Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wednesday, July 25th: Montpelier, ID … or two pass day


Well rested and ready to do the job. But first breakfast at the local gas station. There a man asks my woman a lot of questions about my bicycle and then he suddenly begins to ask about Vlaams Belang. Yup, he said it in Dutch! I asked him how he knew about this – of course – the internet. He liked the flag and my boss had this strange feeling she didn’t want to give her opinion about them to this guy. Better to talk politics to people you know. 

First part of the ride is the 15 mile up to the Salt River Pass. From Afton it’s all the way uphill until the last 4 miles when the grade suddenly changes to 7%. Go, woman… do not let this hill beat you! The view of the top helps her speed up a bit. 

One down – one more to go. Now it’s tree time, before we descend, screaming from happiness. This canyon ride was fast! And there it is: Idaho state! 

A little bit further a sign for beef jerky, cold drinks… 

And yes, John is still standing there with his cooler filled with ice and pop while he is handing out jerky bites. For one dollar he lets me drink half the huge bottle of Gatorade. And my boss buys some jerky… I’ll stay close to the food bag, from now on! A big hug before leaving John again – CU next year, he yells! Geneva town and then the BIG hill. Behind me the dark clouds have gathered again, but I look to the West and there it is still okay! In snail tempo we climb – having to stop only once this year! The cooler wind makes it agreeable – even the headwind! Then the final turn for the Geneva Summit: two down!


 From here it’s just 8 miles downhill – with the headwind. We arrive around 1 PM in Montpelier, ID. Coming into town it looks as if this is a ghost town: nobody on the roads or working in the garden. It does give an eerie feeling – as if something extraterrestrial took all the inhabitants away! A good shower at the Super 8 brings us back to being presentable for a walk around town. Tomorrow another state again!

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