Day 8, Monday, July 7.
Ione, WA to Beyond Hope, ID
Daily Mileage: 107.5 miles
Total Mileage: 631.3 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 8:06 hours
Average Speed: 13.2 mph
Maximum Speed: 32.2 mph
While packing up camp this morning, we watched as two elk with their big racks swam slowly across the haze-covered river next to where we had been sleeping.
In my journal, I wrote that had we known the road conditions that would greet us once we reached Idaho, we would have taken longer to get there. It was only 50 miles to the border and the excitement of our first new state propelled us forward; however, the tough headwind we faced for most of the day slowed our progress to a crawl at points. When we finally reached the border we took a photo of our first “Welcome to” state sign. We also turned around and took a photo of the “Welcome to Washington” sign as there wasn’t one greeting us when we began at the Pacific Ocean.
Our stopping point for the day was Beyond Hope, Idaho—the town just past Hope. There was a phone at the campsite where we stayed, so we took the opportunity to call home to family and friends. After spending eight days, 24/7 together, David and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with some other people for a while, so much so that we stayed on that phone until way past dark.
David and I packed as lightly and economically as we could for the trip. With each of us carrying 25 pounds of gear, we were by far, of the cyclists we ran into along the way, the ones carrying the lightest loads. Some people packed upwards of 75 pounds of gear. During our first day in the mountains we even stopped at a post office to mail home a few maps and the small camping stove we brought along (all total probably less than a pound of stuff). We packed one outfit for on the bike and one for off of the bike, a roll of toilet paper that was only used once, and amongst a few other things a cell phone that we didn’t even turn on the whole time. The one thing that we neglected to bring, and quickly discovered we needed, were flashlights. Tonight was one of those occasions when it was pitch black by the time we found our spot to camp and, being out in the middle of nowhere, couldn’t see a thing. Somehow we managed to get camp set-up without poking out an eye with the tent poles and then quickly fell asleep.
(Photo: Welcome to Idaho sign)
Daily Mileage: 107.5 miles
Total Mileage: 631.3 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 8:06 hours
Average Speed: 13.2 mph
Maximum Speed: 32.2 mph
While packing up camp this morning, we watched as two elk with their big racks swam slowly across the haze-covered river next to where we had been sleeping.
In my journal, I wrote that had we known the road conditions that would greet us once we reached Idaho, we would have taken longer to get there. It was only 50 miles to the border and the excitement of our first new state propelled us forward; however, the tough headwind we faced for most of the day slowed our progress to a crawl at points. When we finally reached the border we took a photo of our first “Welcome to” state sign. We also turned around and took a photo of the “Welcome to Washington” sign as there wasn’t one greeting us when we began at the Pacific Ocean.
Our stopping point for the day was Beyond Hope, Idaho—the town just past Hope. There was a phone at the campsite where we stayed, so we took the opportunity to call home to family and friends. After spending eight days, 24/7 together, David and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with some other people for a while, so much so that we stayed on that phone until way past dark.
David and I packed as lightly and economically as we could for the trip. With each of us carrying 25 pounds of gear, we were by far, of the cyclists we ran into along the way, the ones carrying the lightest loads. Some people packed upwards of 75 pounds of gear. During our first day in the mountains we even stopped at a post office to mail home a few maps and the small camping stove we brought along (all total probably less than a pound of stuff). We packed one outfit for on the bike and one for off of the bike, a roll of toilet paper that was only used once, and amongst a few other things a cell phone that we didn’t even turn on the whole time. The one thing that we neglected to bring, and quickly discovered we needed, were flashlights. Tonight was one of those occasions when it was pitch black by the time we found our spot to camp and, being out in the middle of nowhere, couldn’t see a thing. Somehow we managed to get camp set-up without poking out an eye with the tent poles and then quickly fell asleep.
(Photo: Welcome to Idaho sign)
