Waking up and getting going in Dillon was tough for me this morning. I just knew my foggy state of mind was going to cause me to forget something. After stopping at our first scenic vista, I realized what it was - my camera. I resolved to call the hotel and restaurant that we ate breakfast at when we stopped in Idaho Falls *(I did so several times - they claim they have not found it). The pictures included here are due to the kindness of Jim McCann, Colleen Ryder and Steve McCann who allowed me to copy theirs for this blog.
We took a route out of Dillon that Colleen recommended in order to avoid the Interstate 15 South ride that was on the pre-planned itinerary. We all agreed that it looked fine, although my computer map did not at first diplay a connection between two roads that she was suggesting. I was able to zoom close in and see that there was indeed a connection and we went for it.
The road at first was scenic and wonderful, passing by a reservoir over the dam spillway. As we rode by the dam I smelled some bad chemical odor and wondered what it was. It became apparent moments later when a reservoir employee on an ATV turned into a parking lot on the side of the road. His ATV contained a large plastic spray cannister. I imagine he was spraying the weeds on the side of the road or something. I don't understand why you would do that so near a reservoir that I presume is for drinking/irrigation and/or recreation.
The road climbed up past some farms and along a riverbank until finally - it ended, sort of. It turned into a dirt/gravel road through cattle ranches for the last 10-15 miles. It was slow going through the herds of cattle and over very dusty gravel.
When we arrived at the Bannock Pass sign we stopped and discussed the going so far. The opinions of riding on the dirt/gravel were mixed among our group. A passing truck told us that there were 8 + miles left of this type of riding. We got on with it and soon made it to Rt. 28 South. The road started as a nice valley ride through semi-wooded low mountain ranges. After 30 miles it turned into a ride through desert scrubland through a nuclear test area on a road that seemed to strech on forever. On a very hot day where you could see mirages on the horizon and nothing else when you looked 20 miles down the road. No cars and very few animals. One interesting sight was two horses standing "ass to nose" with each other and using their tales to swat the flies from each other's faces. Nothing beats teamwork!
After the hottest riding yet we reached our hotel in Idaho Falls. Most of us went swimming soon after check-in. We went to supper at a restaurant across the street where Colleen and Dennis Ryder celebrated their 27th (I hope I remembered that number correctly!) wedding anniversary. They were given a huge slice of ice cream cake on the house.
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