Day 13 - Long and Hot with a Headwind

Today was the most challenging day of the ride to-date.  We had almost 86 miles to go from Burley to Pocatello, but the bigger challenges were the day-long headwinds and the ever increasing temperatures. 

Let's start with the good stuff.  We left at sunrise, and were treated to a lovely light show and low clouds that kept the morning temps at bay.

This picture just about sums up the entire day.  Long stretches of chip-seal pavement, not a lot of scenery, and wind trying to make us go back to where we came from. 

We did hear later of a herd of cows that crossed the road in this open range territory, and another rider accidentally ran over a small rattlesnake, sunning himself in the road.

There was no opportunity to take pictures when we hooked up with other riders to form pace lines of 5-9 people, each taking a turn at the front of the line to battle the wind and help move the group forward.   

We didn't want to include another picture of wind turbines (which, by the way, were spinning quite nicely today), but we had to include this turbine billboard.  Evidently, flying vehicles were not being wary of the red lights on the turbines at night....or let your imagine go .....

The last shot of the day  before we rolled into civilization and Pocatello where the temperature reached 100 degrees. These large irrigation pivots were all along the roadsides, turning brown into green and luscious crops of potatoes, alfalfa, corn, and many others.

Tomorrow - Idaho Falls - our last lower elevation level day before we make the ascent into the Teton Pass on Monday.