Sunday, July 11
There are times we encounter roads better suited to mountain bikes. We began the day with such a road – a monstrosity of loose gravel on which we fought for balance with every pedal stroke. Riding on this road became a game requiring the utmost concentration to find the firmest patches in the road. Of course, this area also happens to be thick with gnats and mosquitoes that form clouds behind riders in an almost cartoon-like fashion. Luckily, the road ended after about four miles.
The fun did not stop there, however. It’s said that Highway 50 is the “loneliest road in America”, but the next stretch of this road was definitely less traveled. The right lane of the road was overgrown with grass, and the roughness of the pavement, while not easily seen, could be felt with every jolt through our saddles. We had rolling hills similar to what we saw in Missouri, but riding slowly was not an option, for the cloud of gnats would engulf us at speeds lower than around 10 mph.
The majority of the day was hot, dry, and gnat infested. There was, however, little traffic in the roads, and today Kieran decided to ride no hands for 43 miles with Henrik supporting him with water and food. These two continued on as the rest of us stopped for a delicious Subway lunch at an RV park.
In the last 20 mile stretch, we ran into these two stopped at a small store that has supposedly appeared in travel guides for CruiseAmerica. After a short break we entered into the canyons as a brief but strong storm caught us on a climb. The entry into Capitol Reef was rather scenic but also repetitive. It was a great relief to finally roll into the campground. And thus began the first of three straight days of the team’s first true camping experience!
-Charlie Ouyang
Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Day 46: Bryce Canyon, UT to Cedar City, UT
Wednesday, July 14
I felt really sick that morning and stayed on the van. We were camping a night before at Bryce Canyon. We woke up at four. Although I really enjoyed seeing millions of stars, it was not fun waking up so early that sun is not even up. It is hard to gather all my belongings together and therefore take significantly longer to pack. Also, it was so cold in the morning. It started with nice descent until the first water stop at least. But after the second water stop, we were faced with eight percent grade-mountain. Mountains were not as bad as the ones we have climbed before, but it was pretty long. What made things worse was that there were some miscommunications with the lunch van. We have decided to have lunch at mile 63, which, according to the elevation chart, seemed correct. But it happened that the summit came few miles before. People waited for hours for lunch van to come and were starving. It finally came around two. After that summit, it was downhill till the host and it seemed that bikes went a lot faster than the car. We were all so excited to have finally a day off, since previous couple of days has been so difficult. We stayed in a dorm and it was nice to sleep on the mattresses.
-Chorong Song
I felt really sick that morning and stayed on the van. We were camping a night before at Bryce Canyon. We woke up at four. Although I really enjoyed seeing millions of stars, it was not fun waking up so early that sun is not even up. It is hard to gather all my belongings together and therefore take significantly longer to pack. Also, it was so cold in the morning. It started with nice descent until the first water stop at least. But after the second water stop, we were faced with eight percent grade-mountain. Mountains were not as bad as the ones we have climbed before, but it was pretty long. What made things worse was that there were some miscommunications with the lunch van. We have decided to have lunch at mile 63, which, according to the elevation chart, seemed correct. But it happened that the summit came few miles before. People waited for hours for lunch van to come and were starving. It finally came around two. After that summit, it was downhill till the host and it seemed that bikes went a lot faster than the car. We were all so excited to have finally a day off, since previous couple of days has been so difficult. We stayed in a dorm and it was nice to sleep on the mattresses.
-Chorong Song
Day 42: Moab, UT to Green River, Utah
Saturday, July 10
So begins the first day of the third leg. A 5 a.m. wake up had us staggering around with forever shocking efficiency for such an indecently tired crew. As we cruised out a red dawn greeted us with what we thought was the promise of a sizzling day. Did I mention that we ate? No that’s because we cruised out of the church parking lot and headed for the diner. Yes the DINER! The pastor who had so kindly given of the church space had ALSO donated 25 breakfasts each to the riders own discretion, delicious I had buckwheat pancakes, hash browns and coffee. Does it get any better? Yes! Happy Birthday baby Kieran! The staff brought him an encore of ice cream in celebration! Needless to say no one felt like moving after the massive meal, but we hoisted ourselves up and formed a slightly bloated morning circle. After morning circle the usual herding cats/ making groups for the day ensued (a short one of 51 miles or so...and the elevation chart, a work of art (all down hill)) my group was team new jersey, as in new bike jerseys. Coincidentally many of the speed demons had new jerseys so we averaged a seamless 21 mph! Nice! Team New Jersey quickly came upon Green River and were wondering where it was until we reached the epicenter, just kidding there was no epicenter. Green River may I mention is the only town within a reasonable distance (100 miles) from Moab and ( ) aside from our other options, Solitude Utah and Desolate...Green river does sound a little more inviting although the surrounding landscape was doubtless no less stark than the afore mentioned.
Getting in early was fantastic and we were greeted by a selection of sandwich fixings, ants on a log and home made jelly! The coolest part is that it all was provided by folks our age! Every one was surprisingly wiped out by such a short day after a day off. The napping was brought to an abrupt end when we were summoned to a walking tour of town lead by one of the volunteers. The volunteer explained what was around in town, their aspirations for the town and the booms and busts of the past. After the walking tour the group was split and some of us were talked to rake up glass, batteries and the like and others were delegated to the consignment shop to sort and organize clothes, weeding was also a quintessential part of the days tasks. Giving back was a very cool thing to do but we were all exhausted by the end of the hour and a half. The daily showers were definitely what the doctor ordered. Once refreshed by the interestingly mineral laden water much of the team wondered into a super cool coffee house...the only one actually. Bedecked with a record player, native art, interesting furniture and an impressive book collection, not to mention marvelous coffee drinks etc.! Diner at 6:30 summoned us to our hosts where we scarfed down delicious burritos and then tried to fall asleep at 9 (sun still shining) in lue of the next mornings 4 am wake up.
That’s all for now.
- Amelia Lindbergh
PS Miss you Kristine!
So begins the first day of the third leg. A 5 a.m. wake up had us staggering around with forever shocking efficiency for such an indecently tired crew. As we cruised out a red dawn greeted us with what we thought was the promise of a sizzling day. Did I mention that we ate? No that’s because we cruised out of the church parking lot and headed for the diner. Yes the DINER! The pastor who had so kindly given of the church space had ALSO donated 25 breakfasts each to the riders own discretion, delicious I had buckwheat pancakes, hash browns and coffee. Does it get any better? Yes! Happy Birthday baby Kieran! The staff brought him an encore of ice cream in celebration! Needless to say no one felt like moving after the massive meal, but we hoisted ourselves up and formed a slightly bloated morning circle. After morning circle the usual herding cats/ making groups for the day ensued (a short one of 51 miles or so...and the elevation chart, a work of art (all down hill)) my group was team new jersey, as in new bike jerseys. Coincidentally many of the speed demons had new jerseys so we averaged a seamless 21 mph! Nice! Team New Jersey quickly came upon Green River and were wondering where it was until we reached the epicenter, just kidding there was no epicenter. Green River may I mention is the only town within a reasonable distance (100 miles) from Moab and ( ) aside from our other options, Solitude Utah and Desolate...Green river does sound a little more inviting although the surrounding landscape was doubtless no less stark than the afore mentioned.
Getting in early was fantastic and we were greeted by a selection of sandwich fixings, ants on a log and home made jelly! The coolest part is that it all was provided by folks our age! Every one was surprisingly wiped out by such a short day after a day off. The napping was brought to an abrupt end when we were summoned to a walking tour of town lead by one of the volunteers. The volunteer explained what was around in town, their aspirations for the town and the booms and busts of the past. After the walking tour the group was split and some of us were talked to rake up glass, batteries and the like and others were delegated to the consignment shop to sort and organize clothes, weeding was also a quintessential part of the days tasks. Giving back was a very cool thing to do but we were all exhausted by the end of the hour and a half. The daily showers were definitely what the doctor ordered. Once refreshed by the interestingly mineral laden water much of the team wondered into a super cool coffee house...the only one actually. Bedecked with a record player, native art, interesting furniture and an impressive book collection, not to mention marvelous coffee drinks etc.! Diner at 6:30 summoned us to our hosts where we scarfed down delicious burritos and then tried to fall asleep at 9 (sun still shining) in lue of the next mornings 4 am wake up.
That’s all for now.
- Amelia Lindbergh
PS Miss you Kristine!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Day 40 and 41: Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT
Thursday and Friday, July 8th and July 9th
It was 4:00am, the birds weren’t chirping, the sun wasn’t shining but our cell phone alarms sure were blasting. Today was our earliest wake up yet, but for good reason. We had a 100 mile day ahead of us with an expected high of 94 degrees! Welcome to the DESERT 4k!!!! To make matters worse, we stayed on actual beds in Grand Junction! Mattresses are rare but wonderful commodities on the 4k. Leaving the comfort of a mattress is a struggle. But of course we all woke up and went on with our regular morning routine. For breakfast we had about 100 bagels to choose from thanks to the generosity of Grand Junction’s own Main Street Bagels. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as we dedicated our ride at our morning circle.
The first 20 miles of the ride were a bit terrifying. Apparently it’s NOT illegal for cyclist to ride on the I-70 in Colorado or Utah. This is the first time we intentionally ride on an interstate… key word: intentionally! It was difficult to get used to cars and trucks speeding past us at 75 miles an hour, but we survived. The tail winds helped us get through the interstate quickly. Tail winds are also a rare luxury for us and we like to take advantage of them when we can. One of the highlights of the say was going 25 mph up a hill.
It was bitter sweet to leave Colorado today. It definitely lived up to its name “Colorful Colorado”. The best word to describe the past week in Colorado is MAJESTIC! It’s sad to leave such a beautiful state, but exciting to finally get to Utah! Utah’s state sign read “Life Elevated”. Only 3 states to go!
I am always amazed as to how quickly the scenery changes from one state to the other. At around mile 70 we began to bike alongside the Colorado River (in Utah). Surrounding the river were 30-story-high mesas (flat top mountains) that are difficult to describe. The contrast between the clay red of the mesas, the deep blue sky and the greenish-blue river was spectacular. I felt like we were riding through a story book. The only down side to today was the heat: after lunch the temperature quickly shot up to close to 100 degrees. The one thing that kept me going was Chris’ narration of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows (book 7). His dialogue was right on point, although his British accent began to sound more and more like a mix between a Scottish, Irish and Swedish accent. He kept it going for about 90 out of the 100 miles… I was on the edge of my saddle with suspense.
The heat started to get to us, so Meghan, Kieran, Dan and I decided to take a little swim in the Colorado River. We only had 5 miles left in the day but it was completely worth it. It was a great way to cool off and really experience the beauty of Moab.
We were able to dry off quickly with the heat and we finally we rolled into Moab. It’s always great to walk into an air conditioned church after a long day, especially when the congregation greets us with ice cold pink lemonade (my favorite). Dinner was fantastic! We had Navajo tacos with beans, beef and an assortment of toppings. I’m familiar with regular tacos held together by a tortilla, but these were held together by fried bread. I don’t want to admit it… but I have to say that fried bread is definitely tastier than a tortilla. It was great to talk to all the community members. They were all so excited to have us here for two days. We are all ready for a day off here. We have plans to sleep in, shop around for bike gear and explore the beautiful Arch’s National Park.
- Adali
It was 4:00am, the birds weren’t chirping, the sun wasn’t shining but our cell phone alarms sure were blasting. Today was our earliest wake up yet, but for good reason. We had a 100 mile day ahead of us with an expected high of 94 degrees! Welcome to the DESERT 4k!!!! To make matters worse, we stayed on actual beds in Grand Junction! Mattresses are rare but wonderful commodities on the 4k. Leaving the comfort of a mattress is a struggle. But of course we all woke up and went on with our regular morning routine. For breakfast we had about 100 bagels to choose from thanks to the generosity of Grand Junction’s own Main Street Bagels. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as we dedicated our ride at our morning circle.
The first 20 miles of the ride were a bit terrifying. Apparently it’s NOT illegal for cyclist to ride on the I-70 in Colorado or Utah. This is the first time we intentionally ride on an interstate… key word: intentionally! It was difficult to get used to cars and trucks speeding past us at 75 miles an hour, but we survived. The tail winds helped us get through the interstate quickly. Tail winds are also a rare luxury for us and we like to take advantage of them when we can. One of the highlights of the say was going 25 mph up a hill.
It was bitter sweet to leave Colorado today. It definitely lived up to its name “Colorful Colorado”. The best word to describe the past week in Colorado is MAJESTIC! It’s sad to leave such a beautiful state, but exciting to finally get to Utah! Utah’s state sign read “Life Elevated”. Only 3 states to go!
I am always amazed as to how quickly the scenery changes from one state to the other. At around mile 70 we began to bike alongside the Colorado River (in Utah). Surrounding the river were 30-story-high mesas (flat top mountains) that are difficult to describe. The contrast between the clay red of the mesas, the deep blue sky and the greenish-blue river was spectacular. I felt like we were riding through a story book. The only down side to today was the heat: after lunch the temperature quickly shot up to close to 100 degrees. The one thing that kept me going was Chris’ narration of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows (book 7). His dialogue was right on point, although his British accent began to sound more and more like a mix between a Scottish, Irish and Swedish accent. He kept it going for about 90 out of the 100 miles… I was on the edge of my saddle with suspense.
The heat started to get to us, so Meghan, Kieran, Dan and I decided to take a little swim in the Colorado River. We only had 5 miles left in the day but it was completely worth it. It was a great way to cool off and really experience the beauty of Moab.
We were able to dry off quickly with the heat and we finally we rolled into Moab. It’s always great to walk into an air conditioned church after a long day, especially when the congregation greets us with ice cold pink lemonade (my favorite). Dinner was fantastic! We had Navajo tacos with beans, beef and an assortment of toppings. I’m familiar with regular tacos held together by a tortilla, but these were held together by fried bread. I don’t want to admit it… but I have to say that fried bread is definitely tastier than a tortilla. It was great to talk to all the community members. They were all so excited to have us here for two days. We are all ready for a day off here. We have plans to sleep in, shop around for bike gear and explore the beautiful Arch’s National Park.
- Adali
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