:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

utah: day 12, tue 9 sep
salt lake city - nephi

stats:
62.3 @ 15.8 = 3:55:36, max 29.3, trip total: 907

eats:
half a bagel with cream cheese, power gel shot, oreos, bacon cheese burger, fries, vanilla milkshake (it was really soft serv in a large cup), chicken tenders, onion rings, strawberry shake

sleep:
KOA campground, $7

thoughts:
we took the guys to the airport this morning. da da da dehh. just singing to myself now. thomas said, "it's quiet." that's all he needed to say. it was just this morning but it's 60 some odd miles away. that's farther than you think.

we went to a bike store after we left jason's house- bicycle center. it was 9:07am and they opened at 9- perfect. we walked in and they were able to look at my wheels- the spokes and the trueness/roundness. i've been dealing with "soft" wheels, meaning that the spokes were very loose. but it's a science to keep the wheels in a perfect round shape so i decided to wait and not tighten them unless i really needed to. anyway, they fixed me up- both wheels, tightened and trued and i got a power gel shot- $11! what a deal, in dc it would have been at least $10 per wheel with a three day turn around. the relief was worth more than you know.

the realization of what was to come came soon after we left salt lake city. the city. it smelled like a city, the exhaust from cars. it looked like a city, every fast food and chain store in the world. it felt like a city, never concerned with where you might sleep or eat. and it was like being at home or on the east coast- everything at your fingertips. no need to plan or care about essentials. it only took about five miles of riding to start noticing the quickly disappearing concrete and signs. nice. it was open again. then 20 miles down the road everything was gone. well, except for telephone poles and fences. no phone service, no yards with green grass, no nothing. so the realization came to me that the next few days there may not be a place to stay or a place to eat when we want it.

lake view ranch clip

the first town i came across- 41 miles out had no store. only a post office. sure, why not, lets see if they have post cards. the structure was really a trailer with an awning over the door. i walked in, saw the 50 PO boxes or so and got i great "howdy, how ya doing?". hi there- do you have any postcards? i was trying to take the easy way out and get the perfect shot of this spot on the map. "yep, how many would you like?" i got four blank note cards with a new mexico stamp on them. not exactly what i was looking for but hey - i wasn't about to complain. "you want some water? you bikers always need water 'round these parts." so that's when it really sunk in. i better get more cash just in case- these places don't take credit.

on that stretch of 41 miles i had plenty to think about. and pray for. please god don't let the ipod batteries run out. please god let there be food tonight. don't get me wrong, it was another awesome day, the wind was a bitch- i'll admit to that, it was overcast and about 60 degrees, and there was plenty of time to make it to our destination. no need for sun tan lotion, and hardly any need for fluids. and the lake road was as flat as you would think it is- in theory. here are some random thoughts that passed through my head as i biked around the lake:
1. there are 18 telephone poles (large ones like in the photo) every mile. so how far can you see? the poles tend to mesh together into the horizon - so its difficult to say how far you can really see the route. its far though.
2. my odometer is calibrated pretty close to the mile markers- although it ranges within 20 yards of the marker plus or minus. so when they place these markers do they measure from the center of the road? one side of the road could be longer because of curves. or when they actually put them in the ground do they just pick a good spot around that area?
3. can i guess what store or gas station is at the next town? looking at the road side trash, yes even in this remote area, can tell you a lot about what you'll find. one thing is for sure- even in utah there are more beer cans and 12 pack cartons than anything else. funny how its never becks or amstel light- bud, miller, natural light, etc.
4. theory #19: lakes are flat thus perimeter lake roads are flat.
reality #19: not exactly. the road could be flat... maybe flat... should be flat... but most likely its not flat. especially in the rockies. lake utah is a prime example.

so the first place for lunch was this cafe that felt like we were already in mexico. guadalajara- well, that's were the cook/waitress/owner was from- and she spoke in spanish. she was happy to have a customer and even happier to see thomas walk in and take her picture. the town was goshen. there was nothing else there except a storm brewing over head just waiting for when i got back out.

the wind was viscous! it almost blew me over and i was having a hard time staying on the road. and the road was completely falling apart in places. this sounds like a story i know- but its true. i had to climb up another canyon (goshen canyon) and it turned into a wind tunnel. i was in my lowest gear looking for another three gears to down shift. it was like a wall that moved around you depending on how it hit the sides of the narrow passage. the first part of the day i might have averaged 18 or 19 and now to make it another 20 miles i was looking at another 3 hours of riding? 7 miles per hour? yikes. it got better though - but not easy.

the vanilla shake (or vanilla soft serv in a cup) made the rest of the ride just a bit more enjoyable.

[note: email is great to receive but i am having problems sending- sometimes it sends twice but mostly it doesn't send. sorry]