Day 7: Emmett to Lowman, ID

Traffic, wildfires, and long hot hills – but still fun as all get out! Today marked Bree and Kyle (from KEEN) and Bree’s fiancé Brent (yes -- they got engaged in the Boise Airport!) first day of riding with the group. To make the day even more special Suki from Idaho Conservation League and her friend Sharon also rode with us, it was fantastic to have such great energy and enthusiasm infused into the ride, not to mention Suki’s fresh legs setting the pace for us!

We saw more traffic (and mean drivers) on ID Hwy 55, then we have encountered before or since, then hit the hottest steepest climb to date. And to add to the pain caves we were dwelling in on the climb, there was a clear view down to the Payette and all the rafters and kayakers, frolicking and floating down the cool, clean river. Talk about the quickest way to make a hot cyclist bitter! (Just kidding… kind of).

In fact, most of our day was spent riding along various parts of the Payette River. We saw bits of the North Payette, the river protected from damming by ICL and Idaho Rivers United, then camped along the South Payette and where we enjoyed Pine Flats Hot Springs one of the BEST hot spring I’ve ever been to – it was nestled in a cliff above the river with bathwater perfect water (and no sulfur smell).

Campaign Profile: Boulder White-Clouds Wilderness

On Thursday, Hybrid.Pedal will roll into Ketchum, not far from the proposed Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness in Central Idaho. The Conservation Alliance supports Idaho Conservation League (http://www.wildidaho.org/) in their effort to secure Wilderness designation for 325,000 acres in the Boulder-White Clouds.

Ronald Reagan was the last president to sign Wilderness legislation for lands in Idaho, despite the fact that the state has some of the largest unprotected roadless areas in the Lower 48. The Boulder-White Clouds stands a solid chance of breaking that impasse and starting a new era of conservation in Idaho.

Working closely with Republican Congressman Mike Simpson, ICL has helped craft a proposal that will protect much of the Boulder-White Clouds Mountains, while providing economic benefits for gateway communities in Central Idaho. The proposal also makes concessions to the ranching and ATV communities in Idaho. Far from perfect legislation, the Boulder-White Clouds proposal reflects the diversity of stakeholders that want a piece of the BWC pie. For that reason, the proposal has endured criticism from all angles. In the end, though, it would permanently protect 325,000 acres of land, and cap ATV in adjacent lands at current levels. Interesting factoid: There were 750 registered ATVs in Idaho in 1980. In 2004, there were 104,000.

The primary threat to the area is unregulated ATV use. The legislation would help address that issue by defining where motorized recreation is allowed, and where it is not. Without the Wilderness designation, it is likely that ATV use will chip away at the wilderness characteristics of the Boulder-White Clouds.

I'm sure it's been a long haul for the riders from Boise to Ketchum. We hope they enjoy a nice visit and party when they are in town!

John Sterling

(Still at my desk in Bend, wishing I was on a bike)

Day 6: Rest Day!

We are currently at a party at Idaho River Sports in Boise, ID to celebrate the Payette River put on in honor of Hybrid.Pedal to raise awareness for local conservation group Idaho Rivers United. We are psyched for such a great reception, delicious BBQ with locally grown butter dipped corn on the cob and cold beer and wine donated by the Co-op and Sockeye Brewery all set to some tasty local music by Bill Coffey and Ned “with the amazing hair.”

On this rest and recovery day we want to send a BIG THANKS to all of you who have been rooting for us on our journey. From here the ride will only get better!

Day 5: Burns to Frenchglen, OR

We went into today expecting an easy refresh day after yesterday’s 90 miles only to find that each day presents its own challenges. Although the road from Burns to Frenchglen is only 60 miles and mostly flat it became one of our most grueling rides. With long stretches of open prairie land, cross winds and a clear view of exactly what lay ahead today’s ride was a tough one.

As the miles slipped past us we entered the wildlife refuge that surrounds Frenchglen and prairie turned into marsh grass and rock banded hills. In the end we were rewarded for the days efforts with dip in a deep, fresh swimming hole (3 sandwiches), a home cooked meal at the Frenchglen Hotel, and air conditioned rooms and a grassy lawn to camp on. Much to our glee the bugs that we had been warned about seemed to be taking the night off.

After a brief nap we headed off to Steens Mountain Wilderness Area, which we had been watching on the horizon all day. I don’t think any of us were prepared for the take-your-breath-a-way beauty of this amazing place. The Steens is one of the places Conservation Alliance Grants helped to preserve. Standing atop this 9,000 ft. mountain overlooking geographic features unlike anything I have ever seen before, watching the sunset, then the moon rise was a moment of a lifetime and the kind of experience that makes the importance of the work of conservation groups across the world come into sharp perspective. I am so grateful the Steens will be available for future generations to experience.

As we turn in tonight we are all looking forward to a great rest day tomorrow as we head off to Idaho.

A Little History: Steens Mountain, Payette River

As the Hybrid.Pedal riders cross the border between Oregon and Idaho, I thought it would be a good time for a history lesson. The team spent last night in Frenchglen, a small town on the west side of Steens Mountain. Steens is often called the "crown jewel of Oregon's High Desert", and I won't argue.

In 2000, The Conservation Alliance gave $20,000 to Oregon Natural Desert Association (http://www.onda.org/) to support the group's effort to secure permanent protection for Steens Mountain. In the waning days of the Clinton Administration, ONDA generated the public support necessary to help move legislation through Congress to designate 170,000 acres on Steens Mountain as Wilderness. In addition, through the legislation, ONDA won the first-ever legislated "cow-free" Wilderness on 100,000 of those acres. (Grazing is allowed in Wilderness unless otherwise prohibited). The protections ensured that Steens Wilderness remains roadless and closed to resource extraction forever.

Tomorrow, the riders will pedal along the North Fork Payette River, which holds a special place in the lore of The Conservation Alliance. In our very first funding cycle, back in 1989, The Conservation Alliance made four grants, one of which was to the Friends of the Payette. It was a little group of paddlers that banded together to halt a proposed dam on the North Fork Payette. Those of you who paddle, will recognize the NF Payette as one of North America's premiere whitewater runs. This ragtag group of kayakers decided to take on JR Simplot -- Idaho's largest landowner -- who wanted to dam the NF Payette for hydropower. Friends of the Payette -- which morphed into Idaho Rivers United (http://www.idahorivers.org/) -- stood up to Simplot and rallied enough public outrage to halt the dam proposal. The victory proved to The Conservation Alliance that supporting passionate, local organizations was the most effective way to preserve the special wild places that we need for habitat and recreation.

As Hybrid.Pedal continues through Idaho, the riders will visit more places that need protection. It's important to pause and remember the people who worked hard to save places we now enjoy, and occasionally take for granted. Thanks ONDA and IRU!

John Sterling

Conservation Alliance Executive Director

(still chained to my desk)

Day 4: Paulina to Burns, OR

90 miles today! Make that 90 miles of climbing and ripping descents. It was a roller coaster of a day, and with temperatures hitting 97 degrees it tested all of our endurance.

As we darted (and slugged) through Ochocos we were stopped by a (very friendly) ranger who almost turned us around due to fire crews at work. Thankfully he was sympathetic to the mission of Hybrid.Pedal and let us proceed with caution. The stop also provided a much needed rest after the longest hill climbs to date en route to Salt Lake City.

One of the most amazing things about the country we rode through today was its vastness and the change in landscape. As we traveled from high desert to forest and back down into the plains I was reminded of how special Oregon is and how very important it is to set aside lands that will retain the character of what we saw today for future generations.

As I sit in Burns at the Sage Bed & Breakfast enjoying the last hours of the day, and the accomplishment of our hardest ride to date I'm looking forward finding out what adventures are on the horizon for us tomorrow as we head to the Steens.

Prineville to Paulina, OR

What a day! We saw miles and miles of open space, on our 58 mile ride today. After a long gradual climb we hit one of the most fun descents into a gem of a valley. Definitely a ride highlight. We all seem to be riding stronger and are traveling faster than anticipated, but with a 90 mile ride ahead of us tomorrow, we’ll get a real sense of how much the group has progressed.

Today we stopped in Post, OR. (photo of Post general store).

Which is significant to our journey for 3 reasons:

First - it is the geographic center of Oregon.

Second - it is the location where Linda lost her iPod to a port-a-potty. Although it was a sad moment, the comedic value of the loss mitigated the tragedy of the situation. The saddest part of the loss will be riding (tomorrow) our longest day on the trip sans music.

Third -we met Mariah, the grand daughter of the Post General Store shop keeper who amazed us all with her animal impersonations. This little girl could give Jim Carey a run for his money. She did the most convincing cougar any of us had ever heard.

After the ride we settled in for the night in Paulina, OR (population 36). This overnight ended up being more of a treat than any of us could have anticipated. The town Mayor Mason came out to greet us, the locals made us a pasta dinner, at which Linda's salvaged iPod (retrieved from the depths of the port-a-pottie) made a suprise appearance.

Add a dip in a 4 sandwich swimming hole in the Ochoco National Forest to the mix and , and music with “cowboy singer,” Jerry, who came down from the range to play for our group and end up with a truly perfect day for the Hybrid.Pedal crew.

It was amazing to see such different ways of life and to catch a glimpse of how creating wilderness areas impacts differnt groups of people. For instance, Mariah has grown up with daily wildlife spottings that without protected wilderness areas may one day become rare.

Stay tuned for updates on the iPod saga