Tough Ride

I am out in Boise ID this week with my level 9s who qualified to the USA gymnastics Western Championships. The last few years I have brought my bike out with me to get some riding in while I am waiting for sessions. Yesterday I had a bunch of free time so I took what I thought was going to be a nice ride though the mountains of Idaho. Everything was good until the road turned to a rough sand, gravel, and rock road.

This was the first really tough uphill section and compared to what was to come it was pretty tame. Now this would have been a fine ride if I was on a mountain bike, or a cycle cross bike. But I was on my SL4, not make for this type of thing! I climbed for well over an hour before finally making it to the top. Then I had to go down sections that we just as bad if not worse. Again if I was on a down hill mountain bike it would have been a great road to bomb down, but on the road bike I was barely moving, my hands were cramping from continually breaking. As slow as I thought I was going I still managed to get a pinch flat on my front wheel. I tried to just pump it up to make it to a good spot to change out the inner tube but I was losing air quick. I stopped at the first intersection I had seen in a long time in a little place called  Robie Creek. The only building they had looked like a shack that turned out to be the fire department.

Shortly after Robie Creek I made it to real road again. I was now wet as it was not raining, freezing, as I had been going downhill for a long time not really doing any work, and full of sand. Robie Creek did have a landing area that went up to the Arrow Rock Reservoir. I walk down to it and dunked my bike in it to wash away most of the sand that I had kicked up over the last hour and a half.

Soon after I was on highway 21 or the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route, and boy was it nice! There was one final climb left that was nothing bad, just long and steady. At the top I snapped a couple pics and caught a rainbow.

The rest of the ride was mostly downhill. I only wish it was a little steeper to give me more speed. I was only coasting at 40mph and pedaling only brought it up another 3 or 4 mph.

At the bottom of the mountain was the damn that held back the waters of the Arrow Rock Reservoir. They were releasing water out of these huge tubes, like 15 feet tall or something. It was amazing seeing the power, and amount of water coming out.

I have a video but I am having trouble uploading it. Maybe some other time.

For the next hour the weather was great, but I was running short on time. The last problem I had with the ride was I was using my Garmin 500 to help with directions. It was terrible! I have used my Garmin 705 on trips like this before and it was great. You cannot use the 500 like a real gps. If you put in a pre made map it will show you a line to follow, but if you get off that line you are screwed. Well that happend. Luckily I had my cell phone, bad news was it was running low on power, of course, and I was worried it wouldn't be able to get me back to my start. I also only had about 40 min before I was supposed to meet with my girls and their parents for dinner and drinks. If I was late they might worry, and I didn't want that to happen. I pulled up directions on the phone and hauled ass for the next 10 miles and made it with time to spare.

In all it was a good ride, it is always good to get lost sometimes and test yourself. That happened for sure and I made it out the other side just fine.

Now it's time for some gymnastics.

feeling good.

Having some fun with my kids moms, they are a little strange :-)