Hank – Bob had to go to work but we got to say goodbye before he left. Leslie fixed us breakfast. She wouldn’t let me or Kathy help with dishes or anything even though we offered more than once. Leslie got her bike out to ride with us on some back roads and then the Weiser River Trail into Midvale. She had to put Peat in his kennel because that smart pup figured out how to open the door.

We cruised four miles of road and then four miles of the trail. Kathy enjoyed this part of the trail much better than yesterday. Arriving in Midvale, we took a few pictures and saw Leslie head out. She gave us some good into on our routes to Weiser, Emmett, and Boise. We decided not to continue on the trail because you can’t bail out for almost 25 miles. So we climbed out of Midvale for 1200+ feet and three hours.

Going down Mann Creek Road was the most pleasant part of the ride. Lots of coasting downhill, a few short climbs, maybe five cars, and tons of cattle and horse ranches. We got to Weiser around 4:30 and stopped in at the Homestead Cafe where we treated ourselves to ice cream and pie. Then we picked up a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers, and grabbed a tent site at the Monroe Campground where we got showers and laundered our clothes. We we’re going to camp at a Warmshowers host house but we decided we wanted an evening to ourselves.

We met Walt and Joanne, passing through on their way to Great Falls, and they let me take a selfie with their dog Rusty.

The wine, cheese, and crackers hit the spot before calling it a night. Kathy and I had a really good day today. I went from thinking “this was going to end soon” to “we got this”. At bedtime an owl hooting in the distance sent me off to sleep.

Kathy – Hank is right, we had a great day. We climbed a bit today during our 40 miles, but it wasn’t too bad…’only’ 1,300 feet of elevation gain. I really enjoyed the Weiser River Trail today. It was a beautiful ride with packed soil with small areas of rocky gravel. Made for a good ride with Leslie our Warm Showers host who rode with us during our first eight miles today. Leslie is truly a great gal. I am proudly wearing the beautiful earrings and bracelet that she made. She was not only an amazing host, but she has a world of talent in so many craft areas. I will think of Leslie every time I wear my beautiful jewelry.

Overall, it was a really fantastic day. We had a good ride and meet more wonderful people. Hard to get better than that…lucky us!