Day 56 Twin Falls, ID to Mountain Home, ID

Today was a challenge.  Emily Lipsitz, Mitch, Brady, and I had an amazing start to the day.  We finally turned somewhat north as well as west (in the past week or so we've been only heading mostly west and a bit south), meaning we would finally get some of that allusive tailwind (as opposed to only headwind).  We were flying and the first water stop came up so quickly (which is encouraging).  I had some minor knee aches (I think I pulled something, but again very minor), but the truth was that it was a really nice day.  It was supposed to be a 92.6 mile day, which at this point is normal (the distances between hosts have increased gradually in the past few weeks).

The problems started when we missed a chalk mark and missed a left turn.  Thankfully the were stopped by a different chalk mark... but from Bike and Build.  The chalking didn't look anything like our usual chalking, so we were very confused and called the water van, which is when we realized that we had gone about 5-6 miles further than we should have... oops.  Still, not too bad, so we turned around and made it to the water van (and on the way passed the most pot-holed (?) bridge in the world... Brady's phone actually fell out of his pocket).  However, after we continued after the water stop (including climbing a decent mountain), we were told to turn around and go back exactly the way we came.... gravel of course.  It was pretty frustrating to have to go back to the exact same town that we were just in, especially because we had talked to a local who told us that the only way into Mountain Home was the first way we came in (what we had initially thought was wrong).  We had appreciated his advice but assumed that there would be a different route and that we should just stay with the rest of the team.

Thankfully when the lunch van arrived in the same town, they brought a ridiculous amount of food with them, so everyone was happy anyway (we're not that difficult to please really).  We did end up having a very serious meeting about what our team policy should be when hosts ask us to be at dinner at a very specific time, and it seems unlikely that we'll be able to make it in that time frame.  There is definitely some tension on the team, since different people see the trip as having different purposes.  Some see the most important part of the trip as finishing each day that they dedicate to a family or friend, whereas some see the most important part of the trip as spreading awareness about cancer and meeting the hosts (who always have someone affected by cancer).  I personally would like to think that I can find some kind of compromise in the middle, but I think I gravitate towards the latter.  I don't mind too much if I can't finish for the day, but I'm bothered if I feel like I put in a lot effort to finish.  However, even more important than that, I would find it really rude for us to ignore when hosts want us to be there.  We're their guests and so many of them have gone out of their ways to provide food, housing, laundry, showers, etc. that I feel obligated to at least meet them if they're there, even at the expensive of finishing.

So the rest of the day was quite a struggle.  We didn't get lost anymore, but the route was difficult because 1. all of the sudden it became very hot (forecast said 92, but it was over 100), 2. we had flat after flat because the Idaho Goat Heads (tiny spikes from plants) that really slowed us down.  As a result, we weren't able to bike all the way into Mountain Home, but thanks to our group adding on miles by getting lost, we actually managed to hit 92.6 miles for the day.  Despite the fact that we didn't quite make it to town, I would still say it was a challenging but rewarding day.

Teammates climbing as I try to cheer them on (out of breath at that point I believe)

Behold the greatness of the helmet hair after a full day of riding

And our hosts at the River of Life Family Worship Center were incredibly kind to us.  I think the pastor of the church sensed that we were in trouble with the heat and met up with us in his pickup truck, which let's just say really saved the day.  We were able to shuttle just about everybody around the same time and not leave anyone out in 100+ degree heat.  And when we arrived at the church, I was really glad we had shuttled.  The church had told us that it would be okay if we arrived after 7PM, although they wouldn't be able to be there and the food would be cold.  I didn't care about the food being cold (which is the case 90% of the time on 4K anyway), but I really wanted to meet the hosts, and they were all incredibly kind to us.  They shuttled us into their homes to shower and actually took our laundry to their homes to do for us.  It never fails to amaze me, when we run into people that are so willing to take complete strangers into their lives and treat them like friends and family.  I think I would have been really disappointed to have missed seeing the hosts tonight.  Although it's frustrating when we don't finish days, I always remind myself that I can always go on long bike rides, but it's unlikely that I'll be able to meet these wonderful hosts ever again.