Another day another great route. We started off on a flat that was good for warming the legs before a nice little climb followed by a left turn that took us way off the beaten path to a little valley that lies at the western edge of the Great Basin. This valley gives Montana’s Paradise Valley a run for its money in terms of bucolic splendor and is one of the gems in the treasure chest of this week.  Lunch was at Pine Creek School, a school that made Crane Union High look like a huge university (kids from Pine Creek to high school in Crane).

After lunch was a 1.5 mile stretch that was beloved by the cyclocross crowd due to its lack of pavement. Then a nice climb filled with an up, a down, two ups, a down then three ups before a big down back to the Silvies Valley. It was a reasonably challenging day and more than a few riders are looking a little tired this evening (others are looking like they could do this all day every day — probably because they could).

Tonight many hearts will be heavy with the knowledge that it’s almost over, but they will be warmed quickly through camaraderie, revelry and perhaps a dram or two of corn squeezin’s.