Day 7

Day 7 – June 24, 2001 Boise, ID Day of Rest 449.54 total trek miles             Our desires have become very simple since we started the bike trip. On the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we are definitely operating on the lowest level. Warm food and a carpeted floor is all we require for complete satisfaction. Of course, all of our generous host families & friends have gone way beyond that and spoiled us rotten. We awoke this morning to the most glorious day of all, our first rest day!             We all rolled out of bed fairly late compared to a normal ride day, as church didn't start until 11:30 am. Imagine sitting and singing the opening hymn in Sacrament meeting (comparable to mass) when in walk four bald men and an afro wearing zip-off pants and sandals. We created quite a stir. The Bates, our wonderful hosts for the weekend, enjoyed explaining to their friends and neighbors why we looked the way we did.              After the meetings we were picked up by Toni Budge who drove us in her enourmous F350 Super Duty out to her home in Meridian. We had met the Budges on Day 5 in a little town named Glenn's Ferry. Toni had misinformed us as to the ENORMITY of the hills we would face before reaching Mountain Home and had offered to repair the damages (there were none to be repaired, of course) by having us over for lunch. Toni and Rich, her husband, fed us fresh salmon, spinach salad, and strawberry short cake. Do we deserve this?  The highlight, however, had to be playing human jungle gym with Sydney and Tanner, the Budges' children, and Jenna, Devon, and Morgan, their next door neighbors. Those kids have so much energy among the five of them that maybe THEY should be going on the bike trip.              We returned to the Bates home to rest a little, then went to the site of where the Bates are building their new home here in Boise, up by Table Rock. From there, we watched the spectacular firework show that ended the Boise River Festival. We all agreed that contrary to preconceived notions, Boise would be a great place to live.               The rest day went quicker than you can imagine, we are off again on the bikes tomorrow to try to arrive at Vancouver, Washington before our next rest day.