Day Two Hundred-twelve, Date Monday, September 28, 2009
Time in Saddle: 7:27
Distance for the Day: 77.79 miles From Rexburg To Howe, ID
Accumulated Trip Distance: 10,689 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 5032’/5427’, Highest: 5430’ Accumulated: 1188’
Speeds: Avg: 10.4 mph, Max: 25.0 mph
Weather: 44° clear and cold warming to the low 80s during the day
Expenditures: $19
Woke and got up at 7:30am, and had a breakfast of 10-grain cereal. I thanked Scott and Rachel, said goodbye to the children, and took off at 8:15am to continue due west on Hwy 33; it was 35 miles to the next town, but I had already stocked up fairly well, already, so just went on down the road, hoping to make good progress this day. Theoretically, there was some bad weather coming in for the next several days – I hoped I could avoid it, somehow (hope springs eternal). About 7 miles out of Rexburg, at 9:51am, I found something I’d never seen before: a county park with free camping, that had bathroom facilities,
tot lots, and picnic tables – free! Amazing. The campsite had the unlikely name of Beaver Dick, named after a fur trader that lived in the region in the late 1800s. He would have even been able to beat a boy named Sue. I made the tiny town of Tarreton by 12:50pm, and the similarly sized town of Mud Lake right after that, but at least Mud Lake had a restaurant and a gas station. I got a lunch of burger, fries, salad and soda ($14), and I also took a bit of time to figure out that I’ve gone nearly 4100 miles without a flat (including passing over roughly about 40 miles of dirt and gravel roads), since I installed a new set of tires at my sister’s in New Jersey. Along with the new
tires, I also utilized tire liners (Mr. Tuffy), and self-healing innertubes with goop in them. This has worked remarkably well! After lunch, I took off, but remembered I had to get more Gatorade, so turned back, got it ($2), and *then* continued on towards the next big town, Arco. The terrain went from farmland around Rexburg to open plains of sage similar to Nevada, and became farmland, again. The high, wispy cirrus clouds kept the Sun somewhat cooler as temperatures rose higher to the mid-80s. For a while, the road out of Rexburg was excellent with new pavement and sufficient shoulder, and it went a good long way. Then, it became older pavement with
narrower shoulder, but it was only had a medium amount of traffic, and there were no major problems.
Time in Saddle: 7:27
Distance for the Day: 77.79 miles From Rexburg To Howe, ID
Accumulated Trip Distance: 10,689 miles
Altitudes: Starting/Ending 5032’/5427’, Highest: 5430’ Accumulated: 1188’
Speeds: Avg: 10.4 mph, Max: 25.0 mph
Weather: 44° clear and cold warming to the low 80s during the day
Expenditures: $19
Woke and got up at 7:30am, and had a breakfast of 10-grain cereal. I thanked Scott and Rachel, said goodbye to the children, and took off at 8:15am to continue due west on Hwy 33; it was 35 miles to the next town, but I had already stocked up fairly well, already, so just went on down the road, hoping to make good progress this day. Theoretically, there was some bad weather coming in for the next several days – I hoped I could avoid it, somehow (hope springs eternal). About 7 miles out of Rexburg, at 9:51am, I found something I’d never seen before: a county park with free camping, that had bathroom facilities,
tot lots, and picnic tables – free! Amazing. The campsite had the unlikely name of Beaver Dick, named after a fur trader that lived in the region in the late 1800s. He would have even been able to beat a boy named Sue. I made the tiny town of Tarreton by 12:50pm, and the similarly sized town of Mud Lake right after that, but at least Mud Lake had a restaurant and a gas station. I got a lunch of burger, fries, salad and soda ($14), and I also took a bit of time to figure out that I’ve gone nearly 4100 miles without a flat (including passing over roughly about 40 miles of dirt and gravel roads), since I installed a new set of tires at my sister’s in New Jersey. Along with the new
tires, I also utilized tire liners (Mr. Tuffy), and self-healing innertubes with goop in them. This has worked remarkably well! After lunch, I took off, but remembered I had to get more Gatorade, so turned back, got it ($2), and *then* continued on towards the next big town, Arco. The terrain went from farmland around Rexburg to open plains of sage similar to Nevada, and became farmland, again. The high, wispy cirrus clouds kept the Sun somewhat cooler as temperatures rose higher to the mid-80s. For a while, the road out of Rexburg was excellent with new pavement and sufficient shoulder, and it went a good long way. Then, it became older pavement with
narrower shoulder, but it was only had a medium amount of traffic, and there were no major problems.I made Howe at 5:15pm, and stopped for 20 minutes at a mini mart for an ice cream sandwich and soda ($3). I still had a bit more daylight; I wouldn’t make it to Arco, but I still wanted to use that daylight to get further along, so I kept riding. When the Sun did start to get low to the horizon, at 7:18pm I found a pretty good stealth campsite just off the highway – a kind of small gravel quarry (N43 38.159’ W113 7.004’). I was near enough to the road to still hear vehicles going by,
but there weren’t many, and I was completely hidden from view. Also, if it decided to rain during the night, the gravel I set my tent up on would provide excellent drainage. I knew it might rain, but the night was so clear and temperate, I didn’t put the rain fly on – just made it readily available, should I need it. I hopped inside with book, munchies, and soda, and read for a while before going to sleep at 9pm. I woke up a few times during the night, and could see that some of the stars were being obscured by some clouds, but it never did rain.
but there weren’t many, and I was completely hidden from view. Also, if it decided to rain during the night, the gravel I set my tent up on would provide excellent drainage. I knew it might rain, but the night was so clear and temperate, I didn’t put the rain fly on – just made it readily available, should I need it. I hopped inside with book, munchies, and soda, and read for a while before going to sleep at 9pm. I woke up a few times during the night, and could see that some of the stars were being obscured by some clouds, but it never did rain. 
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