Day 15 – A Perfect Day

By Mark Heggestad
When we decided to take on this quest, it was days like today I envisioned.  The temps were in the 50’s and 60’s.  The sun was out all day.  The scenery was varied and beautiful.  The riding conditions weren’t just stress free – they were fun, sometimes exhilarating.  We accomplished a lot, making for a very fulfilling day.  And now I am exhausted; but in a really good way.

We started the day with a challenge.  In the first thirteen miles we ascended 3,000 feet to reach a 4,400-foot summit.  During that ascent we rode a thinly traveled road from switchback to switchback.  We were in open range country so we occasionally passed cattle, one time stopping to wait for them to part for us.  In that entire thirteen miles, only two cars passed us and they went very slow and gave us plenty of room.  We then continued on our way racking up 70 miles of biking today.  We started the morning in White Bird, ID and ended the day in Lowell, ID.

Along the way we descended a steep mountain with hairpin turns and loose gravel scattered on the road.  I often descend mountains as fast as possible, never touching my brakes – just for the sheer joy of feeling the speed.  On this descent I never took my hands off the brakes.  I loved the tight turns, and the entire way down the scenery was breathtaking.

Over the course of the day we traveled through open plains, rolling hills, and lush forests.  And throughout the day we continued to bike along flowing rivers and view snowcapped mountains in the distance.

All-and-all, a truly perfect day.

I posted the picture below to provide perspective on the two roads we traveled in the past two days.  The road at the top of the picture is U.S. 95, which we biked all day yesterday.  It is busy with lots of semis and timber trucks.  There is little to no shoulder, the speed limit is 65 and the vehicles do not like to give us space as they speed by.  Very stressful!  The bottom road is Old Highway 95 which we traveled for part of today.  In the first two hours two cars passed us, and they passed slowly and provided ample space.  So peaceful!

Yesterday's road above.  Today's road below.  A world of difference.


Beginning of the day scenery

Mid-day scenery

End of day scenery





Comments

  1. UnknownMay 16, 2017 at 10:22 AM

    Looks gorgeous...... Makes me want to take a cycle (motorcycle) ride in the Rockies again. On the back, of course. Hopefully you're staying off the busy roads today

    ReplyDelete

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