(June 1st) Today proved itself to be one of the most scenic and beautiful days that we have had yet! It was thankfully filled with lots of downhill very little wind, making the 60 mile day a little easier. As Erik said, the landscape matched that of “Tatooine” in Star Wars haha full of desert and hot air. Today also marked our first official day in Utah! And with that, we were graciously hosted by Dick Dzuik, who cooked dinner for us twice and allowed us to crash at Delta High School! After some much needed laundry and late night basketball at the gym, we fell asleep on the hardwood in preparation of day eight on the bike.
(June 2nd) This Saturday took us from Sunstone Knoll to the small town of Lynndyl. The ride was exceptionally flat and the hot, but stuffed with beautiful scenery. There was farmland paralleling the road for miles and the occasional antelope spicing up the landscape… when they weren’t on the side of the road as roadkill haha. It was a 30-mile bike ride of Sunstone Knoll to Delta, and there Dick biked with us into Lynndyl, another 20 miles. His family fed us a terrific BBQ dinner that rivaled that of any Memphis BBQ, and before we knew it our time had run out in the beautiful town of Delta. We said our goodbyes, and packed up our stuff that night in preparation for our ninth straight day of biking.
(June 3rd/4th) Our last day before another rest day was another beautiful ride, yet again. We were also lucky enough to finally get off Highway 50 and pedal into Salt Lake City for our first rest day in 9 days! After one long climb, were we rewarded with a nice 15-mile downhill stretch that bled straight into Saratoga Springs. We stayed in a mission house provided by Hilltop United Methodist Church for two nights and we’re extremely grateful for that! We visited the Local Alzheimer’s Association Chapter in Salt Lake City, where our fires were rekindled for our mission. Next, we decided to explore the rest of the city and saw some incredible sights from downtown Salt Lake. Thank you to everyone who made our visit so enjoyable!
(June 5th) After our much-needed rest day, we embarked on our shortest ride yet, a mere 39-mile ride from Salt Lake City to Heber City. The ride compensated for its lack of distance with picturesque scenery and ample bike trails. Because it was such a short day, this granted us extra time to relax and absorb the atmosphere at Heber City. We stayed at the Mountain Valley RV Resort, which had a swimming pool, basketball court, and (thank goodness) showers haha! Such a fun night with the crew and a great way to spend a day in Utah. We are extremely gracious for these accommodations that were granted to us (via in kind donation) by the Mountain Valley RV Resort. We could not have asked for a better place to stay in Heber City, and are so thankful for this charitable gesture.
(June 6th) Wheel Team Six got a NICE wake-up-call this morning while en route to Strawberry, Utah with a nice 2,000 foot climb right out of the gate. This 15-mile stretch was the hardest climb we have had yet, but as with every uphill, there was an awesome (55-mile) downhill that follows, making all the work put in worth it. We also had a 25-mph tailwind for most of the day which really helped us “breeze” through the day haha! Our biking, however, was the only thing that went according to plan, as when we reached our campsite at Starvation State Park, a new debacle unraveled itself. After setting up the tents, we left to grab dinner in town a couple miles away, completely forgetting about the wind that had been so helpful to us all day. So when we arrived back at the site, we shocked to see our tents in a heap on the ground. Our poles could no longer hold the tent up, so we resorted to sleeping in hammocks, on air mattresses in the car, and under the mesh screen on the tent haha! Needless to say, this night is one that we will not soon forget!
(June 7th) Today was another fun day on the bike! We went from Strawberry to Vernal and passed through a couple of small towns along the way. At our lunch stop that day, we were lucky enough to meet a few members of a local Native American tribe! They were very outgoing and had smiles that could outshine even the darkest days! As we pressed on through the heat, we finally reached our campsite in Vernal. Our host, David Sam, graciously provided us with dinner and cabins to stay in at the campsite. He even rode with us out of Utah an into Colorado! We appreciate all the help you’ve provided Bike4Alz!
(June 8th) During our last day in Utah, David guided us through the city of Vernal and all the way to Dinosaur, CO! We stopped at a local sandwich shop for lunch and devoured most of its produce with our dinosaur-sized appetites haha. We bid our farewells to David and continued another 20 miles to the very small town of Massadona, which has a whopping population of 5 people haha. Overall, the people in Utah were extremely generous and kind and we are lucky to have biked through there… despite all the roadkill haha. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
