We woke up at 5:30 am to the sounds of Sand hill cranes, geese and cows. We were on the bike when it was still cool, overcast and comfortable.
After 33 miles we rolled into Lima and found Kathy at the RV park where she camped overnight. She had jugs of water ready and we started the resupply for the next couple of days. The check valve on the water filter needed to be fixed and we rearranged gear to add more water bottles. We headed over to the gas station and loaded up on sweet and salty treats and some sandwiches for lunch.
The sun was out when we left town on a paved, 8 mile frontage road with a slight downhill and a real tailwind. It was a treat to go fast for a little while. We turned into a canyon and the heat started to build. We were following a creek and I remembered the advice a Ranger at the Grand Canyon gave me about using the water to cool down. We stopped and waded into the creek, rinsed out our shirts and headband and instantly felt the cool relief.
Of course, the clouds moved in and the wind picked up but it was still pleasant when Joel spotted the mountain goats. Later in the afternoon I got to experience my first summer rainstorm with strong wind. We threw on the rain gear and waited for the storm to pass. We went to the next camping area that had a spring with nice cold water. We are the only ones here tonight. Tomorrow I have a big pass to climb.
