Day 12: Boiling Springs to Idaho City

June 25, 2020

"Komorebi" is one of my favorite words. It is Japanese for "the interplay between light and leaves when sunlight shines through trees." And on our beautiful morning ride, we were treated to a great deal of it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. We awoke to sunlight filtering through the cabin drapes, eager to start another day. Amanda and Heather treated us to their homemade bacon and waffles with honey butter, which was spectacular. Their unending generosity and kindness has been such a serendipitous part of this trip, certainly something that Caleb and I are to remember years from now.

Following our goodbyes, we went off route, taking a shorter road that would avoid a major climb and make up for our curtailed day yesterday. It was a quick jaunt down alongside the Payette River before we reconnected with the main route. We stopped here to soak our feet in the scalding waters of Fire Crew Hot Springs before forging on.

Several miles past our final hot spring. Certainly not a place I'd want to fall off the road!

The day became increasingly hot as we neared Crouch, with each passing glimpse of sunlight through the leaves searing our skin. We took a lunch break at the park in Crouch, reveling in the cool breeze under the pavilion.

Overlooking the mountains surrounding Crouch.

The climb out of Crouch was intense in the afternoon heat, and we struggled at times to make forward progress. By the time we reached the final few switchbacks, we chose to walk out bikes rather than ride them. I sweat like mad, and consumed nearly 9 liters of water by the day's end.

Sweating up another climb. The stream of salt water down my face was unending.

We soon made it to the mining town of Placerville, where we stopped at the general store for some much-deserved ice cream. The town was quaint, but eery at the same time.

The former mining town of Placerville. Now only a few businesses, houses, and shacks remain.

With the sunlight finally weaning, we finished the thirteen mile ride to Idaho City, which involved one more blistering climb. Call us gluttonous, but once in town we proceeded to purchase another ice cream at the local confectionary. From town, it was just a short ride on the freeway and then up a gravel road to a free campsite alongside a creek. Our hard work today positioned at the base of what appears to be the largest climb of the trip, which we intend on tackling early tomorrow morning. From there, it is nearly all downhill to Lucky Peak State Park, and the end of our Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route journey.

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 539 miles (867 km)

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Susan CarpenterI view the opportunity for multiple ice cream stops while touring fortuitous, not gluttonous
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