Cumulative: 702 miles, 33012 feet of climb
It was great to have a day off yesterday. The batteries are recharged and everyone was anxious to again head east this morning.
The bike path along the Boise River
Boise is a very friendly biking city. There are bike lanes on many streets, and bike paths in Julia Davis Park and on both sides of the Boise River. So many paths it would be easy to get lost here. There is also a greenbelt path that heads southeast along the river.
Bronco Stadium. They are about to install new blue turf for the 2010 football season.
The bike path system here puts the Atlanta area to shame. Then, there are bike racks through the downtown area, which is loaded with restaurants and many folks go by bike. Last night several of us walked to an ale house for local beer and hamburgers, salads, or steak.
Yesterday during the day, I went for a short ride on the river bike paths, just to get the muscles warmed up. Being a Boise State football fan since they pulled off that 43-42 upset of Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, I also had to visit Bronco Stadium. Remember the hook and lateral play on fourth down and eighteen yards to go, from midfield, with 18 second to play? Or the Statue of Liberty play for the winning two point conversion? No one was allowed on the football field, since they are about to replace the blue synthetic turf, but I did go through the stands, the outdoor patio area, and also visit the Humanitarian Hall Of Fame. Tied in with the Humanitarian Bowl game each year, this is a hall of fame for athletes who have also made other major contributions to society. Dikembe Mutumbo, Steve Smith, Dale Murphy, Mary Lou Retton, Harmon Killebrew, Tom Landry, Kirby Puckett, and Julius Erving are just a few of the athletes enshrined here. Boise State is one of the least expensive universities to attend in the west.
Riding on the freeway today
This morning, the weather was fantastic. A bit cool at the start, but the sun warmed us up as we hit the roads. The course was easterly along the Boise River bike paths and greenbelt, then a few streets until we reached I-84. We had a kicking tailwind when we got on the freeway. We stayed between 25 and 32 miles per hour for the eleven miles we were on the interstate. At one point I looked at my Garmin and was at 31.7mph, 90rpms, and could have easily used two more clicks on the gears to go faster. I have never had an exhilarating fast ride like that before.
After we left the freeway
After exiting the freeway we took some roads into the middle of nowhere, as you can see from the photos, before eventually heading back towards the interstate and the town of Mountain Home. It was a short and fast ride, averaging 19.2 miles per hour from the hotel to town. That included a few leisurely early miles on the bike paths too.
On the way to Mountain Home
Tomorrow will be a more serious day. 97 miles to Twin Falls. I hope the tailwind is with us again.
When I was flying domestic I loved getting trips that had layovers in Boise. It was during a time when my mileage was high, and I would hit the greenbelt and just GO, thinking, eventually, "why turn back now, what else are you gonna do that's better than this?"
ReplyDeleteBoise would be a great place to live. Of course you'd probably want to hang around for a winter before a final decision. I watch some of the BSU games on the internet and they do get a bunch of snow.
ReplyDeleteI came to visit Boise once back in 1974, then again in 75, 76 missed 77 but in 1978 came to stay. That was 34 years ago on Oct. 7th when I arrived in Boise.
ReplyDeleteWinters in the city are usually pretty easy to deal with, but if you like snow the mountains are close.