We started the day by packing up and trundling along the highway for a few minutes before turning off and doing one of the silliest detours... of the route - 8 or so miles of deep, black sand and rutted road forming two sides of the triangle, the third being the short stretch of road we just left. We stopped at a Subway still in the township of Island Parks thanks to our detour and then turned to go up into the more green, mountainous land. We hit a little bit of single track and stopped to say hello to some cute doggies with a couple fishing in the creek after ensuring they weren’t going to eat us. The single track gave way to double track and we turned onto a gravel road, pumping up our tires as we started a climb. We then fell into a valley and road past a vast RV park looking over a mountain and distant lake.

Climbing once again, we edged towards the border with Montana and, at the crest, we were greeted by Amelia and Sebi bursting out of the trees, hollering and waving signs!!! She had reached out to Ziven in order to surprise me at the border, and while I was shocked I also knew in my heart Amelia would always do things like this for me. We hung out with them for a while and Ziven made us some hot chocolate and coffee while Amelia and I chit-chatted away and we gave tours of our bikes. She was surprised by how medium stinky we were and a few slow Tour Dividers taking a rest were amused by the sight. After they wished us well and sent us with blessings into their state, we descended into another large valley and passed a huge lake and many more Tour Dividers.

The dust was really getting kicked up by heavy campers and we could see them coming for miles, but, luckily or not, we turned off the main road and headed straight towards some foothills. Turning before we started climbing, we finished our audiobook which was a murder mystery set in Berkeley and were met with the strongest winds we faced the whole trip. The headwind was brutal and we stopped for snacks often, but once we turned and it became a crosswind it was almost impossible to ride without getting knocked over. We stopped to filter water at a small creek while cows watched us and hoped that the wind and the rain it brought with it would die down in the fifteen minutes it took for us to fill our bottles. The wind did die down and we were off like a herd of turtles, slowly winding our way along the foothills, getting attacked by mosquitos when we stopped for cookies near a dam, and raced against the sunset for the first time in a while. As we completed our final baby climb of the day, which felt quite large 85 some miles in, we were finally optimistic enough to think we would make it to Lima before sunset.

As the sprinklers of hay farmers grew denser and more dwellings popped up, we hit pavement and entered Lima, beelining for the gas station in case it closed soon. Stocking up on “healthy” snacks and all of the preservatives one could buy, we bought dinner and dessert before asking about accommodations. Ziven went to the office at the motel across the street and secured bike camping for $10 including a shower in one of the motel rooms! We set up camp, ate snacks and ice cream, enjoyed the sunset over the highway next door, and then took turns showering in one of the more decrepit motel rooms I’ve been in. Glad to be in our own tent and not the motel, we watched a little TV before conking out.