"In your shirt and your socks, crossing Salisbury Plain on a bicycle�" William Gilbert Montpelier, Idaho to Evanston, Wyoming. 100 miles. 2300 feet climbing. It couldn't be a PAC Ridge Tour day without eating breakfast in the cold. This morning it's 34 degrees again. So on go the layers. I don't dare complain because it may well get over 100 degrees further south. And I much prefer the cold to the heat. Today is a planned rest day. The ride is short and there isn't much climbing. And the next two days are far more significant. So our group (only four again as Larry decides to chase one of the RAAM riders on the tour) leaves the hotel last. The road heads south through a flat, dry valley. The area has seen more prosperous times, though there are still a couple of impressive Mormon tabernacles. We eventually come to the shores of Bear Lake, a major local real estate and marine sports attraction. It's 20 miles long and 1 mile or so wide, but it looks like it's only 20 feet deep. In places the shore is 200 yards out from its historical location. A couple of marinas are high and dry. I've got a picture of a sign for a private dock that admonishes trespassers: "no swimming or diving." Good thing because it's easily 300 feet from the edge of the water. We couldn't see any river efflux, and the influx was just a creek. It looks like they have a slight water problem. Isn't free trade wonderful? But the view along the lake is very nice, and it's obvious why it's such an attraction because as we head south of the lake, into Utah, the land becomes absolutely dry and barren. Leaving the lake we face the only real climb of the day, a 1000 footer to 7200 feet. The temperature also climbs rapidly and all the extra clothing layers start coming off. I'm down to shirt and shorts (and socks of course) at the top, where we're rewarded with a descent to a wide plain that's even more barren; but then in the distance we can see King Peak (the highest point in Utah) with some snow on it. As we head across the plain the wind comes up suddenly and we have to work a bit to make headway, but only for 10 miles to lunch. Right after lunch we cross back into Wyoming and then arrive in beautiful downtown Evanston. Ann's a member of the UMCA (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association) and wants to bag another century (must be her 40th of the year), so I accompany her for an extra few miles, feeling fine until she charges up a hill in town that goes on forever. My mental capacity seems to be pretty dim after 100 miles on the bike. And the legs aren't too tolerant of the brain's errors. Oh well, at least it's my turn for the massage today. Don Friedlander ------ To unsubscribe, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Club Office: [EMAIL PROTECTED], (613) 230-1064 Web/mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb Newsletter: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cyberus.ca/~obcweb/Newsletter ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiDo.a2i8p1 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
