It's Getting hot Hot HOT

Second rest day tomorrow; 7 riding days down, 33 to go.

Apparently when you live in the Northern parts of the US, you have NO IDEA what REAL HEAT is. Lucky for me, I've grown up in Louisiana all my life and then proceeded to go to college in Washington, DC; both places full of heat and full of humidity. It definitely came in handy the past few days.

Day 6: Spokane to Sandpoint

After a full day of rest, we were ready to roll into our SECOND STATE! We were on our way to IDAHO..woo hoo. I believed the only thing worth anything in Idaho were there sacks of potatoes, but apparently my misconceptions have come back to haunt me once again. Idaho was marvelous! We spent most of our time riding along the Pend Orielle River, a river made from glaciers! It was absolutely breathtaking. The water was so clear, we could see the fish swimming in it. We could see the snow caps in the background and with every wind in the road, there was a new breathtaking showcase to uphold. I could hardly believe my eyes. It felt like I should have been in the islands in the middle of the Pacific, not the panhandle of Idaho (there's a state with a panhandle other than Florida? Who knew?)

All in all, a spectacular ride.

Since it was Saturday evening and we would be riding all day Sunday, we decided to try and catch the vigil mass. The mass was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The priest's homily was a story about their lives and the struggle they went through in order to pass Christ's message to others. I thought if they can go through all the pain and suffering they endured, I can surely take a little knee and bum pain in order to make it across the US.

Upon returning to camp, the boys on the trip had decided to play a little trick on us. Our bikes were hung up in the tree with rope. Rachel had to climb the tree and use her super dooper camping awesomeness knife to cut the bikes down. Revenge will be sweet, boys, that's all I have to say about that.

Day 7: Sandpoint, ID to Thompson Falls, MT

Hills, hills, hills...I've never seen so many in one day. Scenery was gorgeous once again. We were warned we may see moose, but I wasn't so lucky. I did, however, have a close encounter with a deer. it sprinted across the highway right in front on me! A bike on deer collision was avoided, but it would have been a cool story to get road rash from Bambi.

By the time Letty and I were riding the last 13 miles, I thought I would not be able to make it. I really should have made another peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Luckily, I did make it, and I lived to see another day.

Oh, and we made it to our third state...and switched time zones. This may be my first time in the mountain time zone...so weird!

Upon arriving at camp, Letty and I decided to go for a swim. We walked down to the water and started making our way in. The water was so cold, I instantly got chill bumps upon taking a step in. Can't say it was a bad way to cool off in the 105 degree heat though.

When we were walking back to camp, the ride leader yelled at one of our support vehicles to let us into the car. There was a mama bear and her cub back at camp, and we could have been bear bait if we continued walking down the path. Saved once again by our support vehicles - magicians in disguise.

The forecast insinuated the temperature would reach around 105 the following day, so we were given the option to skip breakfast and start early. Considering we're broke college graduates, we decided to bear the heat and take in the breakfast.

Day 6: Thompson Falls to Missoula

BREAKFAST WAS AMAZING! All those riders who woke up 4AM in order to beat the heat really missed out.

Today was the first day we were required to ride 100 miles. I decided to bang it out as quickly as possible, and made it to our stop before most of the riders.

Unfortunately, because I had ridden ahead, I had no clue Rachel was lagging behind. I got to camp and was told Rachel was truly in pain. I found out later she was having symptoms of heat exhaustion and at one point was thinking of getting a ride into camp. Letty, being the amazing friend and person that she is, stuck with her and then gave her a 5-hour energy supplement. Next thing you know, Rachel was back on the bike and making her way to Missoula.

We three successfully completed a century; we have entered a category of 1% of 1% of the US population...that's pretty darn cool.

Missoula rest day tomorrow; wonder what's in store.

Yay Big Ride!