USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 13, 16 August: Boise to Mountain Home, ID

I have been relying a lot on Sally’s excellent daily updates.  I think of a LOT of things to say during a ride… but they just seem to fade with the fog of fatigue when I get to the hotel.

In my defense, here is what is becoming our basic routine:

– Wake up 1 to 1½ hour before ‘breakfast’ to do the ‘necessities’, prep bike (lights, Garmin, cycling kit for the day, take overnight bags to Entrance for Mark/Nic to load).  Then breakfast, which depends on the willingness of the hotel to put items out as early as 5am.  Mark ALWAYS has breakfast ready 1hr before sunrise… because…

 – The plan is to depart 30 min before sunrise. To get as much mileage in before the heat sets in… and it IS starting to set in.  94 deg when I finished yesterday and 92 today.

 – Support stops with Sally and/or Mark every 10 to 20 miles, depending on difficulty of terrain and temps – with a sumptuous, i.e., pb&j or ham sandwiches – midway meal stop.

 – Continue riding for whatever *(% miles remain; finishing anywhere from 11am to 3pm local depending on length, difficulty of days ride (read as how many, how difficult the climbs are).

  – Arrive at lodgings for the night. Immediately decompress with massive amount of cold fluid… which includes a beer toast to that day’s classmate memorial.

   –  Evening Quarters meeting 3 to 4 hours after arrival… usually about 4pm.  Most of us like to eat a BIG meal before the meeting so we can crash right after.

— At the meeting, we go over observations from the days ride… which includes comments about the *&% climbs. Then one of us gives a short memorial of that day honoree(s).  I admit not knowing a lot about many; maybe recognizing a name but not much else…  These memorial sessions have been very beneficial putting essence to who these men were.

Then we go over the next day’s ride… how many *&^ climbs there are is becoming more important than the length of the ride.

— Then we CRASH, unless you have enough mental energy left to write up the Blog – Bill Montgomery is doing a terrific job managing it.  I highly recommend you pass the word to check it out.  The link is also on the Group FB site.

— So ‘Lights out’ can be anywhere from 6pm to 9pm.  I will leave it to you which I gravitate to.

— REPEAT

— REPEAT………

……….and it now being 8:15, you can guess my next activity.

Ron Bowman