I had a good weekend. I did a century on Sunday- the same old Emmett Century which is easily my favorite century on some of the few roads that sprawl hasn’t eaten down here. I had thought about doing the longer ride, but I wasn’t out on the road until after 7:00. The first 40 miles is the same route. Monday I decided to repeat most of that ride that last year provided by double century. I was cycling away from the garage at 6:10, but still wasn’t home until 10:05 or so, and that was the 180 mile version. This time of year I could leave an hour earlier and should. I’d given myself the option to hop on the mountain bike with lights and finish the 2nd double century of my life, but somehow I wasn’t so eager to hop on the mountain bike after all those miles! At mile 160 I think my attitude began to change! I don’t remember this being an issue last year, but the next day, my butt and surrounding tissue just hurt. Late afternoon I made myself get on the bike for a 30 mile ride to Lucky Peak. The forecast was the same as Saturday- no thundershowers after many days of them. I should have given more concern to the gathering black clouds. I knew something was coming my way as a tailwind continued to build. By the time I got to the Idaho City Bridge, light sprinkles were turning into a downpour. The downpour with wind forced me to crawl up under the girders of the bridge, so I watched the lightening show and stayed dry! I started out lower on the bridge, but the blowing rain was getting me wet, so I crawled up to the top- didn’t realize there was a good view from up there! I try not to hang out under bridges, but I was glad I arrived at that one just when I did! The TV called it a very freak storm. They tracked how a small storm went thru Portland and tracked it into Boise. Just as it got here it collided with a storm blowing off the Nevada dessert and the combined storm rained on the 4th of July parade downtown- and me hiding under the bridge! Actually I had seen both banks of clouds before they met, but I didn’t realize what was coming! The day of my 180 mile ride was the only recent day without a thrunderstorm. I guess we’re lucky as they have kept the evenings comfortable, and a thunderstorm on my 180 mile day would have had me finishing after dark! I had taken my lights just in case though! Anyway, I got a few things done around the house, got lots of miles in, and wasn’t in the car at all this long weekend. I would have enjoyed joining you guys, but after all my recent travels, I just wasn’t ready to get back in the car!

Steve