C2C Day 14 – Pocatello to Idaho Falls

It’s great to be back on tour! One year after completing the first two-week segment of my coast-to-coast ride in the small college town of Pocatello Idaho, I’ve joined up with the 2019 tour to continue the ride. On this opening day of year 2 for me, I’m reminded of the old English bridal advice of ‘Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something Blue’.

Something Old: Four of the six-person support crew are back for 2019: Judy, Karen, Rob and Robin. And last year’s oldest tour rider, Bob, is back for another full tour. Just one year shy of an octogenarian, Bob is an inspiration for all of us – and a strong rider to boot. So good to see Bob and the returning America-by-Bicycle support crew. ABB’s tour journals are both old and new, with pictures and commentary on both the 2018 and 2019 tours. Here’s a link to a picture of me and tour mechanic Rob riding to Idaho Falls today:

https://blog.americabybicycle.com/aan/2019/7/7/day-14-pocatello-to-idaho-falls-id

Something New: A brand new band of cycling mates to share in the cross-country adventure. I was curious to see how this year’s batch of riders would compare to the 2018 bunch I started with – and they are remarkably similar. So welcoming and encouraging. An instant spirit of camaraderie somehow develops among a group of like-minded adventurists, evidenced by this wonderful new crew. And, I’m on a brand new bike this year – but more on that in future blog posts.

Something Borrowed: I borrowed a friendly local Lyft from from the 2-gate Pocatello Regional Airport to the Pocatello Best Western, borrowed the expert skill of tour bicycle mechanic Robin to re-assemble my bike from it’s shipping box, and borrowed the electronic route maps from tour leader Judy to guide me though the myriad of picturesque Idaho farm roads today. And I borrowed the restroom of a laundromat in the sleepy town of Blackfoot where the attendant was absolutely thrilled to chat with riders passing through.

Something Blue: The Snake river is so aptly named as it slithers through the countryside and reflects a brilliant blue Idaho sky. The river has been a companion throughout most of Idaho, and it was nice to be reacquainted. I also sported a streak of blue on my jersey from George’s Bicycle shop in Boise – a memento from last year’s ride and a perfect shirt for kicking off this year’s 1,000 mile segment.

Great to be back in the saddle.

~Dan