Day Sixty (65.4 miles, 2854.8 total): Always Carry A Spare...

CLANK! CLICK! SHUFFLE! 5:30AM. Ugh. The ACA group is up making breakfast and packing all their gear back into the van. Ella is out cold and I slip out of the tent without waking her up. I throw on my jacket to block out the frigid morning air as I pack up for the day. I pack everything but my tent and Ella's blanket before making breakfast. Finally the furry little bugger stretches and crawls out of the tent. I quickly pack up the tent and tuck Ella away into her basket. She buries herself between the fold of the soft fleece blanket and promptly goes to sleep. I roll my loaded bike through the camp, say my goodbyes to my new friends and head off into the frosty morning.

The sun sparkled through the dew high up in the treetops, each branch a glistening gem. The shallow river bubbled along side the road as I made my way through the Idaho mountains. I frequently stopped to enjoy the crisp morning breeze and take in the stunning views all around me. I could cruise through this winding road everyday and never be tired of it. The forests were so pristine and untouched, it was spectacular. Despite the road hugging the curves of the mountains, this beautiful evergreen wonderland seem almost cutoff from the destruction of modern man. I rode on through this marvelous sanctuary never wanting it to end.

As the morning wore on, the winds continue to pick up through the narrow canyon walls. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't ride any faster than 11mph fully loaded. Now let me remind you this is all downhill, I should be cruising 20+ easily. Even though the winds held me back and wore on me throughout the day, I didn't mind it. The suns golden rays flew higher into the sky, lighting up my mountain pass in the most breathtaking ways. Not a cloud was in sight as I pushed on into the afternoon. Occasionally, I would run into my fellow cyclists but I kept to myself and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Around 11:30, I came across an old ranger station that was now open as a miniature museum. I spoke with the volunteer while I relaxed for a little while and Ella ran around. The ACA group caught up with me again and we all ate lunch together. While the group was still moseying about, I set off down the open road once again. Along the way, one of my ACA friends, Mike, caught up with me and we raced down the mountain pace for awhile. Being unloaded, Mike was obviously faster, but it was still a blast. Mike eventually held up and waited for the rest of his group while I continued my journey alone.

Eventually, I had reached the tiny town of Lowell, with a population of less than thirty citizens. Thirsty in the hot summer sun, I pulled over and stopped in an old convenient store. The shop was so sweltering hot, all of the candy bars were in the two freezers against the back wall and all of the windows and doors were kept propped open. I grabbed my icy beverage, payed the women with few teeth, and bolted back out into the fresh air. Two cyclists that Bill and I had run into back in Wyoming, turn up at the store and we catch up before they head on into the local "diner". Refreshed, I clamber back onto the Land Yacht and continue my voyage.

About two miles down the road, my bike tire blew out. A slight wobble, a suspicious hiss and a power slide on the side of the road quickly halted my efforts to reach Kooskia. I took a peak at my tire and I sat down. My tired was shredded just enough to where a boot wouldn't fix it. No cell service and no spare tire, I was stranded. A truck quickly pulled over and a man stepped out from the drivers side, resembling a sleazy character from The Sopranos. He was kind of hesitant with his choice of words and I told him I was fine and my group would be arriving momentarily. He quickly hopped back in his truck and headed off down the road.

Thankfully, Nial and Mike from the ACA group showed up with a spare tire and enthusiastic attitudes. They were excited to change that tire and didn't even want me to do it! A few minutes later, with a lucky spare on my back wheel, I was ready to roll. I ended up riding with Mike to the ACA camp for the evening. They were more than welcoming to me and their kindness restored my faith in humanity. We all hung around the camp, caught up on the trip, told stories, and ate plenty of food. I couldn't have found a better group of cyclists to run into out in the middle of nowhere. Well after dark, I finally called it a night and crawled in to my yellow coffin tent for some much needed shut-eye. Ella and I hope you are enjoying our adventures and continue to follow us as we blaze our way west!