts of the country.

Semper Fidelis.

On The Hunt

*Sorry for the gut shot in the picture above*

We had an easy day today so the staff of the America By Bicycle organized a scavenger hunt to make the day more interesting.  Kelli and I linked up with 4 other riders to see if we could claim the top prize (rumor has it that the prize is first in line for dinner for the rest of the trip!)  For a fatty like myself that is quite a prize.  We had to find the following items on the road or find the answers to some of the questions they posted such as:

Find a Church Key (Bottle Opener)

State Bird of Idaho

A Pretty Rock

Piece of Fan Belt

A Clothespin

Population of Heyburn ID

A Sample of American Repillas Tyrus (Tire)

A Band Aid

A  Bottle Cap

Store Stamp in Burley

Governor of Idaho

A Flower

Popsicle Stick

One Unusual Item Off the road

We did great on all the items except for an unusual item off the road.  We were hoping to find a license plate but another rider found one before we could so we are stuck with a golf ball or sun glasses. 

Tomorrow is going to be a tough day of riding so everyone is trying to get into the game again after having a couple of easy days this week.  I find the hardest part of every ride is the last 40% of the ride.  It doesn’t matter how long or short the ride is, the last half is always hard to get through.  To combat this I have bought a speaker to play some music from my IPOD.  The staff doesn’t allow us to use ear-phones but I found a loop hole with the speaker.  I’m hoping it is going to help for tomorrows tough ride. 

Today, I bet Kelli that I could ride off a haybail and stick the landing.  As you can see from below I didn’t do so well.  At least we were able to document my attempt.   

 

 

I hope everything is going well with everyone and that you are enjoying our blog.  Let us know if there is anything you would like to see or know about our trip and we will put it in our blog.

Semper FIdelis

Thank Goodness It Was A Tailwind

Sorry for the delay in posting a daily update but Kelli and I were so tired that we fell asleep at 1930 and didn’t do the blog.  Anyways, sorry for the delay.

Yesterday we had a short easy ride of only 50 miles so Kelli and I were enjoying the pool by 1300.  We had pizza for lunch which is great because we had pizza the night before.  Let me just say that we are not biking enough to burn off what we are eating, but we are having fun eating like pigs. 

Today we had a long ride to Twin Falls of 96 miles.  We left while it was still dark but got a chance to see the sun rise over the horizon.  Below is the picture I took while heading to Twin Falls.

 

Luckily for Kelli and I there was a strong tailwind that pushed us into Twin Falls, but that doesn’t mean the ride wasn’t tough. It ended up getting pretty hot as the day wore on so we took a lot of water breaks the last half of the trip. Coming into Twin Falls we crossed over a gorge. Here’s the picture.

 

 

Well, it’s cookie time right now – the hotel is baking fresh cookies for us and we’re starving. We have an easy day tomorrow so more time to blog!

Semper Fidelis.