Today we head south on hwy 89, following the Snake River. The road is smooth with a wide shoulder plus NO WIND so we make swift progress. They must do a lot of Elk hunting here, there is an arch over hwy 89 in the small town of Afton made completely of antlers. After lunch, at mile 86, we reach the summit of the first big climb of the day, Salt River Pass, 7,617 feet. I have some pictures but having problems emailing them from my phone. Will try to get that straightened out later.
The temperature and thus the wind has picked up now so from here to Montpelier is a slow slog. The tour aggregates in small groups and the second climb comes about 10 miles out from the finish. It is similar to the first, about a 5 mile long moderate grade push into the wind. Shortly before reaching town we encounter a construction zone down to one lane loose gravel. Some guys try to ride through it but get covered in dust kicked up by cars. I and two other guys flag a kindly driver in a pick up to give us a ride through the mess. Thank you! The day ends with these statistics:
117 miles
8 hours overall
17.6 mph rolling average
40 mph max speed
6:36 ride time
4,040 feet cumulative climbing
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