June 28 – 113 miles to Blackfoot, ID. A very long day, with light headwinds
most of the way, and strong sun and temperatures around 90 in the
afternoon. A lot of sage brush
covered volcanic plain in the morning, and potatoes and wheat in the
afternoon. After dinner, I broke
out the guitar and did a few numbers for the group - Italian Ode to Joy, Heaven
& Hell, Joy to the World (by 3 Dog Night), Margaritaville – all with
customized lyrics to fit our biking situation. Quite a good reception, and probably there will be more
nights of music to come.
June 29 – 34 miles to Idaho Falls, ID. Our easiest day, so we left late and
arrived early, and now are resting up for the big push over the Teton Mts. to
Jackson Hole, WY.
Ever notice that groups, when bonding, start talking about
intimate details of their lives?
Sometimes more than you really want to know? Certainly happening here. For bikers, it seems the body part of choice is the butt –
that thing that sits on a narrow bike seat for 6 to 9 hours a day, and can get
pretty sore. Feet get some play,
and backs, but the butt is the hot topic.
So we find ourselves talking about which creams are best, how to avoid
sores, and simply how much it aches.
And I thought I was the only one who had these issues. My favorite comment, from a wife to
husband: “I’ve been perched on my
crotch for 12 days and you want to put what where?”
It is not just body parts that gets discussed – also a lot
of history sharing and key personal stories told, followed by related stories
from other people in the conversation, particularly on the easy days when we
have a lot of spare time. All
quite interesting. We are pretty
well past the “where are you from, what do you do, why are you here”
phase. And as expected, everyone,
once you get to know them, has a story – well most everyone, as there are still
some who either are very boring or simply are not ready to open up. Anyway, it feels good to be part of the
group.
As for names, I can now associate perhaps 35 to 40 of the
group with names, which seems about average. The problem is the older white guys – they all look alike.
