Coming tomorrow...
A short ride, but a long stride.... A good Price to pay for finishing out the day. Competition, hospitality, and good coffee.
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!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day 4: Riverton, Wyoming
My next destination was Riverton, Wyoming, which only ended up being 54.6 miles from Thermopolis, so it was an easy day. By this time I was really enjoying the scenery and in one journal entry I wrote:"I couldn't even take in all that I was experiencing. The gorgeous blue,
cloudless sky, and the sun just barely over the horizon. It was just like it was
out of a movie. As I continued, I rode past some lilac bushes and the smell was
so perfect. I turned and started riding towards the mountains. There's just something about mountains that you can never get tired of looking at them..."
You need to see a picture of what I was riding and towing. The reason I chose to tow a trailer instead of using saddle bags is because saddle bags require balancing the weight among the bags and you don't have that issue when towing a trailer. Below is a picture at the Wind River Canyon just south of the Boysen Reservoir. I was a happy rider!
When I arrived in Riverton, I had to rendezvous with a couple who didn't know me, but who welcomed me all the same. I called and didn't get a hold of them at first so I left a message. I decided that I would go to Walmart and indulge in one of my favorite treats. Peanut butter--straight from the jar. I needed something to wash it down with so I went and found a 42oz bottle of Arizona tea with ginsing and honey. I sat outside of Walmart and I drank the entire 42oz tea and had plenty of peanut butter! I got a call back and off I went to meet this family! I didn't know what to expect, but I knew that they love Jesus so I would be ok. Well, I had an amazing time there. I got to see Facing The Giants, which was an amazing movie and as we watched, I felt just at home. 
(Dave, does this shirt look familiar?)
Coming tomorrow...
The improbable unforeseen, a determination required and a humility learned. Desert, wind, snow, and 140 miles to see a familiar face.
1http://www.wind-river.org/info/scenicbyways/windrivercanyon.php
2http://www.thermopolis.com/WebPage34.aspx
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