Saturday, June 29, 2013
Blog Updated
Thanks to a week in the high desert of Utah it's been a good minute since we had wi-fi. Blog is now updated.
Day 19 - Rest Day!
0 miles / Day 19 of 54 / Colona, CO
Today, thanks to Dan, we took our first rest day of the trip. Our goal is Pueblo, CO by July 4th and thanks to a few big days across the Utah desert it looks like we can afford to take a day off.
We were lucky to get to spend the day with our friend and fellow teacher Mari (shout out to Minnesota!) who has been using summer to trek across Colorado, see old friends, climb 14,000 mountain peaks and sleep on mountainsides. You're too real for these streets Mar Mar.
Lesson #49: Forget dinner and a movie, celebrate important events by spending time outside together.
Dan's good friends Rob and Ginger were celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary by spending the day on the Crystal River kayaking and rafting. Lucky us, thanks to Dan, Rob and Ginger we got to join the party.
The Crystal River isn't a commercialized river and our route took us through class 3 whitewater in Bogan Canyon. It's 8,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains and filled with ice cold water from the continuous snow melt off of the mountain peaks.
As we were pumping up the raft and getting the gear ready the monsoon hit. It was about 15 minutes of a high altitude downpour with thick drops followed by about 10 minutes of pea sized hail. We put on a few extra layers to adjust to the lowered temperature and we were ready to launch.
Dan and Rob have been kayaking together for over 15 years and led the scouting effort down the river yelling and using hand signals to communicate with Ginger about obstacles to avoid and best currents / routes to take.
Ginger was an excellent river raft guide. The water was low and the four of us in the raft had to do a lot of technical maneuvers to avoid the rocks and driftwood that filled the river. The river was absolutely gorgeous. Snow capped mountain peaks, pines as far as the eye could see, and crystal clear water kept distracting us as we were paddling through obstacles.
After about two hours in the raft we got off the river just in time to beat the second monsoon and hail. We finished off the rafting experience with a dip in the natural hot springs, 104 degrees of sulfur water to get nice and toasty.
Dan is a carpenter built a house on a plot he and his wife bought 16 years ago in the Uncompahtgre Valley. He gave us the history of the area as we drove through the continuous stretch of mountains and valleys. Various billionaires have swooped in over the past 10 to 15 years to stake their claim in this beautiful (and undeveloped) part of Colorado.
The ride to and from the Roaring Fork Valley to raft was about two and a half hours each way. On the ride Dan told us of his theory that the uber-rich come here to buy their mega ranches in an effort to validate their manhood and virility. The ego is a powerful thing. We drove past Ralph Lauren's 15,000 acre ranch. The next valley over was Friedken's (owner of Lexus) 10,000 acre ranch. Charlie Ergen (Owner of DirectTV) was most recent to put his flag in the ground.
Lesson #50: Sometimes what comes around doesn't go around.
Dan pointed out the former CFO of Enron's ranch. She apparently left the company right before the crash and avoided any legal charges and any loss of wealth.
Lesson #51: The best part of being a parent is getting to regress back to childhood.
On the ride home Dan told us about how much he enjoyed being a dad and watching his daughter grow up. It was priceless to see him talk about getting to be a kid through being a parent.
Thank you to Dan and his wife Sammie for the adventure, much needed showers, and chance to rest before our push to Pueblo.
Today, thanks to Dan, we took our first rest day of the trip. Our goal is Pueblo, CO by July 4th and thanks to a few big days across the Utah desert it looks like we can afford to take a day off.
We were lucky to get to spend the day with our friend and fellow teacher Mari (shout out to Minnesota!) who has been using summer to trek across Colorado, see old friends, climb 14,000 mountain peaks and sleep on mountainsides. You're too real for these streets Mar Mar.
Lesson #49: Forget dinner and a movie, celebrate important events by spending time outside together.
Dan's good friends Rob and Ginger were celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary by spending the day on the Crystal River kayaking and rafting. Lucky us, thanks to Dan, Rob and Ginger we got to join the party.
Jack and Mari blowing up the "Pumpkin".
Dan and Rob have been kayaking together for over 15 years and led the scouting effort down the river yelling and using hand signals to communicate with Ginger about obstacles to avoid and best currents / routes to take.
Our fearless leader Ginger.
Ginger was an excellent river raft guide. The water was low and the four of us in the raft had to do a lot of technical maneuvers to avoid the rocks and driftwood that filled the river. The river was absolutely gorgeous. Snow capped mountain peaks, pines as far as the eye could see, and crystal clear water kept distracting us as we were paddling through obstacles.
After about two hours in the raft we got off the river just in time to beat the second monsoon and hail. We finished off the rafting experience with a dip in the natural hot springs, 104 degrees of sulfur water to get nice and toasty.
Dan is a carpenter built a house on a plot he and his wife bought 16 years ago in the Uncompahtgre Valley. He gave us the history of the area as we drove through the continuous stretch of mountains and valleys. Various billionaires have swooped in over the past 10 to 15 years to stake their claim in this beautiful (and undeveloped) part of Colorado.
The ride to and from the Roaring Fork Valley to raft was about two and a half hours each way. On the ride Dan told us of his theory that the uber-rich come here to buy their mega ranches in an effort to validate their manhood and virility. The ego is a powerful thing. We drove past Ralph Lauren's 15,000 acre ranch. The next valley over was Friedken's (owner of Lexus) 10,000 acre ranch. Charlie Ergen (Owner of DirectTV) was most recent to put his flag in the ground.
Lesson #50: Sometimes what comes around doesn't go around.
Dan pointed out the former CFO of Enron's ranch. She apparently left the company right before the crash and avoided any legal charges and any loss of wealth.
Lesson #51: The best part of being a parent is getting to regress back to childhood.
On the ride home Dan told us about how much he enjoyed being a dad and watching his daughter grow up. It was priceless to see him talk about getting to be a kid through being a parent.
Thank you to Dan and his wife Sammie for the adventure, much needed showers, and chance to rest before our push to Pueblo.
Day 18 - Rico, CO to Colona, CO
44 miles / Day 18 of 54 / Rico, CO to Colona, CO
After a lovely night in Rico spent sleeping in the shack (literally) and relaxing out muscles in the hot springs, we had about a 13 mile climb up to Lizard Head's Pass, a great welcome to the state of Colorado. Sitting at over 10,200 feet, you could see plenty of 14000 peaks left and right. It was a beautiful climb, not very steep and real gradual. Throughout the climb we followed the Dolores River which was teeming with fly fishers and rafters. A real outdoor mecca.
Admittedly, the pass was easier to ascend for me than for Seth. With more back wheel issues, Seth was pedaling hard yet his wheel wasn't spinning like it should. He had major rear axle and rear bearing issues that made it even tougher to ascend Lizard Head's. But Seth being Seth, he never complained and had to work twice as hard to see our beautiful vista. What a champ.
The best thing about ascending so high is the descent. There's no feeling quite like the wind in your face coasting down the mountain at 35 miles an hour with some of the most beautiful vistas possible. I flew down the hill, yet Seth was slowed down by his back wheel. He was pedaling as hard as he could downhill and going around 8 miles an hour.
We made it down the mountain and with Seth not able to go any further, we hitched a ride (thanks, Mickey) to Telluride to a bike shop to fix Seth's back wheel. Thank you Travis for your help rebuilding Seth's back axle and bearings.
Thanks to our good teaching friend, Amy, in North Carolina, she set us up with her uncle and aunt, Dan and Sammi, who live out near Montrose, CO. We met Dan in Telluride and he drove us and our bikes to his home.
Commence probably our best memories of the trip so far, and it wasn't even on the bike. One of those times where everything works out perfectly. Dan, being one of the most welcoming people I have ever met, made us feel right at home. Seth's college friend, Mari, was in Colorado and met us at Dan's.
A huge outdoors man, Dan asked us right away if we wanted to spend the next day rafting a river in Colorado. Right away, we know that it wasn't an opportunity we could miss. We quickly decided on having an off day and spending a great day with Dan and Mari rafting the river.
Would write more about it, but don't want to spoil our next post :)
Home sweet home for the night.
Admittedly, the pass was easier to ascend for me than for Seth. With more back wheel issues, Seth was pedaling hard yet his wheel wasn't spinning like it should. He had major rear axle and rear bearing issues that made it even tougher to ascend Lizard Head's. But Seth being Seth, he never complained and had to work twice as hard to see our beautiful vista. What a champ.
The best thing about ascending so high is the descent. There's no feeling quite like the wind in your face coasting down the mountain at 35 miles an hour with some of the most beautiful vistas possible. I flew down the hill, yet Seth was slowed down by his back wheel. He was pedaling as hard as he could downhill and going around 8 miles an hour.
Travis aka "Lifesaver".
Thanks to our good teaching friend, Amy, in North Carolina, she set us up with her uncle and aunt, Dan and Sammi, who live out near Montrose, CO. We met Dan in Telluride and he drove us and our bikes to his home.
Commence probably our best memories of the trip so far, and it wasn't even on the bike. One of those times where everything works out perfectly. Dan, being one of the most welcoming people I have ever met, made us feel right at home. Seth's college friend, Mari, was in Colorado and met us at Dan's.
A huge outdoors man, Dan asked us right away if we wanted to spend the next day rafting a river in Colorado. Right away, we know that it wasn't an opportunity we could miss. We quickly decided on having an off day and spending a great day with Dan and Mari rafting the river.
Would write more about it, but don't want to spoil our next post :)
Dan the man with the friendly and loving dog Buddy.
Day 17 - Dove Creek, CO to Rico, CO
76 miles / Day 17 of 54 / Dove Creek, CO to Rico, CO
After basically sleeping next to the Dove Creek Sheriff's house in the city park we were quick to wake up and get out of there and get on the road.
We stopped at the open 24-hour convenience store for breakfast. Thankfully, Seth and I are both avid cereal eaters. Our breakfast will usually consist of a full box of cereal and a half gallon of milk and we're ready to start the day.
With Seth limping along with more back wheel issues, we needed to get to a bike shop, and fast. We had a 35 mile morning ride to a cool little hippie town called Dolores, CO. While there, we stopped in Lizardhead Cycle and got to meet two pretty unique people, Nicholas and Joey. Nicholas is the owner of the bike shop and an ex-sponsored triathlete who road in sponsored bike races and even competed in worldwide cycling competitions in Germany. Super knowledgeable about bikes, Nicholas had a lot to share and was really helpful with getting both of our bikes back to peak working condition.
Joey, was a little guy going into fifth grade in the fall and is completely Nicholas's shadow. Just a kid from the town who enjoys spending his summer days around the bike shop and helping wherever he can. Kind of like Nicholas' assistant. We spent 3-4 hours at the bike shop because it was so busy but got to know both Nicholas and Joey well. To be honest, after spending all my working time with children all school year, I have looked forward to spending some time away from kids. But Joey was eager as ever and a fun guy to be around. He tried to help wherever possible and just wanted some good attention paid towards him.
Lesson #48: Children are the future. Listen to them, don't tune them out. You might just get a better outlook on life.
Thanks Nicholas and Joey for a good afternoon.
It was hot as can be once we left Dolores and the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees. Also, we had an intimidating climb ahead of us, our first one in Colorado. Neither of us were real sure what to expect.
Luckily we had great cloud cover most of the way up and the grade was super gradual. For those of you following along at home, it's much easier to do 30 miles of climbing at 6-8 percent grade than 5 miles of climbing at 15 percent grade. After such steep grades in and out of the rock canyons through Utah, it was nice to get an easier grade. Crossing our fingers this continues through Colorado.
It took 17 days but we got our first rain of the trip. It was nice to cool us down and didn't impede us too much.
By about 7 pm we arrived in this cool little mountain town of Rico, CO. We hit a bar to grab some grub and I heard that the Pirates WERE TIED FOR THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL. I honestly couldn't believe this so had to confirm with some telephone calls to make sure this was true. I could go on forever about how proud I am of my Pirates for blog post after blog post, but I will cease by saying it's pretty good to be 18 over .500 before the All-Star Break considering the Pirates haven't had a winning season since I was 2 years old...
We got directions from a local named TJ to where there where great hot springs right outside of town. This guy outside of the bar had ridden cross country three times and across Australia as well.
Probably our most memorable evening, we soaked ourselves in these 104 degree natural hot springs and had the Avett Brothers in the background serenading us as we reflected on our trip so far.
Super awesome hot springs an a great place to tent. Hope the pictures do it justice, it was just what our aching muscles had ordered.
Colorado is awesome so far. The greenery is such a stark contrast to the dust and sand of Utah. It's hard to say which is better because the scenery is so different, but I certainly love the river following along our roue and the tall pines creating a tunnel as we ride.
Big day tomorrow, we're going to continue climbing to get to 10,200 and Lizrad's Pass where we'll see 14,000 foot peaks. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
After basically sleeping next to the Dove Creek Sheriff's house in the city park we were quick to wake up and get out of there and get on the road.
Two guys riding New York to Los Angeles, heading west. Dude on left is on a bamboo bike.
We stopped at the open 24-hour convenience store for breakfast. Thankfully, Seth and I are both avid cereal eaters. Our breakfast will usually consist of a full box of cereal and a half gallon of milk and we're ready to start the day.
With Seth limping along with more back wheel issues, we needed to get to a bike shop, and fast. We had a 35 mile morning ride to a cool little hippie town called Dolores, CO. While there, we stopped in Lizardhead Cycle and got to meet two pretty unique people, Nicholas and Joey. Nicholas is the owner of the bike shop and an ex-sponsored triathlete who road in sponsored bike races and even competed in worldwide cycling competitions in Germany. Super knowledgeable about bikes, Nicholas had a lot to share and was really helpful with getting both of our bikes back to peak working condition.
Joey, was a little guy going into fifth grade in the fall and is completely Nicholas's shadow. Just a kid from the town who enjoys spending his summer days around the bike shop and helping wherever he can. Kind of like Nicholas' assistant. We spent 3-4 hours at the bike shop because it was so busy but got to know both Nicholas and Joey well. To be honest, after spending all my working time with children all school year, I have looked forward to spending some time away from kids. But Joey was eager as ever and a fun guy to be around. He tried to help wherever possible and just wanted some good attention paid towards him.
Lesson #48: Children are the future. Listen to them, don't tune them out. You might just get a better outlook on life.
Thanks Nicholas and Joey for a good afternoon.
It was hot as can be once we left Dolores and the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees. Also, we had an intimidating climb ahead of us, our first one in Colorado. Neither of us were real sure what to expect.
Luckily we had great cloud cover most of the way up and the grade was super gradual. For those of you following along at home, it's much easier to do 30 miles of climbing at 6-8 percent grade than 5 miles of climbing at 15 percent grade. After such steep grades in and out of the rock canyons through Utah, it was nice to get an easier grade. Crossing our fingers this continues through Colorado.
Sunset in the smokey haze in the mountains in Rico, CO.
It took 17 days but we got our first rain of the trip. It was nice to cool us down and didn't impede us too much.
By about 7 pm we arrived in this cool little mountain town of Rico, CO. We hit a bar to grab some grub and I heard that the Pirates WERE TIED FOR THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL. I honestly couldn't believe this so had to confirm with some telephone calls to make sure this was true. I could go on forever about how proud I am of my Pirates for blog post after blog post, but I will cease by saying it's pretty good to be 18 over .500 before the All-Star Break considering the Pirates haven't had a winning season since I was 2 years old...
You are a scholar, gentleman, and inspiration TJ. Thank you.
We got directions from a local named TJ to where there where great hot springs right outside of town. This guy outside of the bar had ridden cross country three times and across Australia as well.
Probably our most memorable evening, we soaked ourselves in these 104 degree natural hot springs and had the Avett Brothers in the background serenading us as we reflected on our trip so far.
Super awesome hot springs an a great place to tent. Hope the pictures do it justice, it was just what our aching muscles had ordered.
Colorado is awesome so far. The greenery is such a stark contrast to the dust and sand of Utah. It's hard to say which is better because the scenery is so different, but I certainly love the river following along our roue and the tall pines creating a tunnel as we ride.
Big day tomorrow, we're going to continue climbing to get to 10,200 and Lizrad's Pass where we'll see 14,000 foot peaks. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Day 16 - Comb Wash, UT to Dove Creek, CO
64 miles / Day 16 of 54 / Comb Wash, UT to Dove Creek, CO
We woke up around 8:00 am, not feeling too fatigued from the night ride the night before.
No tent from the night before meant we were on the road quicker than normal. Time to climb.
We climbed our last section of Utah mountains into the town of. We had heard a few hundred miles earlier of a small bakery that couldn't be missed.
We found the bakery and feasted on Reuben sandwiches, Waldorf salads, fresh cookies, and homemade granola.
Lesson #44: Apprenticeship is the best form of learning.
The bakery had an incredible story. Seven years ago they started an apprenticeship program for 10 to 18 year olds in the community.
It came out of three boys knocking on the bakers door and asking for money for the movies. The bakers solution was figure out how the kids could learn, do meaningful work and get the money they wanted for the movies. Seven years later the bakery is a safe haven for community kids where they learn accounting, how to run a business, people skills, and how to bake.
The baker was part of the Navajo tribe and told us about how he incorporates the Navajo traditions of the value and energy that come from children into his baking.
He was passionate about their local community garden that was supported by 9 Navajo families. It was priceless to see him beam talking about how the garden brought generations together where grandparents could teach their grand kids their culture of gardening.
Lesson #45: Eat dinner around the table. Don't underestimate how important this is.
He talked about how fundamentally important it is to eat dinner around the family table. He talked about how it is a sacred space were families pass down values, share stories, and build a sense of cultural pride. Shout out to the fam. May we forever break bread around the same table.
Lesson #46: Trust is priceless.
He told us about the struggle over Navajo land rights and water rights. And how the tribe's leadership has been selling off off their land and water rights to private corporations.
He talked about the pain and betrayal of the corrupt leadership of his tribe and how he or his family and community members have never seen the profits from the casino on their land. Not a penny. Apparently the majority of investors have no Indian heritage but the casino holds and operates as if it is legally owned and operated for the benefit of the Navajo tribe.
With much to think about we left the bakery full and started the final climb for the day to Dove Creek, Colorado. We were going to make it out of Utah safely. (Thank goodness we no longer need to sleep with one eye open.)
We slept in the city park, across street from Sheriff's house and hid our tent / bikes behind a shed. We split a pizza and waited for cover of night to pitch tent.
Lesson #47: The problems we experience our self-created. We can fix them but our values and priorities have to change.
No tent from the night before meant we were on the road quicker than normal. Time to climb.
3 down, 7 to go.
We climbed our last section of Utah mountains into the town of. We had heard a few hundred miles earlier of a small bakery that couldn't be missed.
We found the bakery and feasted on Reuben sandwiches, Waldorf salads, fresh cookies, and homemade granola.
Lesson #44: Apprenticeship is the best form of learning.
The bakery had an incredible story. Seven years ago they started an apprenticeship program for 10 to 18 year olds in the community.
It came out of three boys knocking on the bakers door and asking for money for the movies. The bakers solution was figure out how the kids could learn, do meaningful work and get the money they wanted for the movies. Seven years later the bakery is a safe haven for community kids where they learn accounting, how to run a business, people skills, and how to bake.
The baker was part of the Navajo tribe and told us about how he incorporates the Navajo traditions of the value and energy that come from children into his baking.
He was passionate about their local community garden that was supported by 9 Navajo families. It was priceless to see him beam talking about how the garden brought generations together where grandparents could teach their grand kids their culture of gardening.
Lesson #45: Eat dinner around the table. Don't underestimate how important this is.
He talked about how fundamentally important it is to eat dinner around the family table. He talked about how it is a sacred space were families pass down values, share stories, and build a sense of cultural pride. Shout out to the fam. May we forever break bread around the same table.
Lesson #46: Trust is priceless.
He told us about the struggle over Navajo land rights and water rights. And how the tribe's leadership has been selling off off their land and water rights to private corporations.
He talked about the pain and betrayal of the corrupt leadership of his tribe and how he or his family and community members have never seen the profits from the casino on their land. Not a penny. Apparently the majority of investors have no Indian heritage but the casino holds and operates as if it is legally owned and operated for the benefit of the Navajo tribe.
With much to think about we left the bakery full and started the final climb for the day to Dove Creek, Colorado. We were going to make it out of Utah safely. (Thank goodness we no longer need to sleep with one eye open.)
We slept in the city park, across street from Sheriff's house and hid our tent / bikes behind a shed. We split a pizza and waited for cover of night to pitch tent.
Lesson #47: The problems we experience our self-created. We can fix them but our values and priorities have to change.
Day 15 - Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT to Comb Wash, UT
78 miles / Day 15 of 54 / Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT to Comb Wash, UT
We woke up in the cool shade with the sun still not yet having crossed over the tops of the canyon walls that we slept between.
We had about a water bottle each and 19 miles to the next watering hole so we didn't mess around getting packed up and on the road.
The 19 miles were downhill to our lowest point of elevation in Utah to Lake Powell, wowzers is the desert basin hot.
A few miles before the water spigot my back tube blew out. Flat count now tied at 6 to 6 between Jack and I.
Lesson #41: Hollywood types are tight lipped and sometimes are able to talk down at you without saying many words, if any, at all.
We stopped and loaded up on water and fuel at Glenn Canyon State Park. The park had few people in it but trailers, RV's and movie cameras packed the parking lot. Apparently they've been shooting the movie for the past few weeks. All we could muster out of a guy with dark glasses and a walkie talkie on his hip was that the movie was to be called Dark Moon. Hope it's not the newest installment in the Twilight saga. And Jack and I looked hard but we didn't see Tom Cruise anywhere.
If I didn't make it clear earlier - it was hot. Like don't go outside hot. Jack and I were gassed after doing 19 downhill miles.
There was only one logical decision to be made - it was time for our first night ride. We laid out our sleeping pads under one of the four trees in the park and napped for a few hours. Thankfully the breeze completely saved us and we were able to drift off to sleep.
Lesson #42: Riding 6300 miles on a tandem bicycle is a great way to figure out if you should act on your hunch and ask your significant other to marry you.
After napping we met Seth, Eric, Dave (dad). Dave had gone 6300 miles 30 years ago with his wife on a tandem bike across the USA. He was doing the second installment of the trip this summer with his sons. We were both on the same route, in opposite directions. We learned many tips and lesson for the route to come, good eats, great places to stay. Sounds like we have less elevation ahead of us, but many more people and towns. Disclaimer - The "6300 mile" test is solid but not foolproof. Dave let us know he was no longer married.
Lesson #43: The desert is meant to be explored and experienced under the cover of darkness.
We left at 6:30 pm for our first night ride of the trip. It was still blazing hot with the sun beating down for a good 3 hours.
About 10 miles out of the canyon we disrupted movie shoot. The sunset brought a much welcomed evening cool.
The desert became outlined by a sky full of stars and we couldn't find the moon. A few hours into darkness the moon started to rise.
The night ride was the most calm I'd felt on the bike. Jack and I finished our 40 mile climb and around 1:00 am. We slept under stars on sandy river bed, no need for our tent, just sleeping bags.
Riding at night. About that life.
Shout out to picnic tables with roofs over them.
We woke up in the cool shade with the sun still not yet having crossed over the tops of the canyon walls that we slept between.
We had about a water bottle each and 19 miles to the next watering hole so we didn't mess around getting packed up and on the road.
The 19 miles were downhill to our lowest point of elevation in Utah to Lake Powell, wowzers is the desert basin hot.
A few miles before the water spigot my back tube blew out. Flat count now tied at 6 to 6 between Jack and I.
Hollywood invades Utah.
We stopped and loaded up on water and fuel at Glenn Canyon State Park. The park had few people in it but trailers, RV's and movie cameras packed the parking lot. Apparently they've been shooting the movie for the past few weeks. All we could muster out of a guy with dark glasses and a walkie talkie on his hip was that the movie was to be called Dark Moon. Hope it's not the newest installment in the Twilight saga. And Jack and I looked hard but we didn't see Tom Cruise anywhere.
Nap time in the shade.
If I didn't make it clear earlier - it was hot. Like don't go outside hot. Jack and I were gassed after doing 19 downhill miles.
There was only one logical decision to be made - it was time for our first night ride. We laid out our sleeping pads under one of the four trees in the park and napped for a few hours. Thankfully the breeze completely saved us and we were able to drift off to sleep.
Seth, Eric, and Dave are 37 days into their cross country ride.
Lesson #42: Riding 6300 miles on a tandem bicycle is a great way to figure out if you should act on your hunch and ask your significant other to marry you.
After napping we met Seth, Eric, Dave (dad). Dave had gone 6300 miles 30 years ago with his wife on a tandem bike across the USA. He was doing the second installment of the trip this summer with his sons. We were both on the same route, in opposite directions. We learned many tips and lesson for the route to come, good eats, great places to stay. Sounds like we have less elevation ahead of us, but many more people and towns. Disclaimer - The "6300 mile" test is solid but not foolproof. Dave let us know he was no longer married.
Lesson #43: The desert is meant to be explored and experienced under the cover of darkness.
We left at 6:30 pm for our first night ride of the trip. It was still blazing hot with the sun beating down for a good 3 hours.
About 10 miles out of the canyon we disrupted movie shoot. The sunset brought a much welcomed evening cool.
The desert became outlined by a sky full of stars and we couldn't find the moon. A few hours into darkness the moon started to rise.
The night ride was the most calm I'd felt on the bike. Jack and I finished our 40 mile climb and around 1:00 am. We slept under stars on sandy river bed, no need for our tent, just sleeping bags.
Riding at night. About that life.
Day 14 - Torrey, UT to Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT
84 miles / Day 14 of 54 / Torrey, UT to Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT
After sleeping on the floor of a Baptist church (yes there are such things in Utah) we headed towards the nearest bike shop in Torrey because, yet again, Seth had back wheel issues. Seeing a trend here?
We met a guy named Stuart who was a real character and we grew a liking to instantly. Contracted out to help bicyclists at the outdoor store, he came and replaced Seth's spokes that had broken. Gah.
What we enjoyed even more about Stuart was his outlook on life. He had recently come off of a divorce and he explained to us how he had lost everything in the divorce. What was unique about Stuart, though, was his outlook on life. Rarely had either of us seen such a positive outlook, especially by someone who had recently been so down-trodden in his life. We talked about the natural beauty of Utah and the importance of solitude in one's life. Stuart really gave us the motivation and gusto to view our trip as such an important and exciting adventure, especially at a time where our spirits were down a little bit, what with so many bike issues. We talked to Stuart and chatted about life outlooks for over 3 hours. Well worth the late start on the bike.
Lesson #39: Your altitude in life is determined by your attitude.
Once we finally got out of Torrey, we were making a pass to what was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip while on-bike to this point. We biked through Capitol Reef National Park. Talk about beauty, how often does one get an opportunity like this? We took all the vistas, buttes and crevices in. Although only 8-10 miles wide, the national park is almost 100 miles long, so we spent the better part of the early afternoon biking through such beauty. I wish I could explain it better, and I wish the pictures did just the smallest amount of justice to the beauty we saw, but alas, it doesn't. Something you simply have to see to believe.
Oh, and while riding through, Seth's back spoke broke...again... make that five. However, being such a handy fellow and an excellent bike mechanic by this time (I mean how could you not with how many repairs have needed to be done already?) we took an hour or so rest to take it all in, jimmy a new spoke into his back wheel and we were off again.
We went through a weird stretch without any services for 55 miles to a small town called Hanksville and devoured a taco pizza. Side note: The time after Capitol Reef was VERY desolate and VERY eerie. There was no one within sight as we biked those 55 miles, and the land seemed as if it were the surface of the moon, a far cry from the beauty of the canyons in Capitol Reef.
After filling up on water, we were ready for the next 74 miles of no services on our way to Lake Powell. Since we got a late start, we chased the sun all the way and ended up camping at a gorgeous canyon-laced vista sleeping on picnic tables for the night.
Lesson #40: Any night you don't have to get out the tent is a good night.
After sleeping on the floor of a Baptist church (yes there are such things in Utah) we headed towards the nearest bike shop in Torrey because, yet again, Seth had back wheel issues. Seeing a trend here?
We met a guy named Stuart who was a real character and we grew a liking to instantly. Contracted out to help bicyclists at the outdoor store, he came and replaced Seth's spokes that had broken. Gah.
What we enjoyed even more about Stuart was his outlook on life. He had recently come off of a divorce and he explained to us how he had lost everything in the divorce. What was unique about Stuart, though, was his outlook on life. Rarely had either of us seen such a positive outlook, especially by someone who had recently been so down-trodden in his life. We talked about the natural beauty of Utah and the importance of solitude in one's life. Stuart really gave us the motivation and gusto to view our trip as such an important and exciting adventure, especially at a time where our spirits were down a little bit, what with so many bike issues. We talked to Stuart and chatted about life outlooks for over 3 hours. Well worth the late start on the bike.
Lesson #39: Your altitude in life is determined by your attitude.
Thanks, Stuart for your influx of positive attitude. It has fueled us more than you know.
Once we finally got out of Torrey, we were making a pass to what was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip while on-bike to this point. We biked through Capitol Reef National Park. Talk about beauty, how often does one get an opportunity like this? We took all the vistas, buttes and crevices in. Although only 8-10 miles wide, the national park is almost 100 miles long, so we spent the better part of the early afternoon biking through such beauty. I wish I could explain it better, and I wish the pictures did just the smallest amount of justice to the beauty we saw, but alas, it doesn't. Something you simply have to see to believe.
Forget the Bat Mobile Bruce Wayne. The Eagle Van is here to stay.
Capitol Reef National Park.
After filling up on water, we were ready for the next 74 miles of no services on our way to Lake Powell. Since we got a late start, we chased the sun all the way and ended up camping at a gorgeous canyon-laced vista sleeping on picnic tables for the night.
Lesson #40: Any night you don't have to get out the tent is a good night.
Day 13 - Escalante, UT to Torrey, UT
66 miles / Day 13 of 54 / Escalante, UT to Torrey, UT
We woke up well rested, feeling cleaner than we've felt all trip, after getting a hot shower and washing our clothes at the nicest RV park we've seen yet.
We got a quick breakfast at the local coffee shop, the owner was concerned about some big virus sweeping across the world (we hadn't heard anything about this yet) and was frantically wiping down all surfaces with Clorox bleach wipes. Glad we were protected.
We left breakfast full and feeling leery of the 26 mile and 5,000 foot climb that lay ahead. It was time to get it.
Our climb was broken into two parts, separate by the small town (pop. 205) of Boulder, Utah. The climb up to boulder was absolutely gorgeous. We hugged the Escalante River for the first part, the road leading us between towering canyon walls on both sides.
We made it to the top of our first set of canyons for the day and rode the Devil's Backbone what felt like alongside the clouds. 4,000 feet in the air with no guardrails or shoulders on either side of the road.
Lesson #35: Don't stress. Things are meant to be used. And when you use something long enough it is going to eventually break.
As we were closing in on Boulder I heard a speaking that sounded like something being tightened on my back wheel and then a pop. I had broken a spoke. Again. 3rd one this trip.
We pulled over and started unpacking the gear so we could fix the tire. Before we could even pop off the back wheel a Subaru pulled over with a full size bike pump hanging out the window.
Side note - the difference in ease between pumping a tire with a hand pump and a full size pump cannot be articulated fully with words. In terms of time and effort saved by using a full size pump its the equivalent of traveling by horse drawn wagon or cruising in along in a smooth and reliable '93 Ford Taurus.
We trued up the back wheel as best we could and crossed our fingers we could make it the remaining 50 or so miles with a bum back wheel to Torrey where there was a bike shop.
Lesson #36: There isn't a lot of diversity in Utah. At all.
Sanjay and Carol, our new full size pump lending friends, have lived in Utah for the last four years. They told us about how they loved the scenery, beautiful parks and trails and incredible landscapes but were excited to move to Colorado next month. Carol told us her and Sanjay were the only inter racial couple in Cedar City, Utah.
We downed a few burgers for a late lunch and jumped back on the road for the final 16 miles of climbing. As we were pulling out an old man yelled - "You're heading that way!? Get ready for a few hours of hell." Great.
The climb was long, and hot, and we took many frequent breaks every few miles. As we were approaching the summit there was a large herd of cows on both sides of the road, and throughout the forest.
Growing up in Iowa we've been having staring contests with pigs since day one. These cows didn't mess around. They stood right on the shoulder of the road and kept a firm, emotionless stare that didn't break. Ever. Stone cold stunners up there.
We crossed the summit, relieved and back wheel still intact.
We flew the last 20 or so miles downhill into Torrey and stopped at the local gas station to reload.
The man behind the counter turned out to be the pastor of the local Southern Baptist Church in Torrey. He generously told us we could stay there for the night and use the restrooms there. It was a small church that was left open and unlocked, 24/7.
Thank you to the pastor.
Here's hoping to quick repairs tomorrow morning at the bike shop and full day on the road. Utah is gorgeous.
We woke up well rested, feeling cleaner than we've felt all trip, after getting a hot shower and washing our clothes at the nicest RV park we've seen yet.
We got a quick breakfast at the local coffee shop, the owner was concerned about some big virus sweeping across the world (we hadn't heard anything about this yet) and was frantically wiping down all surfaces with Clorox bleach wipes. Glad we were protected.
We left breakfast full and feeling leery of the 26 mile and 5,000 foot climb that lay ahead. It was time to get it.
Our climb was broken into two parts, separate by the small town (pop. 205) of Boulder, Utah. The climb up to boulder was absolutely gorgeous. We hugged the Escalante River for the first part, the road leading us between towering canyon walls on both sides.
We made it to the top of our first set of canyons for the day and rode the Devil's Backbone what felt like alongside the clouds. 4,000 feet in the air with no guardrails or shoulders on either side of the road.
Lesson #35: Don't stress. Things are meant to be used. And when you use something long enough it is going to eventually break.
As we were closing in on Boulder I heard a speaking that sounded like something being tightened on my back wheel and then a pop. I had broken a spoke. Again. 3rd one this trip.
We pulled over and started unpacking the gear so we could fix the tire. Before we could even pop off the back wheel a Subaru pulled over with a full size bike pump hanging out the window.
Side note - the difference in ease between pumping a tire with a hand pump and a full size pump cannot be articulated fully with words. In terms of time and effort saved by using a full size pump its the equivalent of traveling by horse drawn wagon or cruising in along in a smooth and reliable '93 Ford Taurus.
We trued up the back wheel as best we could and crossed our fingers we could make it the remaining 50 or so miles with a bum back wheel to Torrey where there was a bike shop.
Lesson #36: There isn't a lot of diversity in Utah. At all.
Thank you Sanjay and Carol!
We downed a few burgers for a late lunch and jumped back on the road for the final 16 miles of climbing. As we were pulling out an old man yelled - "You're heading that way!? Get ready for a few hours of hell." Great.
The climb was long, and hot, and we took many frequent breaks every few miles. As we were approaching the summit there was a large herd of cows on both sides of the road, and throughout the forest.
Growing up in Iowa we've been having staring contests with pigs since day one. These cows didn't mess around. They stood right on the shoulder of the road and kept a firm, emotionless stare that didn't break. Ever. Stone cold stunners up there.
We crossed the summit, relieved and back wheel still intact.
We flew the last 20 or so miles downhill into Torrey and stopped at the local gas station to reload.
The man behind the counter turned out to be the pastor of the local Southern Baptist Church in Torrey. He generously told us we could stay there for the night and use the restrooms there. It was a small church that was left open and unlocked, 24/7.
Thank you to the pastor.
Here's hoping to quick repairs tomorrow morning at the bike shop and full day on the road. Utah is gorgeous.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Day 12 - Paguitch, UT to Escalante, UT
70 miles / Day 12 of 54 / Paguitch, UT to Escalante, UT
As beautiful as yesterday was, today had to have topped it. Our prettiest day yet.
After hiding behind gravel for the night, hoping not to have some overly-ambitious farmer coming after us with a shotgun, we made quick haste this morning and got out of Dodge (well, Paguitch). I was specifically excited about today, as we would be biking through a national park and biking through a national monument as well.
After 25 miles of hilly roads, we were in Red Canyon with absolutely gorgeous views of red painted bluffs, spires, columns and down thrusts. It set us up nicely for what was to come with Bryce Canyon National Park.
We decided to take a few hours off of the bike and tool around the National Park for a little bit. The canyon is named after farmer Ebenezer Bryce, the first inhabitant of the area who exclaimed "this would be the toughest spot to lose a cow" and the rest was history.
We took the shuttle to two different vistas where we got out and took pictures. It was nice to get away from the bikes for a few hours and refresh.
Lesson #34: Don't be overly ambitious. Take a little bit at a time, rest and renew yourself for the journey ahead.
Two random thoughts I had while at Bryce Canyon:
1. The influx of Asian and European tourists at the national park. After thinking for a while, I was really glad that these visitors chose a national park of all places to spend their time while in America. Much better than shopping in New York City, South Beach or Hollywood in Los Angeles. Getting to see America in its truest and most beautiful form.
2. I met a touring group of older adults who were from Ohio (!) and taking a bus around the West to visit many national parks. The majority were 70+, many with canes, wheelchairs or oxygen tanks. I started to reflect on being at the same spot as these older adults at the same time. It really made me appreciate my health and ability to continuously pedal across the country. Extremely thankful for this opportunity, and despite sore legs at the end of the day, fantastic health. And I hope when I'm older, I'll still be able to scoot around like they did and appreciate nature.
I loved Bryce Canyon, and it was amazing to see God's beauty and majesty spread out before us. From Bryce Canyon, we continued east and biked the rest of our 40 miles through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Talk about beauty... The newest of the national park monuments, Bill Clinton signed into law that the area would be preserved as such, and I'm sure glad he did. We had a terrific climb back up to 7500+ and saw painted mountains and spires set out before us for the duration of our ride. Simply gorgeous. Also, we reached a point that was the last discovered point in the continental United States back in the 1870's thanks to our good buddy Major John Wesley Powell, who was also the first to raft down the Colorado (Lance). It was literally the last place to be drawn on the map of the U.S. It was just a hole in the map before.
Great day riding and we ended up in Escalante, a cool little mountain town where we get a shower (two in the last five days?!? Crazy talk. And a laundromat...now we're living too comfortably.
Blessed by another beautiful day and ready to climb again to 11000+. Whew!
As beautiful as yesterday was, today had to have topped it. Our prettiest day yet.
After hiding behind gravel for the night, hoping not to have some overly-ambitious farmer coming after us with a shotgun, we made quick haste this morning and got out of Dodge (well, Paguitch). I was specifically excited about today, as we would be biking through a national park and biking through a national monument as well.
After 25 miles of hilly roads, we were in Red Canyon with absolutely gorgeous views of red painted bluffs, spires, columns and down thrusts. It set us up nicely for what was to come with Bryce Canyon National Park.
We decided to take a few hours off of the bike and tool around the National Park for a little bit. The canyon is named after farmer Ebenezer Bryce, the first inhabitant of the area who exclaimed "this would be the toughest spot to lose a cow" and the rest was history.
We took the shuttle to two different vistas where we got out and took pictures. It was nice to get away from the bikes for a few hours and refresh.
Lesson #34: Don't be overly ambitious. Take a little bit at a time, rest and renew yourself for the journey ahead.
Two random thoughts I had while at Bryce Canyon:
1. The influx of Asian and European tourists at the national park. After thinking for a while, I was really glad that these visitors chose a national park of all places to spend their time while in America. Much better than shopping in New York City, South Beach or Hollywood in Los Angeles. Getting to see America in its truest and most beautiful form.
2. I met a touring group of older adults who were from Ohio (!) and taking a bus around the West to visit many national parks. The majority were 70+, many with canes, wheelchairs or oxygen tanks. I started to reflect on being at the same spot as these older adults at the same time. It really made me appreciate my health and ability to continuously pedal across the country. Extremely thankful for this opportunity, and despite sore legs at the end of the day, fantastic health. And I hope when I'm older, I'll still be able to scoot around like they did and appreciate nature.
I loved Bryce Canyon, and it was amazing to see God's beauty and majesty spread out before us. From Bryce Canyon, we continued east and biked the rest of our 40 miles through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Talk about beauty... The newest of the national park monuments, Bill Clinton signed into law that the area would be preserved as such, and I'm sure glad he did. We had a terrific climb back up to 7500+ and saw painted mountains and spires set out before us for the duration of our ride. Simply gorgeous. Also, we reached a point that was the last discovered point in the continental United States back in the 1870's thanks to our good buddy Major John Wesley Powell, who was also the first to raft down the Colorado (Lance). It was literally the last place to be drawn on the map of the U.S. It was just a hole in the map before.
Great day riding and we ended up in Escalante, a cool little mountain town where we get a shower (two in the last five days?!? Crazy talk. And a laundromat...now we're living too comfortably.
Blessed by another beautiful day and ready to climb again to 11000+. Whew!
Day 11 - Cedar City, Utah to Panguitch, Utah
58 miles / Day 11 of 54 / Cedar City, Utah to Panguitch, Utah
Lesson #32: Make the most out of balling on a budget.
We wanted to get every penny out of our $40 splurge for our motel room so we slept in, showered (twice), grabbed the extra TP for the road, and checked out 1 minute before our check out time.
We had a big big climb ahead of us. Today was our biggest climb in Utah in one day. We started at 6,000 feet and were going to be above 10,500 for first time all trip!
Feeling a little intimidated by the climb ahead we distracted ourselves and loaded up with sandwiches and cookies at local bread shop before heading out of town.
Lesson #33: There are a lot of honkeys in Utah.
Well, we need to check that last lesson but there were white people crawling all over Cedar City. It felt very different. Everyone looked so happy. Kids on kids everywhere.
After drinking as many cups of free ice cold water we could we left Cedar City and ventured east towards the looming canyon ahead. Today was by far the prettiest Day. It took us 4 to 5 hours to climb the 26 miles to the top of the canyon wall. Most of our riding was on narrow roads with a minimal shoulder. The cars, trucks and semis passing were more than patient with us on the steep mountain climbs and switchbacks. Jack and I stopped often to grub on some granola and catch our breathe.
At the top of the pass was Cedar Breaks National Monument. Below was a gorgeous valley or orange and red rock that had been eroded for the past few million years. Quite breathe taking.
Our reward for the day was the ride down other side. Had our first crash of the trip, took a turn way to hard and fast and landed bike and all in the shoulder as a result. Thankfully I fell into sand and the bike and I were fine.
Jack and I stretched the final few miles longer than we planned so we could enjoy the extra sunlight on this summer solstice.
We pitched camp in what looked to be the start of a roadside construction zone. We pitched the tent behind the cover of a fresh gravel pile, out of the view of the main road and fell asleep to shotgun shots off in the distance that seemed to come from the ominous road behind the gravel pile.
Bryce Cannon and Grand Staircase National Monument on deck for tomorrow. Excited.
Lesson #32: Make the most out of balling on a budget.
We wanted to get every penny out of our $40 splurge for our motel room so we slept in, showered (twice), grabbed the extra TP for the road, and checked out 1 minute before our check out time.
Hard to tell, but take our word for it, this was a crazy climb.
Feeling a little intimidated by the climb ahead we distracted ourselves and loaded up with sandwiches and cookies at local bread shop before heading out of town.
Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Lesson #33: There are a lot of honkeys in Utah.
Well, we need to check that last lesson but there were white people crawling all over Cedar City. It felt very different. Everyone looked so happy. Kids on kids everywhere.
Started from the bottom...now we're tired and trying to catch our breathe, stuck somewhere in the middle.
After drinking as many cups of free ice cold water we could we left Cedar City and ventured east towards the looming canyon ahead. Today was by far the prettiest Day. It took us 4 to 5 hours to climb the 26 miles to the top of the canyon wall. Most of our riding was on narrow roads with a minimal shoulder. The cars, trucks and semis passing were more than patient with us on the steep mountain climbs and switchbacks. Jack and I stopped often to grub on some granola and catch our breathe.
At the top of the pass was Cedar Breaks National Monument. Below was a gorgeous valley or orange and red rock that had been eroded for the past few million years. Quite breathe taking.
Our reward for the day was the ride down other side. Had our first crash of the trip, took a turn way to hard and fast and landed bike and all in the shoulder as a result. Thankfully I fell into sand and the bike and I were fine.
Jack and I stretched the final few miles longer than we planned so we could enjoy the extra sunlight on this summer solstice.
We pitched camp in what looked to be the start of a roadside construction zone. We pitched the tent behind the cover of a fresh gravel pile, out of the view of the main road and fell asleep to shotgun shots off in the distance that seemed to come from the ominous road behind the gravel pile.
Bryce Cannon and Grand Staircase National Monument on deck for tomorrow. Excited.
Day 10 - Milford, Utah to Cedar City, Utah
56 miles / Day 10 of 54 / Milford, Utah to Cedar City, Utah
We've been pretty lucky throughout our first nine days with lodging, weather, etc. Today was a real testament to our willpower and our grit.
Lesson #29: Even your best laid plans can and will fall through. Don't let it get to you.
We woke up early after tenting in an abandoned parking lot on the edge of town. We only had 56 miles to go today and one mountain pass. Our plan was to get into Cedar City (yes, an actual city with 25,000+ people early in the afternoon, find a bike shop, get repairs and relax all afternoon. Our first real short day since Day 4.)
First things first, Seth had a punctured tube and first thing in the morning we had to replace it. Look for the trend here.
Once that was repaired, we were on the road through a country valley and I got a thorn in my tire 5 miles down the road and popped a tube. Had to re lace the tube. Flat count for the day = 2.
We were ascending our pass for the day and Seth blew his back tire. Flat count = 3. Once that was repaired, we got over the summit and on the descent, Seth popped ANOTHER tube on his back tire. Flat count for the day = 3.
After putting a new tube on his back tire, we were descending and Seth popped his back tire AGAIN. For those of you keeping score at home, that's 3 flats for Seth in a 30 mile stretch. You can't make this up, folks. At this time, we had no more tubes. Who would've thought that we would have four flats in one day? So, we tried patching an old tube and covering up the hole and that tire blew. Flat = 4 for the day.
It was getting to a really irritating point with so much bad luck and such a short distance to go that day.
Lesson #30: Sometimes your best medicine is laughter.
That's about all we could do after such a ridiculous day. Laugh it off and hope we could make it to Cedar City. After all, we have had such an amazing trip that it would take more than a horribly bad luck day to bring down our spirits. We had one more broken tube that we patched with super glue and Seth had to pump up his tire three times to prevent a slow leak and so we could limp to town.
Finally, we saw town about 12-15 miles away and then the winds came. Blowing in our face at 25-30 mph for the rest of our ride, it took us 2.5+ hours to make it that last 12 miles or so. Cedar City apparently REALLY didn't want us to come.
After such a crazy day we laughed about it, cut our losses, ponied up and bought our first cheap motel room of the trip for the night. We ordered pizzas and watched game 7 of the NBA finals. Author's Sidenote: Timmy Duncan how do you miss the bunny? Tony Parker why are you on the bench during crunch time? Manu Ginobli, why are you trying to make any passes down the stretch? Ugh,
It was good to shower, relax and get a bed for the night. Which brings me to the wise words of Aziz Ansari -
Lesson #31: Treat yo' self.
We've been pretty lucky throughout our first nine days with lodging, weather, etc. Today was a real testament to our willpower and our grit.
Lesson #29: Even your best laid plans can and will fall through. Don't let it get to you.
We woke up early after tenting in an abandoned parking lot on the edge of town. We only had 56 miles to go today and one mountain pass. Our plan was to get into Cedar City (yes, an actual city with 25,000+ people early in the afternoon, find a bike shop, get repairs and relax all afternoon. Our first real short day since Day 4.)
First things first, Seth had a punctured tube and first thing in the morning we had to replace it. Look for the trend here.
Once that was repaired, we were on the road through a country valley and I got a thorn in my tire 5 miles down the road and popped a tube. Had to re lace the tube. Flat count for the day = 2.
We were ascending our pass for the day and Seth blew his back tire. Flat count = 3. Once that was repaired, we got over the summit and on the descent, Seth popped ANOTHER tube on his back tire. Flat count for the day = 3.
After putting a new tube on his back tire, we were descending and Seth popped his back tire AGAIN. For those of you keeping score at home, that's 3 flats for Seth in a 30 mile stretch. You can't make this up, folks. At this time, we had no more tubes. Who would've thought that we would have four flats in one day? So, we tried patching an old tube and covering up the hole and that tire blew. Flat = 4 for the day.
It was getting to a really irritating point with so much bad luck and such a short distance to go that day.
Lesson #30: Sometimes your best medicine is laughter.
That's about all we could do after such a ridiculous day. Laugh it off and hope we could make it to Cedar City. After all, we have had such an amazing trip that it would take more than a horribly bad luck day to bring down our spirits. We had one more broken tube that we patched with super glue and Seth had to pump up his tire three times to prevent a slow leak and so we could limp to town.
Finally, we saw town about 12-15 miles away and then the winds came. Blowing in our face at 25-30 mph for the rest of our ride, it took us 2.5+ hours to make it that last 12 miles or so. Cedar City apparently REALLY didn't want us to come.
After such a crazy day we laughed about it, cut our losses, ponied up and bought our first cheap motel room of the trip for the night. We ordered pizzas and watched game 7 of the NBA finals. Author's Sidenote: Timmy Duncan how do you miss the bunny? Tony Parker why are you on the bench during crunch time? Manu Ginobli, why are you trying to make any passes down the stretch? Ugh,
It was good to shower, relax and get a bed for the night. Which brings me to the wise words of Aziz Ansari -
Lesson #31: Treat yo' self.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Day 9 - Baker, NV to Milford, Utah
84 miles / Day 9 of 54 / Baker, NV to Milford, Utah
We rolled into Milford with our water bottles almost empty and our 3 liter camel back (that we save for emergencies) drained.
Today we went 84 miles with no services. And when Utah says no services they mean no services. No water, no bathrooms, no rest stops. What Utah's Highway 21 East lacked in services it made up for in beauty.
We crossed three mountain summits with long, grinding climbs, that were all followed by rewarding downhills.
The wind was the strongest its been yet. We made it 21 miles in 3 hours going at a slight downhill angle. It felt like we were pedaling through sand. Thankfully a bend in the road turned the wind in our favor for our first summit pass.
We saw our fewest amount of cars, and people, during today's ride.
Lesson #27: All that is icy, cold, and refreshing is not gold.
With about 20 miles left until civilization a black GMC that was flying down the road in the other direction came to halt a couple bike's lengths behind us. The driver stuck his hand out the window and the sun reflected off two shiny cans. Mmm, cold soda pop.
Jack and I we're excited to say the least and whipped our bikes around so quick we went right into the shoulder and into a nice patch of low lying thorn bushes.
We thanked our new friends for the cold refreshments, downed them, pulled all the thorns out of our tires and headed on our way. About 3 minutes later Jack's front tire was flat. We missed a thorn. Our streak of no flats (hadn't had one since we had 3 on our first day!) came to and end but if we had to do it all over again those cold sodas made it all worth it
Lesson #28: The desert gets you lost in your head. Quickly.
Many thoughts. Very random. I want to get lost up there more often.
Thank you to the nice strangers for the random act of kindness (Jack said when hiking the Appalachian Trail they call it "trail magic").
We rolled into Milford with our water bottles almost empty and our 3 liter camel back (that we save for emergencies) drained.
Today we went 84 miles with no services. And when Utah says no services they mean no services. No water, no bathrooms, no rest stops. What Utah's Highway 21 East lacked in services it made up for in beauty.
2 down. 8 to go.
We crossed three mountain summits with long, grinding climbs, that were all followed by rewarding downhills.
The wind was the strongest its been yet. We made it 21 miles in 3 hours going at a slight downhill angle. It felt like we were pedaling through sand. Thankfully a bend in the road turned the wind in our favor for our first summit pass.
We saw our fewest amount of cars, and people, during today's ride.
Lesson #27: All that is icy, cold, and refreshing is not gold.
With about 20 miles left until civilization a black GMC that was flying down the road in the other direction came to halt a couple bike's lengths behind us. The driver stuck his hand out the window and the sun reflected off two shiny cans. Mmm, cold soda pop.
Jack and I we're excited to say the least and whipped our bikes around so quick we went right into the shoulder and into a nice patch of low lying thorn bushes.
We thanked our new friends for the cold refreshments, downed them, pulled all the thorns out of our tires and headed on our way. About 3 minutes later Jack's front tire was flat. We missed a thorn. Our streak of no flats (hadn't had one since we had 3 on our first day!) came to and end but if we had to do it all over again those cold sodas made it all worth it
Lesson #28: The desert gets you lost in your head. Quickly.
Many thoughts. Very random. I want to get lost up there more often.
Thank you to the nice strangers for the random act of kindness (Jack said when hiking the Appalachian Trail they call it "trail magic").
Day 8 - Ely, NV to Baker, NV
63 miles / Day 8 of 54 / Ely, NV to Baker, NV (Great Basin National Park)
After a great night with our hitchhiking friend Jeff, we found ourselves at a bike shop in Ely after Seth's back wheel and tire became reminiscent of a Stephen King novel.
We met Colton, a college- aged guy who definitely knew what he was talking about with bikes. In just a few hours time, he rebuilt Seth's back wheel, changed the spokes, installed a new back tire, added his fender, fixed his rear brake...and at the same time checked my bike for any major issues. Sure enough I had a hidden broken spoke on my tire that was going to ruin our day at any moment, and Colton rebuilt my wheel as well.
At a normal bike shop, these types of repairs would have cost anywhere north of $100, per bike. Together, they cost less than $20. Way below market value. It's amazing how much Colton discounted everything. He could see that we were eager to keep going at a minimal cost, and came through in the clutch.
Lesson #25: Mom and Pop stores trump corporate megastores.
We appreciate you, Colton, and will continue to go local with bike shops!
After a Mickey D's stop... (Side tangent, we've become really good at a few things on this trip. 1. Looking for free wifi and 2. Finding public outlets to charge our stuff. Mickey D's ranks #1 on our depth charts due to high visibility outlets and always free wifi. More to come.) we were on the road shooting for Baker, NV.
It was another beautiful day on the road, but with no services for the next 63 miles we made sure to stock up on our water supply. Hit two mountain passes and got to our first National Park, Great Basin National Park. Thought of you, Ted Behar, hitting our first National Park...more to come!
Got to Baker, population 58 with the sun setting behind our backs on 13,0000+ ft peaks in the national park. Was pleasantly surprised with our campsite, including laundry (!) and showers (!). First laundry stint of our trip, much needed. First shower for Seth in a few days, I won't tell you the last time I showered.
We finished our night at a beautiful bar/restaurant/motel combo. Fantastic pizza and drinks. Reminded me of a little Saxapahaw, great microbrews, wines and artwork for sale.
Lesson #26: No matter where you're from, there will always be people who love their hometown. Embrace it and learn something from them.
Spent the night learning about the history of this 58 person town and fell asleep to the sound of owls hooting and crickets chirping. Life is good.
After a great night with our hitchhiking friend Jeff, we found ourselves at a bike shop in Ely after Seth's back wheel and tire became reminiscent of a Stephen King novel.
We met Colton, a college- aged guy who definitely knew what he was talking about with bikes. In just a few hours time, he rebuilt Seth's back wheel, changed the spokes, installed a new back tire, added his fender, fixed his rear brake...and at the same time checked my bike for any major issues. Sure enough I had a hidden broken spoke on my tire that was going to ruin our day at any moment, and Colton rebuilt my wheel as well.
Thank you Colton. Bikes went from broken to fixed thanks to you.
At a normal bike shop, these types of repairs would have cost anywhere north of $100, per bike. Together, they cost less than $20. Way below market value. It's amazing how much Colton discounted everything. He could see that we were eager to keep going at a minimal cost, and came through in the clutch.
Lesson #25: Mom and Pop stores trump corporate megastores.
We appreciate you, Colton, and will continue to go local with bike shops!
After a Mickey D's stop... (Side tangent, we've become really good at a few things on this trip. 1. Looking for free wifi and 2. Finding public outlets to charge our stuff. Mickey D's ranks #1 on our depth charts due to high visibility outlets and always free wifi. More to come.) we were on the road shooting for Baker, NV.
It was another beautiful day on the road, but with no services for the next 63 miles we made sure to stock up on our water supply. Hit two mountain passes and got to our first National Park, Great Basin National Park. Thought of you, Ted Behar, hitting our first National Park...more to come!
Got to Baker, population 58 with the sun setting behind our backs on 13,0000+ ft peaks in the national park. Was pleasantly surprised with our campsite, including laundry (!) and showers (!). First laundry stint of our trip, much needed. First shower for Seth in a few days, I won't tell you the last time I showered.
We finished our night at a beautiful bar/restaurant/motel combo. Fantastic pizza and drinks. Reminded me of a little Saxapahaw, great microbrews, wines and artwork for sale.
Lesson #26: No matter where you're from, there will always be people who love their hometown. Embrace it and learn something from them.
Spent the night learning about the history of this 58 person town and fell asleep to the sound of owls hooting and crickets chirping. Life is good.
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