Arco, Idaho - Twenty-Two Tour - CycleBlaze

June 20, 2022

Arco, Idaho

Cold, drizzly morning.
Only supposed to get up to 58F.
58F on the day before the summer solstice.
Go figure. 

My Little Cabana for Two Nights
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So I decided to get an extra night at the motel.
Laze about all day and do nothing.
There is something to be said for doing nothing.
It sure beats multitasking.

Amazing How Quickly Things Explode Out of the Panniers
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First chore - head to the hardware store.
To see if they have a pump and an extra tube.
Nope - no luck - they've never heard of presta valves.
Which is only one reason why presta is a bad idea on tour.

Next stop - the grocery store.
Given the day off and a fridge in the room - 
I stock up on all kinds of luxuries - like apple juice.

Jenny & Cliff
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On the way out there are 3 touring cyclints in the parking lot.
Keith, from Colorado, is doing a loop in the West - mostly on road.
Jenny and Cliff are doing the off-road Western Wildlands Route.
She's from Alaska, he's from England.
I warned them that the Magruder Corridor is simply brutal.

A Shuttered Store in Arco
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The Baptist Church Is the Most Well-Maintained Historic Structure in Town
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I did two tours of Arco - one before and one after lunch.
Arco claims to be the first city lighted by nuclear power.
That was probably 1955 - and little has happened since then.
It has been gutted like so many other small towns.
With the Covid pandemic providing the nails in the coffin.

First City Lighted by Atomic Power !!
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Arco is too far from Sun Valley or Jackson Hole to benefit from tourism.
It's at the back door of the Idaho National Laboratory.
INL is shorthand for nuclear research and waste storage.
But the front door faces Pocatello and Idaho State University.

Grain Silos on the Main Highway
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Defunct Stores on Grand Avenue
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Another Boarded Up Building
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The number of boarded up buildings is too high to count.
Even at the main intersection of Grand Avenue, the stores are closed.
Life savings in homes and businesses are washed down the drain.

SJ's Cafe in an Old Gas Station
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There is one ray of hope and amazing optimism.
SJ's Cafe is in an old converted gas station - shuttered for 20 years.
She has completely renovated the building 
and the interior is warm and welcoming. Bravo!
Not to mention great coffee and good food.

SJ's Cafe Interior
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I spoke with Ron K. back in Sheridan.
He reminded me that the Van CLiburn Competitions just finished up.
He insisted that I listen to the performances.
And I had most of the afternoon and evening to do so.

The Mello-Die Club - Bars Are the Last Place to Shut Down
(But I'd Rather Listen to Classical Piano, Thank You)
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Perfectly spent day.




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Kelly IniguezI don't suppose the Keith from Colorado was riding a Bruce Gordon? Of course, there could be any number of Keiths' riding and the Keith I knew might be on a different bike now . . .

In 2006, we finished a tour in Arco. I went back to my journal - there's not a single photo on that day. I can't contribute commentary on the town's prosperity at the time. It did have a uHaul . . .
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