Hank – We checked out after breakfast and stopped by Tony’s bike shop in Mountain Home. We wanted to replace Kathy’s bike pump and see if he had a better helmet mirror for Kathy. Tony’s was closed. The sign said they would open at noon. We were about to leave when Tony showed up. Today was his first official day back after cancer surgery. He has an employee who’s been opening the shop at noon while he’s been out. Tony said he only showed up today to catch the UPS delivery. He had a pump and I bought it. Tony thought the pump head needed to be changed to fit a Presta valve. I was looking at the package and there were no instructions for making such an adjustment. Plus, the “Smarthead” designation indicated to me it would fit either valve. Unfortunately, Tony lost a spring while futzing with it. It was the only pump he had so I got my money back. I hope Tony’s day got better.

Kathy and I got on Old Highway 30 and headed towards Bliss, ID. It was so flat and there was nothing to see for miles, but you could definitely see it all. We arrived in Hammett hoping to get a cold drink but the Hammett Trading Post was closed. A man on the roof had what sounded like a leaf blower. We’re not sure what he was doing. He looked at us and didn’t wave or anything. He just went back to whatever he was doing. So we sat in the shade and ate a snack and took a few pictures. We followed the Snake River for the nine miles to Glenns Ferry. We ate a late lunch at the Oregon Trail Cafe. While in Glenns Ferry we took photos of several interesting sites. And I got to meet Trudy, today’s adopted dog for a day. She was a sweetheart.

The day was at its hottest as we left Glenns Ferry. We had about 22 miles to go and there was nothing to stop at the entire way. A few miles into it Kathy got a flat. This time it was the back tire. She’d caught a thorn somewhere. I swapped out the tube and inflated it using my “pump of a thousand wanks”. It’s a very small pump that’ll do the job as long as you have the time. I got her rolling again and we climbed in the heat for most of the way to Bliss. One time we caught a break and got to stand in the shade of a tree. There’s no camping in Bliss and we were both hot and tired so we got a room at the Amber Inn Motel. After dinner and a shower I patched the tube and cleaned the chains on both bikes.

Kathy – Today we got off to a late start riding due to our detour at Tony’s bike shop.  Our 59 mile ride didn’t begin until 11 am so most of our ride was in the 80 degree heat.  And, we were lucky enough to save all 1,100 feet of the elevation until the end.  We had some beautiful views of the landscape, and Hank and I had lots of time to talk and enjoy the ride.  Not going to lie, my muscles are tired tonight.  After our 4 hour hike on Sunday, 60+ mile ride on Monday, and another almost 60 miles today with a weighted bike, lots of headwind and elevation, and then add some hot sun…my quads (thighs) and glutes (butt) are sore, and overall I’m just tired.  We may modify our plans tomorrow or the next day to ensure we are resting appropriately.

Even though I’m tired tonight, it really was a good day.  Hank and I enjoyed seeing many new sights in Idaho.  Hank was also amazing with fixing my flat tire in record time.  I am so blessed to have him!  I was fine with tenting it tonight, but Hank thought it was best to check out this 2-star hotel in Bliss, Idaho.  Our hotel pickings were slim, only two hotels and both are 2 star.  It cost us a mere $53.  After all my work travel this is a step down from the Hilton’s and Marriott’s that I’m used to.  I must say, it is much better than I anticipated…Thank God!  🙂  All is good, we are safe, have full bellys, are clean, and inside an air conditioned room for the night.  No doubt we will sleep well.