Our previous day (Day 3) strategy of
riding some of the trails and bailing out to a highway worked so
well, that we decided we would employ it for the remainder of the
trip. This day we would ride 74 miles of dirt and finish the day with
44 miles of highway pavement.
The Statistics for the day were as
follows:
Max Elevation – 10,410 ft
Total Ascent – 13,434 ft
Total Miles – 118
Avg Speed – 22.8 mph
Top Speed – 64 mph
The day started per usual with Todd
waking us up at 6:30 AM and then making coffee for all. The trails
started with some gravel road and jeep trail, but then transitioned
to a long and beautiful single track trail (image a wilderness hiking
trail) that skirted the Hemingway Boulders wilderness area within
Sawtooth National Forest. The trail was beautiful, fun, and a little
technical.
After the wilderness we would reach our
highest elevation of the trip at Railroad Pass (10,410 feet). From
the pass we traveled dirt roads to Old Sawmill Station, where we
intersected Highway 75. We stopped in Old Sawmill for lunch and gas
at the Sinclair station/store/cafe.
Highway 75 would take us to our
destination at Challis Hot Springs and RV Park. The Hot Springs
resort has two large pools fed by a natural hot spring. One pool is
held at ~100°F while the other ranges from 104-110°F. These proved to
be rejuvenating after our days on the bikes.
When we arrived and started settling
in, we were greeted by our neighbors – an energetic and jovial
couple in their 80s. They were intrigued with our gear and the story
of our adventure. They hung around for a while, loaned us a water hose, later joined us
around the campfire, and also met us the next morning to wish us well.
They were a lot of fun and a good reminder of how we should enjoy life and each other.
Also at this campground was Tony
Jenkins who was just recently crowned as one of the few finishers of
the official Tour of Idaho trail. Riding the entire trail per the
official specification is a grueling ordeal and worthy of great
recognition and praise. Tony was a super nice guy, shared some
stories of his recent accomplishment, and offered advice to help us
with our planning.
