If there were a prize to be had for being completely inconsiderate to forms of transportation which do not require fossil fuels, Idaho might take first place. I had noticed by the time we reached Caldwell that it was very difficult to bike in Idaho. No bike lanes and sometimes no shoulders even. By the time we reached Nampa I realized that there were hardly any sidewalks! ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘maybe these cities are too small and Boise will be different.’ Boy was I wrong. In all of Boise I noticed two streets with bike lanes and they don’t take you to any place useful. Asking about bike shops brought blank stares from almost everyone I tried. When I finally found a bike shop, I asked them for a bicycle map of the city. ‘Sure we have maps,’ they said; then they showed me a rack of mountain biking books of Idaho. No one commutes by bike I guess.

I love Idaho

Leaving Boise was not much better. We had to take I-84 most of the way to Bruneau Sand Dunes. Interstate riding kinda sucks. There was a frontage road most of the way, but a lot of it was gravel, so we couldn’t use it. The road from Buhl to Shoshone was also difficult due to the 40 mph side wind. I guess that and all the thorns aren’t anyone’s fault…