august 22
day 105
27 miles
total 2,771
the first 21 miles today were brutal.
after a long uphill mile from the start i hit new pavement.
new pavement in idaho consisted of tar with gravel spread over it.
old pavement, with the gravel mashed in is smooth and wonderful.
new pavement i discovered is bumpy and rough.
in addition they had not seen the need to add new shoulders
and the old one was narrow and tilted at 45 degrees…
one thing i have seen a lot of in idaho are roadside memorials.
especially on this road.
and i think i know why.
there are only two rules for traffic to follow:
1) never yield to anyone
2) never slow down for anything
with fairly heavy traffic i spent most of my day jumping on and off the rough surface every time a vehicle came from either direction.
i am just grateful angel julie had found my missing shoes and brought them last night.
my feet took some bruising,
but not like if i had thin shoes on!
the ankles got a good workout
and some righteous twists
but seem to have ended the day no more stiff, sore, and worn than they began.
idaho people are so friendly,
but drive like they have a death wish.
and they share the national inability to see pedestrians when passing.
interstates feel so safe,
with traffic only coming one way.
once again i was robbed of the view of all the mountains.
the smoke gets thicker and thicker as i approach the idaho fires.
today i could see helicopters coming and going with their big red balls of fire retardant.
as usual here in rainy idaho i got hit with showers in the morning
and a big rain in the afternoon.
fortunately my crew arrived in time for me to sit out the worst of it
and not ruin my brand new shoes!
i plan for them to last out the trip,
as i have less than 600 miles to go.
reaching newport is no sure thing,
but i think if i can get past boise i have a chance.
ellen will be leaving soon
and i am sad.
but joe and ann just arrived.
joe crewed me thru the berkshires way back on day 9
i cannot express how much it means for so many people to go so far out of their way to help me.
anything i accomplish or have accomplished is only thanks to them.
well, i need to get to bed.
i have work to do tomorrow.
laz