At about 1am I took a stroll to see how the camper was doing from the outside. I met a dude on his way to the bathroom . . . beer in hand (he didn't want to miss a chance to take a pull, I guess). While we were being pushed around by the wind his topic dujour was a drunken discussion of the qualities of bass fishing in the reservoir.
Our little camper was getting (sometimes violently) pushed around all night - at about 3am we decided that the winds were strong enough to warrant abandoning the camper and breaking it down - we were really concerned that something was going to rip or bust. After a few hours of all of us (my Mom included) trying to sleep upright in the car we decided that we could probably re-occupy the camper for the rest of the early morning hours.
Again, the front ushered in some much cooler air so the blistering heat of yesterday was gone. Today was the day we said goodbye to my Mom . . . Amy swung down to Boise on I-84 to drop her off while I pedaled eastward on back roads. Was super-cool to have my Mom along - although she had to witness the truck destruction fiasco and all the stress that accompanied it. She said she still had a blast - got to see the hinterlands of Eastern Oregon, and spend time with all of us on our adventure. Great to have you along, Mom!
| The ride today featured the first state line crossing of the trip, and sent us across the agricultural plains along the Payette River - and then into the mountains. It also featured what was arguably the busiest road so far - Idaho Rt. 55 carries lots & lots of folks and all of their recreation gear into the Payette River Basin and the Sawtooths. |
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| I stopped at this reservoir to refill my water bottles. There were several hundred people here with jetskis, ski boats, and all kinds of other motorized weekend toys. When I arrived the park host told me that "bikes are not allowed in the park" |
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| On the way toward Banks - headed for the Idaho Mountains |
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We finally arrived at our campground for the night - featuring HOT SPRINGS!! I took the most incredible soak ever in the spring then jumped in the Payette River for a rinse - felt like a new person.
Tomorrow - crossing of Banner summit (el. 7000+) - a major climb from the Payette River Canyon where we're staying the night. The pass comes after over 50 miles of climbing - starting out slow and steady up and then finishes steep. Will then drop into Stanley, ID
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