Riders Work, Rest and Play in Boise
Along with Sunday's Celebration Rally in a downtown park, the Sea to Sea tour’s weekend stop in Boise had two other special events on its schedule: a volunteer service project and a time to distribute mail from home.
Following their 65-mile, 105-km ride on Saturday, a few dozen cyclists volunteered their time and skills with Boise Rescue Mission and the Boise Bicycle Project fixing up bicycles that would later be donated to those in need.
In her blog, Marti du Plessis, of Newmarket, Ont., wrote that the Boise Bicycle Project donated 270 bikes in the past year, all fixed by only a handful volunteers who work there on Saturdays.
“We helped them by stripping bikes that are irreparable for usable parts,” wrote du Plessis. “They use a condemned building that they have been given permission to use for some time, and have about a 1,000 bikes waiting for repairs. We had great fun and I found out I can be a bike mechanic in reverse, since stripping bikes is easy! We did in two hours what would have taken the staff there a couple of months to do.”
Boise served as the first of four cities on the tour at which participants can receive letters and packages from family and friends. The mail was delivered on Saturday evening.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Bob and Lisa Brouwer, of Grand Rapids, Mich., wrote in their blog. “We had so much fun opening up all of our letters and packages. It was very encouraging to know that you are thinking about us and supporting us.”
“As wonderful as the Sea To Sea group is, I am missing my friends, family and church community,” wrote Gayle Harrison, of London, Ont., who received a lot of mail from home. “Being reminded that they are still with me was what I needed, especially with such tough routes the next two weeks as we traverse the Rockies.”
Monday’s relatively short ride starts a 444-mile, 715-km week through Idaho and Utah. It culminates with a 95-mile, 153-km trek on Saturday through Salt Lake City that includes almost 6,000 feet of climbing.
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