Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Day 15: Gray Mountain
Leaving Page was not anything spectacular, but I was having a tough time keeping my speed above 10mph. It was one of those gradual climbs that look flat but really are not. The morning part of the ride was excellent as they always are. I rode through a kind of gorge and some other interesting landscapes, but as the day grew older I reached this long, flat, and very dry stretch of road.
You know how the heat makes pavement look like water in the distance? Well, this road was no different and I imagined myself riding straight into a lake and experiencing the refreshing cool the water would be holding. But there was no water—only heat. I started to climb a pass and I decided that I would take my time just in case it was a big one or if there were more to come. I also knew that when I climb, I almost always get to fly back down. It wasn’t long before I reached the top and sure enough, I saw the best road sign ever.
Riding downhill is very exhilarating and a lot of fun. At times I would pretend that I was in the Tour de France and would stick my butt up in the air to gain speed (not that I really ever knew what I was doing), but it is really fun. The only problem I had this time was this car behind me really wanted to pass me. What made this a problem was that I was going just as fast as the car right in front of me. Why would passing me help them get where they were going any faster? I reached the end of “Antelope Pass” and took a quick break. My next stop was a little town called “The Gap.” On my way there I began seeing these little caterpillar things trying to cross the road. There were so many of them and most were run over, but I saw some make it across. I can’t imagine where they were all heading, but there sure were a lot of them. The next thing I saw were a number of abandoned shelters that were right on the side of the road. They were used by venders, but had obviously not been used for some time. I pulled into The Gap and found some shade under a tree. I pulled out my other favorite lunch (when Subway was not an option), which was a turkey sub from Walmart. They have this incredible deal where you buy a footlong sandwich with turkey, lettuce, and cheese all for $4.95 (I wrote this before Subway's 5 dollar footlong deal). It fills you up and is delicious! I ate my lunch under a tree and once I finished I left for Gray Mountain. This would be my final stop for the day. The ride from The Gap to Gray Mountain was very interesting. At one point I looked over to see a cow that had recently died. I knew it had been recent because it was bloated, with its legs sticking straight out. I couldn’t believe it! First of all, there was nothing green around and water was only an aspiration. Why would there be a cow in that environment??? I continued on and after I road about 20 miles from The Gap I was hit with very strong winds. Because I was riding in a desert, the wind was full of sand. I was riding in what I considered a sandstorm. It was blowing sideways, stinging the right side of my face, arms, and legs and was blowing hard enough that I had to lean into it. Thankfully, this wind/sandstorm only lasted for 15 minutes or so. The road I was on is only about 40 miles east of the Grand Canyon. I was completely unaware I was so close! After riding out the storm, I started approaching the town right before Gray Mountain called Cameron. I was about 12 miles or so from the town when I saw my favorite sign—or at least I thought I had. I rode up to the point where I was sure I had seen a downhill sign, but there was nothing there or anything that looked like it. I was confused, but thought “I must have seen a mirage!!!” I’ve never really thought they actually happen, but I had one! I was out of water, my mouth was dry, and I was tired and ready to be done for the day, but I would have one last exciting moment. I saw this guy walking with a cart on the same side of the road I was riding. He didn’t look very welcoming so I unstrapped my tire pump that’s on the frame of my bike. It would make a decent Billy Club if I needed to use it as one, so I was ready. I started moving out into the lane to pass him, expecting him to vanish as my beautiful road sign did, but instead he waved me down and motioned for me to stop. I found out his name was Art and he was on a peace walk. He had traveled all the way from San Diego, California and had just left Gray Mountain where he’d slept the night before. He told me about how much he hated President Bush and the War and was trying to gather support for world peace. He gave me a sticker with a blue peace sign which read "Peace Now." We parted ways and I continued on to Cameron. I was so ready to be done and was really tired from the ride. Having made it to Cameron I had ridden about 83 miles climbing a pass, seeing a dead cow, riding through a sand storm, and talking to a sun-scorched man…I was ready to rest. While in Cameron I stopped at the gas station that was next to a touristy trading post and pleaded with the attendant to let me have some cold water from the soda machine. He graciously allowed me to and I was very, very thankful. I sat outside the store on a bench in the shade and dreaded the 9 miles to Gray Mountain that were left to ride. But, I had to get there so off I went and of course I had to climb for the majority of it. I finally reached my destination and stopped at this place called the “Anasazi Inn.” I tried to have a conversation with the lady at the front desk, but she wasn’t really in the talking mood. I went to my room and had a much needed shower, ate dinner and watched some TV! I even had air conditioning for the night! I always slept on the top of the beds in those kinds of hotels because I couldn’t trust that the sheets were nice and fresh...
Coming tomorrow...
The final ride, OnStar, and the greenest place on earth!
You know how the heat makes pavement look like water in the distance? Well, this road was no different and I imagined myself riding straight into a lake and experiencing the refreshing cool the water would be holding. But there was no water—only heat. I started to climb a pass and I decided that I would take my time just in case it was a big one or if there were more to come. I also knew that when I climb, I almost always get to fly back down. It wasn’t long before I reached the top and sure enough, I saw the best road sign ever.
Riding downhill is very exhilarating and a lot of fun. At times I would pretend that I was in the Tour de France and would stick my butt up in the air to gain speed (not that I really ever knew what I was doing), but it is really fun. The only problem I had this time was this car behind me really wanted to pass me. What made this a problem was that I was going just as fast as the car right in front of me. Why would passing me help them get where they were going any faster? I reached the end of “Antelope Pass” and took a quick break. My next stop was a little town called “The Gap.” On my way there I began seeing these little caterpillar things trying to cross the road. There were so many of them and most were run over, but I saw some make it across. I can’t imagine where they were all heading, but there sure were a lot of them. The next thing I saw were a number of abandoned shelters that were right on the side of the road. They were used by venders, but had obviously not been used for some time. I pulled into The Gap and found some shade under a tree. I pulled out my other favorite lunch (when Subway was not an option), which was a turkey sub from Walmart. They have this incredible deal where you buy a footlong sandwich with turkey, lettuce, and cheese all for $4.95 (I wrote this before Subway's 5 dollar footlong deal). It fills you up and is delicious! I ate my lunch under a tree and once I finished I left for Gray Mountain. This would be my final stop for the day. The ride from The Gap to Gray Mountain was very interesting. At one point I looked over to see a cow that had recently died. I knew it had been recent because it was bloated, with its legs sticking straight out. I couldn’t believe it! First of all, there was nothing green around and water was only an aspiration. Why would there be a cow in that environment??? I continued on and after I road about 20 miles from The Gap I was hit with very strong winds. Because I was riding in a desert, the wind was full of sand. I was riding in what I considered a sandstorm. It was blowing sideways, stinging the right side of my face, arms, and legs and was blowing hard enough that I had to lean into it. Thankfully, this wind/sandstorm only lasted for 15 minutes or so. The road I was on is only about 40 miles east of the Grand Canyon. I was completely unaware I was so close! After riding out the storm, I started approaching the town right before Gray Mountain called Cameron. I was about 12 miles or so from the town when I saw my favorite sign—or at least I thought I had. I rode up to the point where I was sure I had seen a downhill sign, but there was nothing there or anything that looked like it. I was confused, but thought “I must have seen a mirage!!!” I’ve never really thought they actually happen, but I had one! I was out of water, my mouth was dry, and I was tired and ready to be done for the day, but I would have one last exciting moment. I saw this guy walking with a cart on the same side of the road I was riding. He didn’t look very welcoming so I unstrapped my tire pump that’s on the frame of my bike. It would make a decent Billy Club if I needed to use it as one, so I was ready. I started moving out into the lane to pass him, expecting him to vanish as my beautiful road sign did, but instead he waved me down and motioned for me to stop. I found out his name was Art and he was on a peace walk. He had traveled all the way from San Diego, California and had just left Gray Mountain where he’d slept the night before. He told me about how much he hated President Bush and the War and was trying to gather support for world peace. He gave me a sticker with a blue peace sign which read "Peace Now." We parted ways and I continued on to Cameron. I was so ready to be done and was really tired from the ride. Having made it to Cameron I had ridden about 83 miles climbing a pass, seeing a dead cow, riding through a sand storm, and talking to a sun-scorched man…I was ready to rest. While in Cameron I stopped at the gas station that was next to a touristy trading post and pleaded with the attendant to let me have some cold water from the soda machine. He graciously allowed me to and I was very, very thankful. I sat outside the store on a bench in the shade and dreaded the 9 miles to Gray Mountain that were left to ride. But, I had to get there so off I went and of course I had to climb for the majority of it. I finally reached my destination and stopped at this place called the “Anasazi Inn.” I tried to have a conversation with the lady at the front desk, but she wasn’t really in the talking mood. I went to my room and had a much needed shower, ate dinner and watched some TV! I even had air conditioning for the night! I always slept on the top of the beds in those kinds of hotels because I couldn’t trust that the sheets were nice and fresh...
Coming tomorrow...
The final ride, OnStar, and the greenest place on earth!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Day 14: Page, Arizona
My next destination was Page, Arizona. I got up very early to leave. I may have slept 5 hours but I was anxious to continue on my journey.
I packed up my trailer, put on my cold gear because the sun was still waking up itself, and quietly left Frank’s house. It was a beautiful calm morning as I pulled out of town and it soon looked like the environment of “Radiator Springs” in the movie “Cars.” The highway leaving town was a long and really straight road. After a while there was some interesting scenery, including beautiful red rock cliffs.
Right before reaching Lake Powell were some really interesting sandstone caves. I contemplated stopping and exploring, but it was getting late which meant it was going to start getting hot. I passed a boat repair/storage business and then began to pass the lake. It was a memorable view and I wanted to take a break to go for a swim. Soon after passing the lake I reached the Arizona border.
I stopped at a convenience store located right there on the border and I was thankful for the ice cold water they allowed me to have. As I was nearing Page I saw a Chevy Tahoe police vehicle that had pulled over a speeding sports car that had recently passed me. My initial thought was, “I wonder if he’s waiting for me (I couldn’t see the car pulled over in front of him) because I had heard that some states don’t allow cyclists on highways. I kept on trucking and began my decent into Page. It was great heading in! Downhill completed by a beautiful view over the bridge. However, it was 90+ degrees at this point and this beautiful view was met by a seemingly simple climb into town. The climb was actually miserable and it continued all the way into town. I rode through town looking for the place I was going to sleep that night. I stopped first at the Best Western only to find out that it was going to cost $89 for the night. There was no way I was going to pay that much again! I asked for directions to a Subway or a Walmart and headed that way. On my way there I traveled on a street that was surprisingly full of churches! All different denominations, all different religious affiliations, it was strange that they were all located together. They were all neighbors! I found a couple of cheaper hotels as I continued, the first one, Motel 6, was affordable but the lady at the front desk was very rude. I left and paid for a room at the Super 8. I made it to Walmart, ate at the Subway that was there and gathered some supplies for the next day. Here is an email I wrote once I returned to the Super 8:
Coming tomorrow...
A visit to The Gap, a dead cow and a guy on a peace walk.
I packed up my trailer, put on my cold gear because the sun was still waking up itself, and quietly left Frank’s house. It was a beautiful calm morning as I pulled out of town and it soon looked like the environment of “Radiator Springs” in the movie “Cars.” The highway leaving town was a long and really straight road. After a while there was some interesting scenery, including beautiful red rock cliffs.
Right before reaching Lake Powell were some really interesting sandstone caves. I contemplated stopping and exploring, but it was getting late which meant it was going to start getting hot. I passed a boat repair/storage business and then began to pass the lake. It was a memorable view and I wanted to take a break to go for a swim. Soon after passing the lake I reached the Arizona border.
I stopped at a convenience store located right there on the border and I was thankful for the ice cold water they allowed me to have. As I was nearing Page I saw a Chevy Tahoe police vehicle that had pulled over a speeding sports car that had recently passed me. My initial thought was, “I wonder if he’s waiting for me (I couldn’t see the car pulled over in front of him) because I had heard that some states don’t allow cyclists on highways. I kept on trucking and began my decent into Page. It was great heading in! Downhill completed by a beautiful view over the bridge. However, it was 90+ degrees at this point and this beautiful view was met by a seemingly simple climb into town. The climb was actually miserable and it continued all the way into town. I rode through town looking for the place I was going to sleep that night. I stopped first at the Best Western only to find out that it was going to cost $89 for the night. There was no way I was going to pay that much again! I asked for directions to a Subway or a Walmart and headed that way. On my way there I traveled on a street that was surprisingly full of churches! All different denominations, all different religious affiliations, it was strange that they were all located together. They were all neighbors! I found a couple of cheaper hotels as I continued, the first one, Motel 6, was affordable but the lady at the front desk was very rude. I left and paid for a room at the Super 8. I made it to Walmart, ate at the Subway that was there and gathered some supplies for the next day. Here is an email I wrote once I returned to the Super 8:
I crossed the border today....WOO HOO....and now I'm in Page, Arizona. I'm staying here at a super 8 and I'm not camping because it's wicked hot. Plus I want to get going early to beat the heat. Today I left Kanab, Utah at 6:00am and it was hardly light enough to see--I had to use my head light on my bike so I didn't get run over... I pulled in here at 11:30 this morning and it was already 90 something. I'm glad I got here as soon as I did. My bike is kind of starting to break, at least once piece on my bike. The "Derailer Arm" is bent, which makes my shifting a little rough and I can't use some gear combinations. I'll have to wait until I get to Flagstaff (2 days) because the bike shop here doesn't do repairs on Sunday. I just ate Subway, which was amazing by the way. In fact, I think that they should make one of those Subway commercials with me in it. I think I've eaten at every one I could have and I've lost 8lbs in less than 2 weeks, now that's something big... Look out Jared!
Coming tomorrow...
A visit to The Gap, a dead cow and a guy on a peace walk.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Day 13: Kanab, Utah
Breakfast the next morning was at a grocery store: Bananas, yogurt, and some beartrack donut things. This day's ride would prove to be the most incredible ride I was to experience. My destination was Kanab, Utah, the last stop before I crossed the border into Arizona. During my ride I again had asked God to provide for the day, specifically a place to stay in Kanab. It was a very hot day, 90+ degrees, with wind blowing slightly in the direction I was riding. That means I had no breeze to cool me down as I rode and any rider knows that the heat isn't so bad until you stop riding because of that breeze. I was on this somewhat significant climb and I wasn't going very fast. I stood up on my bike to stretch because my back was really cramped and as I did I slowed way down. I pedaled while standing (something I was advised not to do...) to regain my dismal speed and as I did I warped a four-inch section of my back tire due to a combination of heat and my pedaling, which I didn't know at the moment. I continued up the push and passed a couple of guys on the opposite side of the rode who were on motorcycles. They said, "Man You're crazy! You want a cigarette?" I smiled and waved and saw that the top was near. I started downhill and shortly after beginning this decent I felt a little continuous bump on my bike tire (the 4 inch section that had warped!). I stopped and looked to see that my tire was warped and thought, "Well there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't have another tire, just plenty of tubes. I'll just go slow." And just so you know, it was a wicked-awesome downhill. I continued on and got going about 33 miles an hour, using my brakes when all of the sudden...... "BOOM!" My tire blew!
I started swerving and thought I was going to fall. So I instantly started to pray. I was scared and as I tried to slow down I imagined my leg "meatloafed" from the fall. Well, I didn't fall--thankfully. I considered my options: Walk or attempt some MacGyver fix. You know I didn't want to walk down the beautiful downhill ride, so MacGyver it was. I remembered this trick that Sheila, who I had just met before the trip, told me. She said that "if your tire tread is getting thin, you can take a dollar bill, fold it four ways, and put it in between your tire and your tube and it should help you get to your next stop." I thought, "Well, my tread isn't thin, it has a hole in it, but maybe I can try a couple of dollar bills." So I tried it. I rode for about a half of a mile at about 20 some mph and then "BOOM!"again. I got frustrated and not just with the situation, but with God. Sheila told me of a situation where her tire tread was getting thin and that she made it to the bottom of this hill and then her tire blew. While looking at the newly paved road, my thought went something like this, "Why would you let her make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" I realized what I was thinking and said, "God if you want to provide for me I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." So, since I had blown two tubes, I decided to walk. I had 9 miles to get to Kanab with enough hot water to keep me hydrated and I had hoped that maybe someone might stop to ask me if I needed a ride. There were a number of cars that passed by in the first half mile and nobody stopped. Then I had an idea. I thought, "Maybe, my back tire blew again because it has that extra weight of my trailer pulling down on it. I wonder if I could make it if I switched my tires. But, if it pops up front I don't know if I will be able to control where I go." I prayed again and decided to switch them. Just as I started to pump up my back tire a gentlemen in a white Ford Bronco pulled over. I RAN up to his window and he asked if I needed any help. I said, "I blew a tire." Then he said, "Throw your bike on the trailer and I'll give you a ride into town." (An answer to my prayer of getting to town safely!). I hurried and got it to sit securely and hopped in. His name was Frank and I asked him about campgrounds. He mentioned a couple of different ones that were conveniently close to the bike shop. We talked the whole way to town and I told him a little of what I had seen. I mentioned that I had planned to go see the Grand Canyon, but that I had already seen so many big canyons that I couldn't imagine it being much more exciting. Also, I decided not to go because I was trying to hurry and get to Mesa, Arizona because Bob (whose house I was going to stay in) was preaching that next Sunday. When we got to town I said "If you wouldn't mind dropping me off at the bike shop that would be great." As we pulled into town he said, "You know, if you want to save a few bucks, I have a yard you could stay in." I said, "Yeah! That would be perfect!" We got to the bike shop around 3:30 or 4:00 and it was closed so I looked at the hours and saw that it said they opened at 5:00pm on Friday. I told Frank and he said that I could shower at his place and relax and that we could come back at 5:00. We got to his house, which he told me he and his family had built back in the 80s I think.
It was so amazing, super fancy, and it was a log house. There was a moose mounted inside that he had shot.
He showed me the bathroom that looked like a bathroom in a 5 star hotel and while standing in the bedroom he said, "You can sleep here." I thought, "WHAT!" I asked him, "In here or out there?" He said, "Here" and pointed to this bed that looked really expensive. The bathroom was right there as well and it was kept as nice as a bathroom in a 5 star hotel. Frank went outside to do some rock work (he was coming back from collecting his supply of rock when he picked me up) and I had a chance to shower. After I finished I went outside and helped frank unload some of his rock. It was about 4:30 or so and I asked frank I we could go back to the bike shop. We left and on the way I realized that I had forgotten to grab my money out of my backpack. I said, "Shoot! I forgot to grab money!" He said, "That's ok, we'll put it on my credit card. You can pay me back right?" I said "absolutely" and we continued. We got there and I got out to see that the bike shop was still closed! Frank leaned over and looked through the passenger window. He said, "I think they are closed today." The first time we went to the bike shop I looked at the hours for Friday, but it wasn't Friday, it was Saturday. I quickly apologized and he said, "That's ok. I know the guy who owns the building." So, off we went to this guy's house. When we arrived, he said "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to this guy." So about 15 minutes later he came out and said, "It's this guy's son who owns the shop. We tried about 10 different numbers and couldn't get a hold of him, but I know where he lives so we'll go check it out." We got to the house and believe it or not, the guy we were looking for got home right before we arrived. That was why they couldn't get a hold of him. So Frank went up to the door to tell him the situation and he came running down to the car and said, "Sounds like you need a tire...!" and I just said, "Yeah I do!" "Well lets go!" he said and back down to the shop we went. On our way down there we drove by a Subway so I asked, "Do you think we could stop by Subway after we get the tire because I haven't eaten dinner yet?" He said, "Do you like veggies?" and I said "Yeah." "Are you a vegetarian?" he asked. I said, "no" and he said, "Well I was going to have steak for dinner so we'll stop by the grocery store and pick you up one." I said, "Wow! Thanks!" We made it to the bike shop and the owner was walking around trying to find the size I needed. I'll be honest, all I saw were the type of tires you can get at an Ace Hardware. And the shop wasn't too modern you know, it's a small town. Actually, I'm not sure I saw any new(er) bikes at all! The owner kept sorting through tires saying "Nope that's not the right size....nope....wait, nope. I'm not sure if I have your size, we don't have a lot of road bikes come through here," but he kept looking. All of the sudden he says, "Oh, here's some." Remember that phrase from earlier in my trip? When I ran out of water right before I made it to Loa, Utah? Exactly the same! I said to myself, "I SEE YOU GOD!!!! AND I'M SO THANKFUL YOU'RE HERE!!!" I went to hand him my debit card and he said, "Oh sorry, I'm not set up for that here." I said, "Is there an ATM nearby." He told me where I could go so off Frank and I went to find the ATM. We ended up going quite a ways to this bank all the while the owner is just waiting back at his shop. We got back, I bought the tire, thanked the owner and Frank and I went to the grocery store. We were walking around picking up supplies and Frank says, "You like hominy?" I said, "I've never had it, what is it?" He said, "You'll can try it and if you don't like it you don't have to eat it." Then we went back to get the steak. He grabbed one and said, "I have an idea. What time does the sun set?" I told him that it was setting around 7:45 or 8:00. He said, "Ok. So this is what we'll do. We'll go home, I'll cook dinner and after we're done, I'll take you to see the Grand Canyon." You can imagine how blown away I was!!!! I was so excited and thankful. So we ate dinner out on his beautiful deck and it was gorgeous it. Oh and the hominy was very delicious!
We finished with dinner and headed out. We had great conversation the whole way there and I learned a lot about him, his family and the things that he's into. When we arrived at the tourist center, Frank said "You're going to have to run because the sun is going to set soon!" I did as he said and went as fast as I could. Inside the tourist center were loads of people. I wondered why there were so many but found out that it was because there was no one out looking at the canyon, they were all inside.... It was so perfect. I reached the end of Bright Angel Trail right in time for the sun to drop below the top of the canyon.
It could not have been better. No people. Perfect timing. Accident? Yeah right. Thanks God.
I walked back feeling like you do when you wake up from a great nights sleep. Man, I love thinking about that moment. I found frank, with his camera strapped over his shoulder and we headed back down to his bronco. I could not believe all that had happened leading up to that point. I thought back to when my tire exploded when I said "Why would you let her (Sheila) make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" then, "God if you want to provide for me, I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." Do you think He took care of me? Sure He used Frank to bless me abundantly, but how do things like that just "fall" into place. I think they don't. Frank and I returned to his house, said goodnight and goodbye, and I left early that next morning, before the sunrise.
Coming tomorrow...
Red rock, blue lakes, and another Page turned.
I started swerving and thought I was going to fall. So I instantly started to pray. I was scared and as I tried to slow down I imagined my leg "meatloafed" from the fall. Well, I didn't fall--thankfully. I considered my options: Walk or attempt some MacGyver fix. You know I didn't want to walk down the beautiful downhill ride, so MacGyver it was. I remembered this trick that Sheila, who I had just met before the trip, told me. She said that "if your tire tread is getting thin, you can take a dollar bill, fold it four ways, and put it in between your tire and your tube and it should help you get to your next stop." I thought, "Well, my tread isn't thin, it has a hole in it, but maybe I can try a couple of dollar bills." So I tried it. I rode for about a half of a mile at about 20 some mph and then "BOOM!"again. I got frustrated and not just with the situation, but with God. Sheila told me of a situation where her tire tread was getting thin and that she made it to the bottom of this hill and then her tire blew. While looking at the newly paved road, my thought went something like this, "Why would you let her make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" I realized what I was thinking and said, "God if you want to provide for me I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." So, since I had blown two tubes, I decided to walk. I had 9 miles to get to Kanab with enough hot water to keep me hydrated and I had hoped that maybe someone might stop to ask me if I needed a ride. There were a number of cars that passed by in the first half mile and nobody stopped. Then I had an idea. I thought, "Maybe, my back tire blew again because it has that extra weight of my trailer pulling down on it. I wonder if I could make it if I switched my tires. But, if it pops up front I don't know if I will be able to control where I go." I prayed again and decided to switch them. Just as I started to pump up my back tire a gentlemen in a white Ford Bronco pulled over. I RAN up to his window and he asked if I needed any help. I said, "I blew a tire." Then he said, "Throw your bike on the trailer and I'll give you a ride into town." (An answer to my prayer of getting to town safely!). I hurried and got it to sit securely and hopped in. His name was Frank and I asked him about campgrounds. He mentioned a couple of different ones that were conveniently close to the bike shop. We talked the whole way to town and I told him a little of what I had seen. I mentioned that I had planned to go see the Grand Canyon, but that I had already seen so many big canyons that I couldn't imagine it being much more exciting. Also, I decided not to go because I was trying to hurry and get to Mesa, Arizona because Bob (whose house I was going to stay in) was preaching that next Sunday. When we got to town I said "If you wouldn't mind dropping me off at the bike shop that would be great." As we pulled into town he said, "You know, if you want to save a few bucks, I have a yard you could stay in." I said, "Yeah! That would be perfect!" We got to the bike shop around 3:30 or 4:00 and it was closed so I looked at the hours and saw that it said they opened at 5:00pm on Friday. I told Frank and he said that I could shower at his place and relax and that we could come back at 5:00. We got to his house, which he told me he and his family had built back in the 80s I think.
It was so amazing, super fancy, and it was a log house. There was a moose mounted inside that he had shot.
He showed me the bathroom that looked like a bathroom in a 5 star hotel and while standing in the bedroom he said, "You can sleep here." I thought, "WHAT!" I asked him, "In here or out there?" He said, "Here" and pointed to this bed that looked really expensive. The bathroom was right there as well and it was kept as nice as a bathroom in a 5 star hotel. Frank went outside to do some rock work (he was coming back from collecting his supply of rock when he picked me up) and I had a chance to shower. After I finished I went outside and helped frank unload some of his rock. It was about 4:30 or so and I asked frank I we could go back to the bike shop. We left and on the way I realized that I had forgotten to grab my money out of my backpack. I said, "Shoot! I forgot to grab money!" He said, "That's ok, we'll put it on my credit card. You can pay me back right?" I said "absolutely" and we continued. We got there and I got out to see that the bike shop was still closed! Frank leaned over and looked through the passenger window. He said, "I think they are closed today." The first time we went to the bike shop I looked at the hours for Friday, but it wasn't Friday, it was Saturday. I quickly apologized and he said, "That's ok. I know the guy who owns the building." So, off we went to this guy's house. When we arrived, he said "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to this guy." So about 15 minutes later he came out and said, "It's this guy's son who owns the shop. We tried about 10 different numbers and couldn't get a hold of him, but I know where he lives so we'll go check it out." We got to the house and believe it or not, the guy we were looking for got home right before we arrived. That was why they couldn't get a hold of him. So Frank went up to the door to tell him the situation and he came running down to the car and said, "Sounds like you need a tire...!" and I just said, "Yeah I do!" "Well lets go!" he said and back down to the shop we went. On our way down there we drove by a Subway so I asked, "Do you think we could stop by Subway after we get the tire because I haven't eaten dinner yet?" He said, "Do you like veggies?" and I said "Yeah." "Are you a vegetarian?" he asked. I said, "no" and he said, "Well I was going to have steak for dinner so we'll stop by the grocery store and pick you up one." I said, "Wow! Thanks!" We made it to the bike shop and the owner was walking around trying to find the size I needed. I'll be honest, all I saw were the type of tires you can get at an Ace Hardware. And the shop wasn't too modern you know, it's a small town. Actually, I'm not sure I saw any new(er) bikes at all! The owner kept sorting through tires saying "Nope that's not the right size....nope....wait, nope. I'm not sure if I have your size, we don't have a lot of road bikes come through here," but he kept looking. All of the sudden he says, "Oh, here's some." Remember that phrase from earlier in my trip? When I ran out of water right before I made it to Loa, Utah? Exactly the same! I said to myself, "I SEE YOU GOD!!!! AND I'M SO THANKFUL YOU'RE HERE!!!" I went to hand him my debit card and he said, "Oh sorry, I'm not set up for that here." I said, "Is there an ATM nearby." He told me where I could go so off Frank and I went to find the ATM. We ended up going quite a ways to this bank all the while the owner is just waiting back at his shop. We got back, I bought the tire, thanked the owner and Frank and I went to the grocery store. We were walking around picking up supplies and Frank says, "You like hominy?" I said, "I've never had it, what is it?" He said, "You'll can try it and if you don't like it you don't have to eat it." Then we went back to get the steak. He grabbed one and said, "I have an idea. What time does the sun set?" I told him that it was setting around 7:45 or 8:00. He said, "Ok. So this is what we'll do. We'll go home, I'll cook dinner and after we're done, I'll take you to see the Grand Canyon." You can imagine how blown away I was!!!! I was so excited and thankful. So we ate dinner out on his beautiful deck and it was gorgeous it. Oh and the hominy was very delicious!
We finished with dinner and headed out. We had great conversation the whole way there and I learned a lot about him, his family and the things that he's into. When we arrived at the tourist center, Frank said "You're going to have to run because the sun is going to set soon!" I did as he said and went as fast as I could. Inside the tourist center were loads of people. I wondered why there were so many but found out that it was because there was no one out looking at the canyon, they were all inside.... It was so perfect. I reached the end of Bright Angel Trail right in time for the sun to drop below the top of the canyon.
It could not have been better. No people. Perfect timing. Accident? Yeah right. Thanks God.
I walked back feeling like you do when you wake up from a great nights sleep. Man, I love thinking about that moment. I found frank, with his camera strapped over his shoulder and we headed back down to his bronco. I could not believe all that had happened leading up to that point. I thought back to when my tire exploded when I said "Why would you let her (Sheila) make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" then, "God if you want to provide for me, I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." Do you think He took care of me? Sure He used Frank to bless me abundantly, but how do things like that just "fall" into place. I think they don't. Frank and I returned to his house, said goodnight and goodbye, and I left early that next morning, before the sunrise.
Coming tomorrow...
Red rock, blue lakes, and another Page turned.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Day 12: Panguitch, Utah
I left Loa and headed off for Panquich, Utah--a 90 mile ride. A few miles outside of Loa was one of the longest and straightest downhill rides I'd been on and I reached a new record speed--52 mph!
It was a great day because I rode that 90 miles in 6 1/2 hours and thankfully arrived right before another big storm. When I got to Panquich I stopped and Subway once again and ate my foot long piece of heaven then went across the street to have coffee while the storm passed through and journaled about my trip. Coffee became a luxury and I had it as often as I could. After journaling, I traveled on down the road to find the KOA and when I arrived I was greeted by three KOA staffers, who were very nice and extremely helpful. I got my camp set up and then continued to journal. I took a picture with the backpack I brought with me because it was special and I wanted to show a friend I was using it on my trip!
The sun was on its way to setting and as I finished journaling I pulled out a study that my mentor Dave had given me before the trip. Two ladies, Lucy and Laurel, came up to talk with me and they were both staying in one of the KOA cabins. They mentioned that they had seen my trailer on my bike and were wondering if they could look at it. So I showed it to them and told them what I thought of it and then we talked about what we were doing on our vacations. I felt the nudging to tell them that this trip was God's undistracted, completely exclusive time of redirecting/reorienting my life in whatever direction He wanted. To shut doors or open them, that I would follow His direction and be completely dependent on Him. So, they told me where they were from and that they were also riders who were riding 50 mile treks up on a mountain range not too far from the camp. They asked, "Where are you from?" I said, "Montana" and got the familiar response of "Oh wow!" Then came the question. "What made you decide to ride all this way?" The choice to take the narrow way had come (Matt. 7: 13-14; Luke 13:24). I guess I made it through the door, though I would describe it as a kind of tiptoe passing. I told the ladies that it was my graduation present to myself and then timidly told them "And with the whole idea of future. I was like, 'Ok God, what would you want with me?' " They didn't seem to interested, but Lucy kept looking at my Bible and she mentioned she went to BYU. After they left I prayed for them:
"Father, would you begin to poke their hearts if they don't have a relationship with you? Poke their hearts even if they do. Poke my heart and speak to all of us your truth so we can walk in it. I ask that you would defeat lies that they have and that you can be the victor of their hearts. I pray that they would experience your love sincerely and have an unsearchable and unquenchable hunger for you and that they would come find you..."[journal excerpt].
Coming tomorrow...
A hot day, an exploding experience, and a new friend. The most incredible experience of my entire trip.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Day 11: Loa, Utah
The next destination was a small town called Loa, Utah. I chose to stop there based on the size of font on the map--it appeared to be a larger city. After leaving Hobie's house, I stopped at Walmart to pick up one of their $4.98, mondo, gut-buster sub sandwiches for lunch later that day and also to get a little breakfast. It looked like it was going to be another big ride, but I was up for it... or so I thought. I had ridden about 60 miles to Emery, Utah, when I stopped for lunch. I was feeling pretty good and as I was eating my amazing sub, this gentleman who was a chaperon for an elementary school field trip, came over to chat. We talked about what I was doing and why and then he told me that there is on average about 500 semi-trucks a day that travel the highway I was riding. I said, "I was wondering why there were so many..." He said that there is a coal mine close by that the trucks travel to and from and I had mentioned that I had seen quite a bit of coal on the side of the road. Semi's are frustrating and especially these ones because they throw a ton of wind. I finished lunch and headed on down the road. I finally reached the end of the highway, which was around 75 miles or so. I saw up ahead of me a motorhome that was pulled over and I thought that if I were to get there before they drove away, I would ask them for a ride. Well they left so I rode on. I wondered how much further I had to ride and as I rode wearily on I noticed these mountains next to me that seemed to grow out of the ground the further I rode. I thought to myself, "I really hope I don't have to climb those mountains." Sure enough, not but five minutes later I turned on a rode headed right for them. I saw a mileage sign that said Loa was 31 miles away.
At this point I had already ridden 80 miles, so I was ready to be done! It was only about 3:00pm, so I decided that I would go until I couldn't pedal any more. I rounded a corner, headed uphill and mountains shut behind me like closing doors forbidding me to regress. I then had to push against the wind that was blowing at least 20-25 mph, allowing me to ride at about 3 or 4 mph with serious effort. I found myself getting frustrated and for the first time I asked God, "What am I even doing out here? I was doing this for you so why are you letting the wind blow so hard?" I was already extremely tired, I was riding uphill and the wind was trying to push me back down the mountain. I became so frustrated that I just cried out to God, literally cried that He would hear my heart and calm the wind. I felt defeated. I thought, "I'll just camp here on the side of the rode if I have to." God had a purpose for me, but I was so caught up in my circumstance that I refused to hear it. My legs cramped if I tried to pedal any harder or if I stopped and because the wind was blowing so hard my throat would dry out quickly. That wasn't any good because it felt like I was swallowing needles so I tried to portion my drinks to just enough to wet my throat. I had about 3/4 of a bottle at this point and I didn't know what would happen if I couldn't make it to Loa on the amount of water that I had. On my ascent to the top of the first push and in the midst of my frustration I decided to sing out loud and as loud as I could sing, the worship music I was listening to. I sang "Shout to the North and the South" followed by "By the Grace Go I" by Chris Smith which gave me strength and reminded me of God's grace and purpose. I found some relief from my frustration as well as some comic relief! I passed a cow that seemed perplexed because of my singing and unsure what to do. It made me smile. I finally reached the top and began my decent, but my anticipation of speeding down the other side and enjoying the relax of little effort was interrupted by the wind. I had to pedal to keep a speed of 11 mph... UGH!!! I reached the bottom and felt like God said there would be two more climbs like that and there were. On the third climb I was frustrated enough and tired enough that I decided to get off my bike and walk. I hadn't seen many vehicles, just a guy on a motorcycle and some farmer pulled over in a truck but I thought, "Maybe someone will drive by and feel sorry for me and maybe offer me a ride." Not only that, but I was walking the same speed I was pedaling and walking was easier. I was out of water and I figured that I had to be close to Loa. I saw a white Cadillac Escalade pulled over up ahead and I had decided that when I get up to them I'll ask them for a ride and maybe some water. Well, when I walked passed there was some gentlemen on his cell phone looking away and I thought, "I can't interrupt him." So I kept walking thinking that I would just have to go without water. I looked up maybe two or three minutes later to see that same guy driving the opposite direction that he had come from, now going the direction I was, but he passed me so I looked down and said "Man I wish he would have stopped" then looked up to see him pulled over!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I walked closer and he turned around and headed toward me. He stopped on the other side of the road and said, "You ok?" I said, "Yeah, the wind is just kickin' my butt." He said, "You need anything?" And I asked, "You have any water?" He looked down and said, "Here's one that someone might have taken a sip out of..." I said that would be great! I didn't care if someone had some of it so I quickly pulled my bike out of the way and as I did this guy looked over to his passenger seat and said, "Oh, here's some." He gave me two brand new bottles of water! I didn't even think to ask him for a ride, but instead I asked him, "Is Loa much further?" He told me it was just a little ways further! I chugged the first bottle and saved the other. As I finished out the last push, God spoke to me very clearly and said, "I am not glorified in you giving up." I couldn't believe it. I stopped at the top and looked out to see a beautiful canyon with mountains cresting the horizon. I tried to make a quick video of it, but it didn't turn out. You can see that I'm frustrated, my mouth is dry, and I have a beard...
I rode on and the wind stopped. I started riding downhill and fast! I set a new record of 44.9 mph! I rode past a lake and right before Loa was some farmland that I'm describing as looking like "The Shire" from Lord of The Rings. Everything was so green! There were sprinklers everywhere, I even had to dodge some on the highway! The sun was setting and the scenery was beautiful! There were not many buildings and I thought "Did I just pass Loa...?" and also I wondered where I was going to sleep. I found a gas station and asked the guy there, "Do you guys have a hotel or motel here?" He said "Yep. Just up the street there's a motel called the Snuggle Inn." I was so excited! I prayed that there would a room for me there and I thought to myself that I didn't care how much it was! I walked in and it was fancy, not to mention the cute receptionist that was there who gave me the best news ever. They had room and they had a restaurant right there so I had dinner too! They let me put my bike in a "special" locked room. That day I rode 111 mph in 11 1/2 hours. I was able to email some friends and I decided to email Chris to tell him how much his song helped get me up that mountain.
Coming tomorrow...
A cup of coffee, a KOA, and a race against a storm. I encounter a couple of interested ladies and my faithfulness is challenged.
At this point I had already ridden 80 miles, so I was ready to be done! It was only about 3:00pm, so I decided that I would go until I couldn't pedal any more. I rounded a corner, headed uphill and mountains shut behind me like closing doors forbidding me to regress. I then had to push against the wind that was blowing at least 20-25 mph, allowing me to ride at about 3 or 4 mph with serious effort. I found myself getting frustrated and for the first time I asked God, "What am I even doing out here? I was doing this for you so why are you letting the wind blow so hard?" I was already extremely tired, I was riding uphill and the wind was trying to push me back down the mountain. I became so frustrated that I just cried out to God, literally cried that He would hear my heart and calm the wind. I felt defeated. I thought, "I'll just camp here on the side of the rode if I have to." God had a purpose for me, but I was so caught up in my circumstance that I refused to hear it. My legs cramped if I tried to pedal any harder or if I stopped and because the wind was blowing so hard my throat would dry out quickly. That wasn't any good because it felt like I was swallowing needles so I tried to portion my drinks to just enough to wet my throat. I had about 3/4 of a bottle at this point and I didn't know what would happen if I couldn't make it to Loa on the amount of water that I had. On my ascent to the top of the first push and in the midst of my frustration I decided to sing out loud and as loud as I could sing, the worship music I was listening to. I sang "Shout to the North and the South" followed by "By the Grace Go I" by Chris Smith which gave me strength and reminded me of God's grace and purpose. I found some relief from my frustration as well as some comic relief! I passed a cow that seemed perplexed because of my singing and unsure what to do. It made me smile. I finally reached the top and began my decent, but my anticipation of speeding down the other side and enjoying the relax of little effort was interrupted by the wind. I had to pedal to keep a speed of 11 mph... UGH!!! I reached the bottom and felt like God said there would be two more climbs like that and there were. On the third climb I was frustrated enough and tired enough that I decided to get off my bike and walk. I hadn't seen many vehicles, just a guy on a motorcycle and some farmer pulled over in a truck but I thought, "Maybe someone will drive by and feel sorry for me and maybe offer me a ride." Not only that, but I was walking the same speed I was pedaling and walking was easier. I was out of water and I figured that I had to be close to Loa. I saw a white Cadillac Escalade pulled over up ahead and I had decided that when I get up to them I'll ask them for a ride and maybe some water. Well, when I walked passed there was some gentlemen on his cell phone looking away and I thought, "I can't interrupt him." So I kept walking thinking that I would just have to go without water. I looked up maybe two or three minutes later to see that same guy driving the opposite direction that he had come from, now going the direction I was, but he passed me so I looked down and said "Man I wish he would have stopped" then looked up to see him pulled over!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I walked closer and he turned around and headed toward me. He stopped on the other side of the road and said, "You ok?" I said, "Yeah, the wind is just kickin' my butt." He said, "You need anything?" And I asked, "You have any water?" He looked down and said, "Here's one that someone might have taken a sip out of..." I said that would be great! I didn't care if someone had some of it so I quickly pulled my bike out of the way and as I did this guy looked over to his passenger seat and said, "Oh, here's some." He gave me two brand new bottles of water! I didn't even think to ask him for a ride, but instead I asked him, "Is Loa much further?" He told me it was just a little ways further! I chugged the first bottle and saved the other. As I finished out the last push, God spoke to me very clearly and said, "I am not glorified in you giving up." I couldn't believe it. I stopped at the top and looked out to see a beautiful canyon with mountains cresting the horizon. I tried to make a quick video of it, but it didn't turn out. You can see that I'm frustrated, my mouth is dry, and I have a beard...
I rode on and the wind stopped. I started riding downhill and fast! I set a new record of 44.9 mph! I rode past a lake and right before Loa was some farmland that I'm describing as looking like "The Shire" from Lord of The Rings. Everything was so green! There were sprinklers everywhere, I even had to dodge some on the highway! The sun was setting and the scenery was beautiful! There were not many buildings and I thought "Did I just pass Loa...?" and also I wondered where I was going to sleep. I found a gas station and asked the guy there, "Do you guys have a hotel or motel here?" He said "Yep. Just up the street there's a motel called the Snuggle Inn." I was so excited! I prayed that there would a room for me there and I thought to myself that I didn't care how much it was! I walked in and it was fancy, not to mention the cute receptionist that was there who gave me the best news ever. They had room and they had a restaurant right there so I had dinner too! They let me put my bike in a "special" locked room. That day I rode 111 mph in 11 1/2 hours. I was able to email some friends and I decided to email Chris to tell him how much his song helped get me up that mountain.
Coming tomorrow...
A cup of coffee, a KOA, and a race against a storm. I encounter a couple of interested ladies and my faithfulness is challenged.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Day 10: Price, Utah
My next destination was a short ride to Price, Utah—only 55 miles so I figured it would be an easy ride. That was until I started riding. It was a climb for the first two-thirds of the ride.
About 10 miles or so after leaving I began to see this dark figure in my helmet mirror approaching gradually. I started imagining what it could be, but soon realized it was another rider!!! He got closer and closer and I started feeling competitive. I tried to push harder up the never ending climb, but I was still very sore from the ride to Duchesne and was unable to keep up the pace. Soon enough, the rider caught up with me and as he pulled alongside me we struck up a conversation. He was a Dutch business man who was just out for a quick ride before heading off to a meeting. Quick...if only that were my case! He asked me what I was doing, where I was from and where I was going. After our brief exchange he said, "Well, I think I better push on!" About 30 minutes later I saw him again, but this time it was on his way down the climb... He waved in the customary biker wave (low and off to the side) which I had learned from passing several motorcyclists and other bikers. It's kind of a big deal just so you know. I finished the climb and continued on to Price. It was an 8% climb for most of it, but there was a long downhill at 8% as well. I got to Price and I rode to the tourist information center, but I got a flat tire (#2) on my way there. I prayed that God would help me find a place to stay. So I went inside and asked the lady at the information desk if there were any campgrounds nearby. She told me of two campgrounds, one that didn't allow for tents and the other one was 7 miles in the wrong direction. I didn't want to tack on an extra 14 miles to my ride if I didn't need to. Because camping seemed to be out of the question, I started to call hotels. While I was on the phone, I heard this guy say, "If all else fails, we have an extra room." I didn't realize he was talking to me and I hardly heard him say it so I didn't respond. He came over and said it again and I said "Yeah?! Well I will just see what happens with this last hotel and then I'll let you know." There was only one hotel that had a room available, but they were very expensive. So I went and talked with him, found out where he lived and that his name was Hobie, and I decided to stay there. I had like 5 hours or so to kill, so I went around the corner of the tourist information center and right there was the library! It was Wednesday, so I needed to send a video and some pictures back home for the second "Where in the world is Dustin Sandiego?" I sent the email and off to Subway I went. I ate Subway at every opportunity. I soon was eating a double-stack, footlong, steak and cheese, with so many veggies that half of them would fall out when they folded the sandwich. After lunch I searched for a coffee shop because I wanted to sit down and journal. I found this one that was very, very laid back. Everyone knew each other there so I felt a little out of place.
It was also very small, but I found a place to sit and away I wrote. I came across some verses that God used to speak very clearly to my heart:
The coffee shop closed really early so I had to go find something else to do while I waited to meet up with Hobie. I rode to their downtown area and as I was riding, I came across the "other" coffee shop I had heard about. I rode past the front door to see how late they were open and luckily I had one and a half hours before they closed. I went in, had decaf coffee and continued to journal. I met a couple of cool people there and chatted with them so I wasn't able to get much journaling done. I stayed there until it closed and away on my bike I went to find another place to wait. I found a park named "Pioneer Park" so I thought that would be a cool place to stop as I remembered our Pioneer Park back at home. It had these very interesting steps right in the middle of the park!
It started to get dark so I decided to go find Hobie's house and wait there until he came. When he got there he showed me his house (which was amazing... super nice!) and where I would be staying. I was so blessed! I had a room to myself and a shower all to my own as well! He was going to have some friends over and invited me to hang out with them, but I had to go to bed early because I was leaving very early the next morning.
Coming tomorrow...
A mondo, gutbuster sandwich, despair unearthed and hope restored. A clear demonstration of the faithfulness of God in the midst of need and despair. Significant moment number 2.
About 10 miles or so after leaving I began to see this dark figure in my helmet mirror approaching gradually. I started imagining what it could be, but soon realized it was another rider!!! He got closer and closer and I started feeling competitive. I tried to push harder up the never ending climb, but I was still very sore from the ride to Duchesne and was unable to keep up the pace. Soon enough, the rider caught up with me and as he pulled alongside me we struck up a conversation. He was a Dutch business man who was just out for a quick ride before heading off to a meeting. Quick...if only that were my case! He asked me what I was doing, where I was from and where I was going. After our brief exchange he said, "Well, I think I better push on!" About 30 minutes later I saw him again, but this time it was on his way down the climb... He waved in the customary biker wave (low and off to the side) which I had learned from passing several motorcyclists and other bikers. It's kind of a big deal just so you know. I finished the climb and continued on to Price. It was an 8% climb for most of it, but there was a long downhill at 8% as well. I got to Price and I rode to the tourist information center, but I got a flat tire (#2) on my way there. I prayed that God would help me find a place to stay. So I went inside and asked the lady at the information desk if there were any campgrounds nearby. She told me of two campgrounds, one that didn't allow for tents and the other one was 7 miles in the wrong direction. I didn't want to tack on an extra 14 miles to my ride if I didn't need to. Because camping seemed to be out of the question, I started to call hotels. While I was on the phone, I heard this guy say, "If all else fails, we have an extra room." I didn't realize he was talking to me and I hardly heard him say it so I didn't respond. He came over and said it again and I said "Yeah?! Well I will just see what happens with this last hotel and then I'll let you know." There was only one hotel that had a room available, but they were very expensive. So I went and talked with him, found out where he lived and that his name was Hobie, and I decided to stay there. I had like 5 hours or so to kill, so I went around the corner of the tourist information center and right there was the library! It was Wednesday, so I needed to send a video and some pictures back home for the second "Where in the world is Dustin Sandiego?" I sent the email and off to Subway I went. I ate Subway at every opportunity. I soon was eating a double-stack, footlong, steak and cheese, with so many veggies that half of them would fall out when they folded the sandwich. After lunch I searched for a coffee shop because I wanted to sit down and journal. I found this one that was very, very laid back. Everyone knew each other there so I felt a little out of place.
It was also very small, but I found a place to sit and away I wrote. I came across some verses that God used to speak very clearly to my heart:
"See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff."
The coffee shop closed really early so I had to go find something else to do while I waited to meet up with Hobie. I rode to their downtown area and as I was riding, I came across the "other" coffee shop I had heard about. I rode past the front door to see how late they were open and luckily I had one and a half hours before they closed. I went in, had decaf coffee and continued to journal. I met a couple of cool people there and chatted with them so I wasn't able to get much journaling done. I stayed there until it closed and away on my bike I went to find another place to wait. I found a park named "Pioneer Park" so I thought that would be a cool place to stop as I remembered our Pioneer Park back at home. It had these very interesting steps right in the middle of the park!
It started to get dark so I decided to go find Hobie's house and wait there until he came. When he got there he showed me his house (which was amazing... super nice!) and where I would be staying. I was so blessed! I had a room to myself and a shower all to my own as well! He was going to have some friends over and invited me to hang out with them, but I had to go to bed early because I was leaving very early the next morning.
Coming tomorrow...
A mondo, gutbuster sandwich, despair unearthed and hope restored. A clear demonstration of the faithfulness of God in the midst of need and despair. Significant moment number 2.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Day 9: Duchesne, Utah
I left the Flaming Gorge and headed for Vernal on my way to Duchesne ("Doo-Shane"). I arrived and went straight to the bike shop called, "Altitude Cycle" (http://www.altitudecycle.com/). They are a quality bike shop and they fixed my bike for cheap. I found out that the weight of my trailer bent a part on my bike and was the cause of the rough shifting I was experiencing. The guy who fixed my bike bent it back, but suggested that I pick up a back-up part just in case it was to break. They weren't a trek dealer so I went to the other "Bike shop," the Trek dealer, but they weren't much of a bike shop. They didn't have the part I wanted so I left praying that God would hold my bike together until I could make it to the next shop. I made it to Duchesne after another 100+ mile day and I was not going to camp there. I stayed in a cheap motel and I got diner from a small grocery store: a 75 cent loaf of bread, 2 yogurts, an apple, a banana, 2lbs of turkey, and a small jar of mayonnaise. This also ended up being my breakfast the next morning.
Coming tomorrow...
A short ride, but a long stride.... A good Price to pay for finishing out the day. Competition, hospitality, and good coffee.
Coming tomorrow...
A short ride, but a long stride.... A good Price to pay for finishing out the day. Competition, hospitality, and good coffee.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Day 8: Flaming Gorge, Utah
When I left Rock Springs I had to climb up a pretty big hill at first, but once I got to the top my ride sped up. It was very pretty and when I was about 25 miles outside of Rock Springs I saw this very large canyon on the side of the road. I stopped and tried to take it all in. It was early in the morning still, which I found to be my FAVORITE time to ride! I continued on down the road not knowing what to expect or what I was about to experience. I was riding on this really rough road, cracks every 10 feet, and I was starting to get tired of my whole body going bump, bump, bump-bump, bump bump bump, bump, bump-bump... you get the idea. I saw this sign on the side of the road as I had many times before, "Open Range." I road past the sign and about a mile or two after, I saw a horse standing in this field to my right. I thought, "This horse is wild... It's on an open range!" I was excited to finally see my wild horse! He soon noticed me as his head popped up quickly and he watched me for a moment. All of a sudden he began to run along with me!!!! I couldn't believe it! My hope of someday seeing a group of wild horses running through a deep green pasture all in unison, making the ground beneath them rumble as they thunder across it was actually happening, although in a slightly different way—a much better and unexpected way. As he ran with me he kept his eye focused on me. My eyes and his eyes were connected for however brief a time and not only that but we were connected in one purpose--to be wild. His perception of that in me spurred something in him to run with me. BE WILD is what nature cries out and all it took was a little reminder for that horse to go. God started speaking so much all at once that I had trouble taking it all in. The horse probably ran along with me for about a mile, but that moment rode with me the rest of the day. I was sad to see the horse stop running, but it didn't change my purpose--I pressed on. The ride continued to get more beautiful and I came across another canyon. I took four pictures of it and decided to piece it together later. Here is my attempt!
Passing this beautiful view, I came around a cliff to see a large storm crowd. I could see that it was full of rain and I hoped that it would pass before I got to it. As I continued to ride I started feeling the wind that was ahead of the storm and realized that it was headed right for me.
I decided to keep riding until I was closer to it and then I would put on my rain gear. I climbed to the top of this hill and stopped because it was really windy and the rain was close. I got my gear on and took a video before I rode into it.
I was excited because I was headed downhill, but I was disappointed because I was riding into the storm. I blasted through it, keeping an average speed of about 23 mph. The rain felt like bullets and the wind was very cold. I got to the bottom and I was still in the storm. My arms were frozen, my face was frozen, and I was ready to be done riding for the day. I looked up while I was still in the storm and beyond it were these beautiful, snow-capped mountains that seemed like Heaven.
Seeing what was to come after the storm made me ride all the more. I had a renewed motivation to push through this hard situation. It wasn't easy, it wasn't comfortable, but I had to go through it to get to the other side. I made it through and I was excited because not only were there beautiful mountains before me, but the Utah border came out of no where.
I made it to the Flaming Gorge and I was really excited because it was amazing to look at and it meant that I was just about done for the day. It also meant that there was going to be someplace to eat! I had been to the Gorge when I was younger, but I could hardly remember it. I got to the first lake and I wasn't sure where I would go to camp.
I headed up the road in the direction of where I had seen a number of motorhomes going. I saw a sign that said something like 9 miles to Dutch John and I figured that would be where I would camp.
When I got there all I saw was one "General Store" so I drove through the town to see if there was any other places to eat. I found nothing but a couple of dogs who seemed like they wanted to eat me. They ran after me, but I was too quick! Ha Ha! I ate a philly steak sandwich at the General Store's Deli and it was outrageously expensive. I asked one of the ladies working there if there were any close spots to camp and they listed a couple. The one I decided to go to she had said was only "a couple of miles up the road." Six miles later I found it... It was a really nice campground, but my bike was really needing a tune up and I had to climb a ways to get to the spot.
That night I called my mentor Dave and we talked and he helped me find two bike shops that I could visit the next day. I met this couple who were camped next to me and they had been living there for some time. They loved it and were very friendly! At one point the guy offered to give me a ride into town because he was going himself and said I could shower there if I was interested. It felt a little strange so I declined and retreated to my tent to journal and route my next days ride.
Coming tomorrow...
A quick fix, a shady hotel, and another century ride. A day with little to tell, but much to rest from.
Passing this beautiful view, I came around a cliff to see a large storm crowd. I could see that it was full of rain and I hoped that it would pass before I got to it. As I continued to ride I started feeling the wind that was ahead of the storm and realized that it was headed right for me.
I decided to keep riding until I was closer to it and then I would put on my rain gear. I climbed to the top of this hill and stopped because it was really windy and the rain was close. I got my gear on and took a video before I rode into it.
I was excited because I was headed downhill, but I was disappointed because I was riding into the storm. I blasted through it, keeping an average speed of about 23 mph. The rain felt like bullets and the wind was very cold. I got to the bottom and I was still in the storm. My arms were frozen, my face was frozen, and I was ready to be done riding for the day. I looked up while I was still in the storm and beyond it were these beautiful, snow-capped mountains that seemed like Heaven.
Seeing what was to come after the storm made me ride all the more. I had a renewed motivation to push through this hard situation. It wasn't easy, it wasn't comfortable, but I had to go through it to get to the other side. I made it through and I was excited because not only were there beautiful mountains before me, but the Utah border came out of no where.
I made it to the Flaming Gorge and I was really excited because it was amazing to look at and it meant that I was just about done for the day. It also meant that there was going to be someplace to eat! I had been to the Gorge when I was younger, but I could hardly remember it. I got to the first lake and I wasn't sure where I would go to camp.
I headed up the road in the direction of where I had seen a number of motorhomes going. I saw a sign that said something like 9 miles to Dutch John and I figured that would be where I would camp.
When I got there all I saw was one "General Store" so I drove through the town to see if there was any other places to eat. I found nothing but a couple of dogs who seemed like they wanted to eat me. They ran after me, but I was too quick! Ha Ha! I ate a philly steak sandwich at the General Store's Deli and it was outrageously expensive. I asked one of the ladies working there if there were any close spots to camp and they listed a couple. The one I decided to go to she had said was only "a couple of miles up the road." Six miles later I found it... It was a really nice campground, but my bike was really needing a tune up and I had to climb a ways to get to the spot.
That night I called my mentor Dave and we talked and he helped me find two bike shops that I could visit the next day. I met this couple who were camped next to me and they had been living there for some time. They loved it and were very friendly! At one point the guy offered to give me a ride into town because he was going himself and said I could shower there if I was interested. It felt a little strange so I declined and retreated to my tent to journal and route my next days ride.
Coming tomorrow...
A quick fix, a shady hotel, and another century ride. A day with little to tell, but much to rest from.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Day 5,6. & 7: Rock Springs, Wyoming
I said goodbye to the Santi's and headed out from Riverton on my way to Lander. I made great time, had few hills, and I saw a dead snake on the side of the road. It was HUGE! I'm not sure what kind it was (I didn't stop...), but I would guess it was longer than 4 feet and at least 3 inches in width. I made it to Lander and on arriving I made a new max speed--40.9 mph. I stopped at a Best Western to use their bathroom and I ended up staying to journal and have some coffee. I had a great moment with God. I opened up my Bible and I wanted to turn to Psalm 91 because one of the songs I was listening to was written from it. When I turned to it and read it, I realized that I had not read Psalm 91, but Psalm 19! It was so perfect though. It described what I was experiencing:
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world." v. 1-4a
I thought if God can use something without a voice to speak to the world, how much more might He use me to speak??? After having this very deep moment, I set out to conquer South Pass. It's huge! The journey from Riverton to Rock Springs is about 140 miles.
Throw in a mountain and it feels like 300 miles! Expecting to have a difficult ride from Lander over the South Pass, I set out with excitement and motivation from the moment I had just spent with God. It was a beautiful day, few clouds, and the forest was beautiful. I approached the first climb of the pass so I stopped to have a couple of my energy packs.
As I did I heard these dogs barking at me and because I had been chased by dogs a couple of times already I quickly looked around to see where they were. They were in a fenced field across the highway so I didn't pay them any more attention. I finished my energy packs, snapped up my trailer bag, and got ready to "thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff." I was going to beat this beast! Right then I looked over and the dogs were gone. I thought, "That's strange, where did they go?" Then BAM! They popped up out of the ditch bank alongside the highway barking at me. I jumped up on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could. I thought, "I definitely don't want to get my ankles bit but I really don't want those dogs to get run over. I had a downhill that I had to go down before I started the climb and as I picked up a safe speed I looked back and I saw that the dogs had made it across the highway and were running towards me. I got far enough away that they stopped chasing me and then I prayed for them! "Please God get them back safely!"
Up and down, up and down, up and down I went as the pass continued. I climbed something like 20 miles and I pulled over on one of those side road turnoffs to take a break because there was a very steep climb ahead of me. As I waited, this semi-truck came speeding down the climb I was about to tackle and he had smoke billowing out from his tires. I thought, "What's going on with this guy? I think I'm probably ok being here on the other side of the road." I kept watching him and as he turned, he headed right for me. I thought, "What is he doing!?" Well, he crossed over both lanes of the highway going probably 50mph so I hurried out of the way and he came to a stop on the turnoff. I decided that I would ask him how much further the pass went. I rode over to him and asked and he pointed to the top of the climb I was about to go up and said, "That's probably the highest point right there, but it does a lot of this..." He made a wave gesture with his hand, meaning there were some hills after I got to that peak. I made it there, fighting strong winds the entire way up, but I was very excited because I figured I was done climbing.
I continued and I came around this corner to see another HUGE climb! I was thinking maybe he was just mistaken and maybe that this was the highest point of the pass. I saw a fireman on a turnoff on the other side of the road in a pickup and I thought "I should ask him about maybe getting a ride..." But, I kept on riding thinking that after this next climb it would most likely be mostly downhill. I was very, very surprised each time I would finish a climb and then see another one following it. There never was much of a downhill relief, just a plateau of the current climb. At one point the wind was blowing so bad that I had to get off and walk. Walking was faster than riding at that point. As I was walking, a white Astro van stopped on the other side of the highway and a guy yelled out, "Are you ok?" and I said, "Yeah, I'm good, the wind was just blowing too hard." He asked if I wanted a ride and I said, "No thanks," and he asked me if I needed any water and I said "No, I'm good, thanks though." He said ok and off he went. I figured I was about done in considering how many climbs I had already come across. I also thought that if I get a ride up the pass then I can't say that I did it on my own. But after a couple more big pushes I realized that it could go on for a while. I think God was providing for me, but my pride stopped me from accepting His provision. My hands were closed grasping on the image I wanted, not on dependent relationship God wanted. I started thinking that if another person was to stop and ask me if I wanted a ride I would say "YES!!!" without delay. Though, I had no such luck and forward I went. The thought just replayed over and over in my head and it was hard to not focus on how hard this pass was. At one point I had to stop to give my back a rest and I grabbed my backup water to refill my water bottle. I had one full bottle of water and so I thought, "This better end soon or I'll be in trouble..." I kept riding, sipping ever so lightly on my water and as I looked up this gentlemen in a white Honda Civic drove by and waved. I waved back and thought, "That was nice!" I looked back at him in my helmet mirror and watched him turn around! I was shocked and a little nervous. I watched him drive up right behind me so I pulled over and we talked. He said "Hey I know it might seem 'manly' to try and do this alone, but I'll tow you up the rest of this push if you want..." I said, "Yeah! Is that ok though?" We did it and it was very hard. It was windy still and try to steer as well as hold on to the car was difficult. We talked as he towed me up the climb and when we got to the top he asked if I would like to try and fit my bike and my gear in his car and he would drive me the rest of the way to Farson. I said "YEAH!!!" I was just thinking "If someone would ask me if I wanted a ride, I wouldn't turn them down." His trunk was full and he had a dog in the backseat. He got my bike to fit in the back seat and my trailer-bag had to be latched to the inside of the truck lid. I had to hold my folded trailer up front with me. We finished out the pass and to my surprise there were only two climbs left. Even if I would have finished it on my own, I would have had to battle strong winds on the valley that followed the pass. From the end of the pass to Farson was 20 miles, probably two hours of riding. I think it was around 4:30pm so I decided to push through to Rock Springs 40 miles away. I was making good time at the beginning but I soon slowed down to 10 to 12 mph. It took me a very long time but I beat the sunset (about 8:45pm). Pulling into town was great because it was all downhill! I think I was averaging 20mph for the last 10 miles! I took a couple of days off to hang out with my good friends in Rock Springs and to could give my body a little break.
I had pushed myself really hard to make it up the South Pass and used up what was left to make it to Rock Springs. These two days were very, very good! At one point my friend Kevin and I went to find a herd of wild horses that apparently lived in the area.
We drove and drove, but we didn't see any horses. We were both disappointed, but we figured that even if we had seen these wild horses, they would probably just be standing around eating like every other horse does. You know what, I have always had this image of wild horses running in this deep green pasture with an all out dedication, all headed in the same direction and flowing together as a river flows over the riverbed.
(This picture was not taken by me!)
Just like in the movie "Hidalgo" at the very end when Frank lets Hidalgo ride free with the rest of the horses. I had to understand that this moment wouldn't deliver the satisfaction of experience that my mind envisions. Rock Springs was a great break. I really enjoyed staying at Kevin's place and seeing all that he does. It’s great to be with a good friend!
Coming tomorrow...
A Flaming Gorge, a rain storm, and uncorralled desire remembered. Stayed tuned for one of the most significant moments of the trip!
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world." v. 1-4a
I thought if God can use something without a voice to speak to the world, how much more might He use me to speak??? After having this very deep moment, I set out to conquer South Pass. It's huge! The journey from Riverton to Rock Springs is about 140 miles.
Throw in a mountain and it feels like 300 miles! Expecting to have a difficult ride from Lander over the South Pass, I set out with excitement and motivation from the moment I had just spent with God. It was a beautiful day, few clouds, and the forest was beautiful. I approached the first climb of the pass so I stopped to have a couple of my energy packs.
As I did I heard these dogs barking at me and because I had been chased by dogs a couple of times already I quickly looked around to see where they were. They were in a fenced field across the highway so I didn't pay them any more attention. I finished my energy packs, snapped up my trailer bag, and got ready to "thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff." I was going to beat this beast! Right then I looked over and the dogs were gone. I thought, "That's strange, where did they go?" Then BAM! They popped up out of the ditch bank alongside the highway barking at me. I jumped up on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could. I thought, "I definitely don't want to get my ankles bit but I really don't want those dogs to get run over. I had a downhill that I had to go down before I started the climb and as I picked up a safe speed I looked back and I saw that the dogs had made it across the highway and were running towards me. I got far enough away that they stopped chasing me and then I prayed for them! "Please God get them back safely!"
Up and down, up and down, up and down I went as the pass continued. I climbed something like 20 miles and I pulled over on one of those side road turnoffs to take a break because there was a very steep climb ahead of me. As I waited, this semi-truck came speeding down the climb I was about to tackle and he had smoke billowing out from his tires. I thought, "What's going on with this guy? I think I'm probably ok being here on the other side of the road." I kept watching him and as he turned, he headed right for me. I thought, "What is he doing!?" Well, he crossed over both lanes of the highway going probably 50mph so I hurried out of the way and he came to a stop on the turnoff. I decided that I would ask him how much further the pass went. I rode over to him and asked and he pointed to the top of the climb I was about to go up and said, "That's probably the highest point right there, but it does a lot of this..." He made a wave gesture with his hand, meaning there were some hills after I got to that peak. I made it there, fighting strong winds the entire way up, but I was very excited because I figured I was done climbing.
I continued and I came around this corner to see another HUGE climb! I was thinking maybe he was just mistaken and maybe that this was the highest point of the pass. I saw a fireman on a turnoff on the other side of the road in a pickup and I thought "I should ask him about maybe getting a ride..." But, I kept on riding thinking that after this next climb it would most likely be mostly downhill. I was very, very surprised each time I would finish a climb and then see another one following it. There never was much of a downhill relief, just a plateau of the current climb. At one point the wind was blowing so bad that I had to get off and walk. Walking was faster than riding at that point. As I was walking, a white Astro van stopped on the other side of the highway and a guy yelled out, "Are you ok?" and I said, "Yeah, I'm good, the wind was just blowing too hard." He asked if I wanted a ride and I said, "No thanks," and he asked me if I needed any water and I said "No, I'm good, thanks though." He said ok and off he went. I figured I was about done in considering how many climbs I had already come across. I also thought that if I get a ride up the pass then I can't say that I did it on my own. But after a couple more big pushes I realized that it could go on for a while. I think God was providing for me, but my pride stopped me from accepting His provision. My hands were closed grasping on the image I wanted, not on dependent relationship God wanted. I started thinking that if another person was to stop and ask me if I wanted a ride I would say "YES!!!" without delay. Though, I had no such luck and forward I went. The thought just replayed over and over in my head and it was hard to not focus on how hard this pass was. At one point I had to stop to give my back a rest and I grabbed my backup water to refill my water bottle. I had one full bottle of water and so I thought, "This better end soon or I'll be in trouble..." I kept riding, sipping ever so lightly on my water and as I looked up this gentlemen in a white Honda Civic drove by and waved. I waved back and thought, "That was nice!" I looked back at him in my helmet mirror and watched him turn around! I was shocked and a little nervous. I watched him drive up right behind me so I pulled over and we talked. He said "Hey I know it might seem 'manly' to try and do this alone, but I'll tow you up the rest of this push if you want..." I said, "Yeah! Is that ok though?" We did it and it was very hard. It was windy still and try to steer as well as hold on to the car was difficult. We talked as he towed me up the climb and when we got to the top he asked if I would like to try and fit my bike and my gear in his car and he would drive me the rest of the way to Farson. I said "YEAH!!!" I was just thinking "If someone would ask me if I wanted a ride, I wouldn't turn them down." His trunk was full and he had a dog in the backseat. He got my bike to fit in the back seat and my trailer-bag had to be latched to the inside of the truck lid. I had to hold my folded trailer up front with me. We finished out the pass and to my surprise there were only two climbs left. Even if I would have finished it on my own, I would have had to battle strong winds on the valley that followed the pass. From the end of the pass to Farson was 20 miles, probably two hours of riding. I think it was around 4:30pm so I decided to push through to Rock Springs 40 miles away. I was making good time at the beginning but I soon slowed down to 10 to 12 mph. It took me a very long time but I beat the sunset (about 8:45pm). Pulling into town was great because it was all downhill! I think I was averaging 20mph for the last 10 miles! I took a couple of days off to hang out with my good friends in Rock Springs and to could give my body a little break.
I had pushed myself really hard to make it up the South Pass and used up what was left to make it to Rock Springs. These two days were very, very good! At one point my friend Kevin and I went to find a herd of wild horses that apparently lived in the area.
We drove and drove, but we didn't see any horses. We were both disappointed, but we figured that even if we had seen these wild horses, they would probably just be standing around eating like every other horse does. You know what, I have always had this image of wild horses running in this deep green pasture with an all out dedication, all headed in the same direction and flowing together as a river flows over the riverbed.
(This picture was not taken by me!)Just like in the movie "Hidalgo" at the very end when Frank lets Hidalgo ride free with the rest of the horses. I had to understand that this moment wouldn't deliver the satisfaction of experience that my mind envisions. Rock Springs was a great break. I really enjoyed staying at Kevin's place and seeing all that he does. It’s great to be with a good friend!
Coming tomorrow...
A Flaming Gorge, a rain storm, and uncorralled desire remembered. Stayed tuned for one of the most significant moments of the trip!
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