Day 19---just making it, Ontario to Boise

Total, including back and forth to the bike shop, 65.4 miles, 5:34, ending temperature, 96 degrees.

Now with pictures!

Today was supposed to be a pretty easy day, climbing mostly gently from 2200 feet to 2700 feet here in Boise.

I headed out of the hotel around 6:10, and it was much cooler than yesterday morning,70 degrees, and not so humid as yesterday.  I crossed the Snake River into Idaho about half a mile from the hotel.  Interesting that the two big border businesses in Idaho were Check Cashing (never saw one in Oregon, perhaps they're better regulated?) and "Discount Cigarettes."  Welcome to the Red State World!

Oh and Fireworks, which are illegal in Oregon, but not in much drier Idaho.....

And of course, in Idaho. people have to be warned not to smoke around fireworks!

A short ride then a right turn onto US 95, and I was cycling through lovely irrigated farmland.  The air smelled of peppermint and onions, with an occasional blast of alfalfa.  An onion truck went by me, leaking onion juice onto the highway, and as I rode along I found many bit of onion peel.  A few miles on, I passed the onion processing plant.

I got off the four lane highway to head through the small town of Fruitland, which had many roadside fruit stalls.  One of the disappointing thing about this heat wave is that many places that I might stop are not open in the early morning.

Back out into the country, staying up on the plateau above the Snake River, which was dotted with Midwestern style farms, with irrigated fields much smaller than those you'd see in California, and many tidy farm houses.  The agriculture committee of the Nampa/Caldwell Chamber of Commerce had very recently placed cardboard signs announcing each of the crops that I passed:  peppermint, potato, seed corn, onions, alfalfa.  I couldn't help but think how much they had spent on this effort, and to what purpose?  Most of the traffic on the road appeared to be local farming folk....

I rolled into Parma.....no cheese, no milk, just a tiny little farm town, with a very nice park.  Had my morning snack and headed back on the road by 8, after being attacked by vicious hordes of mosquitos in front of the Ten Commandments monument (erected in the mid 60s, probably after the first school prayer decision).

A working drive in!

Lovely Parma park

The Ten Commandments, protected by vicious mosquitos

Main Street

After Parma you ride along the Boise River for 45 miles or so, right into downtown Boise.  It's very slight steady uphill grade for most of the way, and after about 25 miles I really started to flag.  I think the heat, early mornings, and worry about my rear wheel were finally beginning to catch up with me.  It was also starting to get hot, and there was no shade along the route, with the main line of the railroad on the right, and irrigated fields on the left (north side).

Next town was Notus (if Scotus is Supreme Court of the US, what is Notus I wondered?)  Turns out Notus was founded by confederate refugees from Missouri in 1864,  who settled the area to supply the miners further up the Boise River.  This area was for many years called Dixie.

I thought the historical market treatment was a little too sympathetic to the confederates, given that they were refugees for supporting slavery!  Idaho is a funny place that way.....

Next town, at mile 37 was Middleton, where I found the fine Ridley's Family Markets.  Definitely the nicest market since the Safeway in Redding, CA, with fresh fruit, and a great deli.  Very friendly staff, and a funny space called the Viking Loft, which is a raised section at the second floor level that overlooks the combined grocery/Ace Hardware store.  30 mins in the air conditioning was restorative.  However, the check out clerk was having a discussion with an ex-Californian about 'how crazy things are there now."  Like being sympathetic to slave owners isn't crazy? Gotta love Idaho....

I cycled through a couple more ex-farm towns turned suburbs, Star and Eagle, and the suburbs were as bland as faceless as any. 

Except for this strip mall!

The tripling of the population here in the last 30 years is mostly due to white flight from the West Coast, and you hear lots of talk about how much better it is here (eavesdropping, it seems to be a popular refrain among the locals).  Also interesting when people are told I'm from California, is the stories they have about Californians moving here.  Given the lack of diversity I've seen here, they must be all white Californians, as even most of the hotel maids are white and native English speakers.

I came upon this housing development between Caldwell and Middleton, clearly some kind of low income housing, where all the signs were in Spanish.  It was miles from any other development.

Just before I was to enter the Boise Greenbelt cycleway, I picked up a thorn in my front tire and had to change a flat in the blazing sun.  It was at mile 51, and by then it was in the 90s, humid and frankly, I had just had it.  I'm not sure how I picked up and went on, after the cycleway disappeared into a morass of unannounced construction, and I had to divert back to the now very busy four lane suburban highway.

Suddenly, I spied ahead of me what appeared to be two bicycles with panniers.  Could it be other crazy cycle tourists out in the heat as well?  I followed them at about the same distance for three miles or so, and came upon them stopped under the first shade trees for some miles.  Turns out there were a young couple from Prineville Oregon, who had just cycled across eastern Oregon on US 26.  The had started out from Weiser, ID, not far from Ontario, and they too had found trouble with the cycleway.  They would be staying in Boise tonight, then renting a car and driving home to Oregon tomorrow.  I was jealous.....

Checking our Google maps on our phones, we figured out that we could pick up the cycleway just on the the other side of Wal Mart and I headed off.  Happily the cycleway was mostly shady, and I was very envious of the locals swimming and floating down the rapids in the river.  I almost got off the bike to cool off on the river, but I was concerned about getting to the bike shop in time to get my wheel replaced today.  In hindsight, I should have said "what the hell" and gone for it!  Less mission focus please.....

The Boise River Greenbelt Cycleway

The cycleway disgorged me into downtown Boise, just three blocks from the Grove Hotel, and voila, I was there.  In the lap of luxury at Boise's only 4 Diamond hotel.  Turns out it was built by the Simplot family so that Boise would have a good, top class hotel (many years ago, when in Boise on business, hotels were quite country town).  This week is very slow, and they are running a great special on rooms, so I feel quite lucky to be enjoying it.  The didn't blink an eye when I pulled up on the bike, and asked if I wanted to take it to my room.

After dumping my gear it was a mile or so to George's where I got set up with a new wheel, extra spokes, and a lot of cool bike talk.  Lots of touring people work there, and one of the staff had spent quite a bit of time in New Zealand.  Nice to be back among the adventurous!

Back to the hotel, and a short nap, which really relieved no weariness...a signal for a rest day for sure.  Booked the room for another night, then went to have Basque food (who knew there was a Basque block in Boise) thinking that it would remind me of my very first bike tour, which I started in Bilbao many ago.  Alas, it's closed on Sunday.  Happily there was a Neapolitan pizza place nearby, and the food was great.

I can hardly keep my eyes open at this point....have the Tour on the telly for inspiration.  I've always wanted to cycle around Corsica, and now it's on the must list!

Good night all.  Pics and a bit of editing tomorrow.