Thursday - July 17th Burley to Snowville

Some tough long day today, as our sweep team G was on the job looking after the slowest riders' safety. The distance was 138km, which included 2 fairly significant climbs. Cycling out of Burley the rich green fields filled with crops greeted us. We saw red beets as well. A farmer told us that the irrigation pipes stay on one spot for 12 hours at a time, and on certain crops 24hrs at a time, before the line needs to be moved. Another crop spraying small plane entertained us for a while, this one single wing. After the first climb I reached Gayle Harrison, and we rode together for the rest of the day, chatting happily. Gayle is an extremely brave lady, as she was hit by a car in february this year, and still managed to come on the tour despite her many health concerns. She has enormous will power and determination, for which I got renewed respect today. We were out on the road for more than 10 hours, in this brutally blazing sun. Gayle developed a migraine about 6 miles from the camp and had to catch a SAG wagon. A strong head wind came up at noon and made the going very hard for the cyclists. This side of the mountain ranges we found wide open plains enfringed with distant blue mounta ins. Many ranches, horses and miles of just sage brush, though greener than after Boise. The road stretched straight on seemingly forever, and it was good to have company to chat with. We went down a couple of miles of 6% downhill where I found out that Gayle is able to descend at 45km/h! I took some photos from the bike on the move, which I hope to post soon. Tonight I am very tired, as it seems it is much more tiring to be out on the road for the whole day going slow, than to ride hard and fast to reduce exposure time to the heat of 35C - for me, that is. At the end of the day around 6pm, I caught up with Joanne Tipple, a RCA pastor from New York, noticing that she had a slow punch in the front wheel, which I re-inflated so she could each camp. She rides a heavyish mountain bike, which is not fast at all, but she starts very early every day and does her very best. Today she managed to do the whole ride. Gayle's bike is a hybrid and must be the heaviest on tour, but the tenacious lady rides it bravely! We came into camp almost an hour after dinner started, but the good staff kept food for us! The campsite does not have showers, so we made our own, using a large tarp and a hosepipe. This provided much fun as one had to go on hands and knees underneath to get inside, and that have a freezing shower, which made all the girls practice every high pitched sound in the spectrum. It was really cold enough to make one gasp for breath, but extremely refreshing after a long HOT day. Great fun and lots of laughs!
We also experienced the Lord'powerful protection again today, as both the kitchen trailer and the trailer carrying the Porta John got unhitched during transit! Fortunately the safety chains held and nothing serious happened on the quiet roads and little damage resulted. Yesterday the kitchen trailer lost a tire on the interstate, as the tire disintegrated - again contained and God's providence evident, as we sense that many people are praying for us. It so happened that 4 mischievous cyclists were drafting behind the porta potty when it unhitched. They weren't supposed to do any such thing at all, but young guys.....!!! I just wonder what would have gone first through their faces, had this less fragrant container of the inevitable call of nature overturned on them......?!!