DAy 18: A Day of Surprises

This was my hardest day on the tour. That surprised me. Today's trip was from Burley, ID to Snowville, UT-86 miles. The topography showed a lot of climbing but the last 25 miles were all downhill. Looked like a nice way to finish.

It would have been, except for the strong, hot wind blowing in our faces. The first 35 miles went well. A couple of pretty stiff climbs, but we were in good shape when we stopped at the gas station for water. Then the wind picked up, blowing from the Southwest, in our faces. After the stop we went uphill for 25 miles. I felt like I would come to a complete stop if I ever stopped pedaling. My goal was to read the 60 mile mark, where the downhill started.

The gas station attendant said that we wouldn't see anything between there and Snowville. She was wrong. I saw a cow, which seemed out of place in the sagebrush wilderness. She was right when she said there would be no shade. It was hot, and got hotter the closer we got to Snowville.

I was exhausted when I finally reached the top, where one of the support vehicles provided a rest stop. "It's all downhill from here," Walter said cheerfully. "Thank God." The surprise was how hard it was to go downhill. I wanted to yell at the wind, "Stop blowing!" but didn't have the energy to scream.

I arrived in Snowville about 4:50. The reason it was so late was that I was on the Sweep Team fo the day, which meant I was the last to leave camp. It also meant that I had to deal with the worst of the heat and wind. The first thing I did in Snowville was go to the local Subway and drink a large glass of pop in air conditioned comfort. The other people in the store were very interested in what I was doing. "You're going where?" "How long?" "Why?" We had some surprisingly good conversations.

After supper I finally got to take my shower. The shower was a triumph of creativity-a tarp stretched over some poles with a garden hose dispensing cold water. Groups of men and women took turns. Once you got over the initial shock of the cold water, it felt pretty good.

The final surprise is how good I feel at the end of this long, hot, draining day. I should be wasted; I should be longing for my bed. Instead, I'm thinking of putting on my headlight and going for a midnight bike ride. Not really, but I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I would be. I don't know why. I guess that's why it's a surprise.

What will tomorrow bring?