Provo Utah to Price Utah - 75.2 miles 1015 miles cum

Today started out cloudy and got worse. The weather forecasts were for sunny with possible afternoon thunderstorms. Instead we got overcast skies, severe headwinds out of the southeast, exactly the direction we were going. Not good! We were riding into a headwind that kept getting stronger and stronger. As we got closer we could see windmills. The windmills were in the mouth of a canyon we had to ride into. The wind just howls all the time at 30 to 40 mph. All the windmills I have seen up to now are on montain ridges or on the ocean shore, this is the first time I have seen them in the mouth of a wind tunnel. We had to pedal hard to go downhill. Then to make it worse it started to just pour rain! We struggled up Soldier's summit in a light rain and when we got up to the top, 7,477', It started to pour. We ducked into a gas station convienence store to wait it out. The owner said back in 1922 there were over 2,200 people who lived on the summit. He said his family was the last to leave and they left in 1951. He said the snow would get as high as his sign, around 20'. Even in the rain, the scenery was spectacular. The canyons and hillsides were just beautiful. Price is coal mining territory. We could see 3 and 4 foot coal seams in the cliffs. I have seen traces of coal at home but never the thick seams we saw today. I would like to be able to see this sometime without all the rain. Eventually the rain slowed down and we made our way in.

At our evening rap, we discussed tomorrow's activities. We should get in early so I signed up to go see the Arch's National Monument. It should be wonderful. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Salt Lake City to Provo Utah 64.1 miles 940 miles cum

Today was a glorious day to ride a bike!! It was the best riding day of the trip. We started off with temperatures in 50s. It rose to the 70s by noon and got up to the low 80s by the time we got in. There was very little climbing although the few we had were very steep. We followed the valley down to Provo with the Wasatch mountain range on our left. They are snow capped for the most part and are just gorgeous. We did have a significant detour so six of us pretty much rode together so no one would get lost. All the towns have the same street naming convention that is used in Salt Lake City. It seems like even the natives don't understand it. When we ask someone for directions, they just look dumbfounded. Bob and I got separated from our group at the end of the ride and we witnessed an almost tragic accident. A woman was in the crosswalk with a green light and a car came up making a right hand turn and never saw her. He was probably on his cell phone. She had put hands on the hood and he pushed her out of the crosswalk into the street. She was screaming and he was not going very fast so he finally stopped but not before he scared her half to death.
We eventually got to Brigham Young University campus which is nestled besides the mountains. It is a very nice campus. I am sure people like getting up in the morning and seeing all the mountains.
Bob and I threw away the route sheet and just rode in on the main street to the hotel. Bruce was already here so he helped me with my bags, what a guy!!

Salt Lake City Rest day

It was great to wake up this morning at 6:00am and say I don't have to get up and go back to bed. I slept until 8:00am and then I watched a little TV before I actually got up and went to breakfast at 8:30am. Dave and his wife Carol called and asked Bruce and I if we wanted to go with them to see the sights. We did and appreciated their invitation. We went to the bike shop first to ship Dave's bike back to Pennsylvania and then went to the REI store so Bruce and I could pick up a few things. It is hard to navigate in Salt Lake City because they say things like go West on south 3300 street and go North on East 700 street. It takes awhile to figure things out.
We went to visit the Mormon Temple complex. It was quite an experience. We signed for the tour and had two very young girls, teenagers, give us a tour. One was from Brazil and the other was from Samoa. They were very sweet. The Mormon history was very interesting. As Dave pointed out, everyone is very clean cut. The men wear suits and ties and the women are all in dresses. They obviously preach and live a very family oriented lifestyle. Dave is going back home to Pa on Sat. I will miss riding with him.
Bruce and I cleaned our bikes when we got back so we would be ready for the next segment of the bike ride.
The hotel had a hospitality hour at 5:00PM and then about eight of us went to a very leisurely dinner, about 3 hours, but it was fun to sit around a talk about the trip so far. We met a few of the new riders and then off to our rooms to get ready for a 5:30Am wake up call and riding again!

Wendover NV to Salt Lake City Utah, 117 miles 876 cum

Today started out the same as the last several, cloudy and cool. We immediately crossed the border between Nevada and Utah. Another state under out belt. Unfortunately, we did not pass a welcome sign as we didn't enter I-80 until the 2 mile marker so I don't have a picture.
The entire day was spent on I-80. Utah is flat, at least it is on the route we have taken so far. The area is pretty bleak along the salt flats. Not all of the area is salt flats, there is a considerable amount of desert with sand and small desert plants. I think this all may have been more spectacular if the sun had been shining.
The Great Salt Lake is very impressive. It is shocking to see how much the water has receded in recent years. We stopped at an old resort to take pictures, it used to be at the water's edge, now the water is at least 100 yards from the shore.
We had a head wind today which made cycling a little difficult. In the past, the riders were able to experience 20mph tail winds which make a much more pleasant ride. We also had to run through the rain drops for most of the ride. Nevertheless, we made it in.
Tomorrow is a rest day and I really need one. We drop 5 riders here in Salt Lake City and pick up 13 more. New faces and names to learn and I was just getting used to old ones. One of my riding buddies, Dave is leaving so I hope I can find another one in the new group.

Elko to Wendover NV 107 miles 759 miles cum

What a day, I have seen things in Nevada that I never expected. From farms to forests to deserts, all with their own unique beauty!
The day started early, load luggage at 5:45 and breakfast at 6:00Am. Bruce and I started out about 6:30Am. It was cold so we were dressed pretty warm. We started down the road ahead of most of the other riders. We picked up Mary and she rode along with us for awhile. It wasn't long before the "hammers" started to come blasting by. They are called hammers because all they want to do is go as fast as they can to get to the hotel. They don't really take the time to see the sights.
We rode to the first Sag stop at the 40 mile mark. By that time it started to warm up so I took off my leg and arm warmers along with my jacket as we had 12 mile hill to climb. I took some fantastic pictures up to the Sag as we were riding in farm and ranch country.
After the Sag, I stopped about 8 miles down the road for some Starbucks coffee to get pumped up for the hard part of the ride. Nobody else stopped so I rode by myself to the next Sag stop. I really don't mind riding by myself as I can stop to take pictures when I want and stop for a break when I want. The climb wasn't too bad, certainly not as hard as Mt Rose or Donner Pass. I climbed through Pine forest as I went up. I was surprised to see Pine trees. I had always thought Nevada was all desert.
At the second Sag, I caught up with Dave. He had skipped breakfast to get an early start as he is not a fast hill climber and he didn't want to be too long in getting up. The problem is he is extremely fast downhill so I let him go ahead again so he wouldn't have to pass me on the way down. It was another 6 mile let it all out downhill run. A lot of fun.
We had another 5 mile climb as we got closer to Wendover, I caught to about 6 folks as we neared the top of the last climb. As we topped the last hill, we could see the great salt flats stretching out towards Salt Lake City.
It certainly was a long day. Our first century of the ride but not our last. Tomorrow is a 117 mile day

Battle Mountain to Elko NV 73.4 miles 652 cum

It was another cool cloudy morning as we left Battle Mountain today on our way to Elko NV. The first 22 miles were on a two lane back road with very few cars. We cruised along at 14 to 15mph. I rode with about 8 riders, 2by2 for about 10 miles then I dropped out for a minute. I rode alone until the sag stop at mile 26. We were back on I-80 at mile 22. The shoulder was in pretty good shape. After the Sag stop, we had a 12 mile climb to the top of Emmigrant Pass. One of the good things about going so slow up a hill, you can appreciate the scenery. Since Nevada has had so much rain in the past week or so, it is green where normally it would be all brown. It is amazing. The mountains are also very impressive in the distance with their snow caps. After a brief rest, then it was a straight 10 mile screaming descent to the exit for Carlin NV. I met up with Dave again in Carlin and we had lunch at the Subway. After lunch, We headed for Carlin Canyon. The original railroad route went through the canyon in 1860's. Eventually, the railroad built tunnels to bypass the canyon. A road was built on the old railroad bed but it was isolated when I-80 was constructed. Now it is essentially a park to be enjoyed by everyone. I have included a picture of it. To get back on route, we had to hop over the road barriers and cross westbound I-80. Another 25 miles on I-80 and we were in Elko. About 6 or 8 of us stopped at a Dairy Queen for a treat. Six hours of cycling burns about 4500 calories so I figure I can afford one hot fudge sundae!
Tomorrow we ride our first century so it is early to bed.

Winnemucca to Battle Mt. NV 57.4 miles - 578.8 cum

Today was a late start because of the short milage. We loaded the van at 7:45 AM and then took off down the road, I-80. Again, I rode with Dave and Bruce.We set a leisurely pace and decided to stop at mile 10.1 for coffee. Dave said it would probably be closed but Bruce and I stopped anyway. It was an old store and bar from the 1940's. The owner was nice and served us coffee and asked about our trip across the US. There was one patron in the bar who totally ignored us for the entire time we were there. I tried one dollar in the slot macine but lost it.
I did win last night playing Black Jack at the Model T casino. Dave, Brad and I went over to the casino after dinner. We all sat at the same table and played for awhile. Brad left after a bit and then Dave left. I stayed and played for another hour or so. The other folks at the table were very interested in the trip. All in all it was a good night. I am now even for the two times I have played.
Bruce and I thought we would catch up to Dave on the road but we never did. We did have to ride on about 8 miles on pavement which had been partially removed for resurfacing. It was like riding on a washboard. There were multiple flat tires however Bruce and I managed to get through without one. As we neared the SAG stop, we noticed the pavement was wet. At the Sag, they said a pretty good rain shower had gone through. we left the Sag for the final leg to Battle Mountain. We could see rain and lighting ahead and to our right. We kept getting closer while our tailwind turned into a headwind. Instead of crusing along at 16 or 17 mph, we struggled to get to 12 mph. We made it to Battle Mountain and stopped at a very good restaurant for lunch just as another shower started. We were pretty lucky that we missed all the rain. We arrived at the motel around 2:00PM
Battle Mountain got it's name because one of it's earliest settler's claimed that there was a major indian battle here. There are no real proof that there ever was. It is a very small town and there is not very much to do here. We are out of here in the morning!

Lovelock NV to Winnemucca NV 74.4 miles 521.4 cum

Today was pretty dreary. We got up early, loaded the baggage at 6:15 and went to Breakfast at 6:30AM. We went back to the place we had dinner, Cowpoke diner. Both the dinner last night and the breakfast this morning were outstanding. The lady that runs the diner makes all of her bread and pastry herself. Of course I didn't eat any of that but everybody else said it was delicious.

Bruce and I were the last ones to leave. It was pouring rain and 52 degrees when we left. Sean joined us and the three of us rode through some lonely back roads. It was pretty nice going without any cars. We caught up to some of the others about 10 miles into the ride because they had stopped to fix a flat. At that point we joined the group and rode through the rain and cold until the first Sag stop at mile 24. I was cold and wet by then and didn't feel very hungry so I joined two other riders and left. We started to ride I-80 again. I was feeling pretty good so I led out. The other two didn't want to keep up so I just started to ride even faster. I was pretty soon up to around 24 mph. There was a pretty good tail wind and it kept blowing. I started going 28mph without too much effort. It seemed like I was at the second Sag in no time. I still wasn't very hungry so I headed out again. Managed to get up to 32 mph until I got off the interstate. I got into Winnemucca about 1:00PM. I was able to have lunch and do some laundry before dinner. After dinner we hung around and shot pool. Dave, Brad and I went over to the casino around 9:00PM. I managed to win back all the money I lost the other night. All in all not a bad day.

Sparks to Lovelock NV 91.3 miles - 446.3 cum

Today was the first day that I have ridden 80 miles on an interstate highway. It actually was not too bad. After the first 12 miles, the shoulder became very smooth and we made pretty good time. The Nevada desert was very interesting as we paralled the Truckee river for some time. There was a strip of green with trees and grass on both banks of the river and then nothing but desert. We were in the valley with mountains on both sides. It was quite a difference from the past 5 days where we were in the forests and farms of California.

I rode most of the day with Dave and Jay. We took turns pulling and averaged about 14 to 15 mph over the 80 miles we were on the highway. When we got of at the 80 mile mark, we had 11 miles to go on a frontage road to Lovelock. I got out in front and started to pull the pace line up to 20 mph but everyone dropped off except Dave and he said he had to slow down after a couple of miles. I think I could have gone in at that speed but I backed off. We stopped at a gas station to get something cold to drink and while we were standing outside drinking our drinks, a man rode up on his bike with a 4 year old girl on his handlebars. Dave tried to talk to her and asked her if she was going to get some chocolate milk. She turned around and said "I don't know you" and went into the station. We all thought that was pretty funny.

We went to dinner at the Cowpoke diner which was excellent. After dinner, some of us went to the Whiskey Creek Saloon. It was a typical local bar. There were three or four dogs in the bar and they came over to see us. They were very friendly but mainly looking for a snack. We shot some pool and watched the end of the Penquins game. Yea Pens!!!!

Tomorrow is another day on the interstate.

Truckee to Sparks Nevada 66.5 miles 355 cum

What a day! We started out from Truckee at 7:00AM. It was cold, there was frost on the car windshields and the temperature in the low 30's. We rode about 10 miles to the Squaw Valley ski resort and then started to follow a bike path for 5 miles. The bike path followed a mountain stream that again was right out of a picture book. Folks just don't get to see scenery like this unless they are on bikes!! We left the bike path at Tahoe City and started to ride around Lake Tahoe. Bruce and I stopped at an espresso coffee shop to warm up. We started talking to some folks who were very interested in what we are doing and where we are going. They are of course shocked to hear that we are going to New Hampshire.
We left Tahoe City and headed for King's Beach, another town right on Lake Tahoe. It is the on the state border of Nevada. Immediately across the state line are the first casinos. I wanted to stop but there was heavy duty climbing ahead.
At mile 29, we started an 8.2 mile climb to the top of Mt Rose. The ride up was constantly being interrupted for pictures of the fantastic views of Lake Tahoe and the snow capped mountains in the distance. When we started the climb the temperature had risen into the 50's, very comfortable but when we finally got to the top, it was cold!!! While I was there, I saw snow flurries. I didn't stay too long and started down an exciting ride of 16.7 miles down to Reno NV. I did stop to take a few pictures on the way down but mainly it was fly to the bottom. I averaged over 30 mph going down and hit 42 mph on several occasions including about 3 straight miles close to the bottom. The temperature in Reno was around 70, pretty nice. I did stop for some iced coffee at a Starbucks I saw on the route about 4 miles from the hotel
I got into the hotel around 3:30PM,a pretty good day!
We are having dinner in a casino and I expect to recoup the cost of the trip before the night is over! Ha!

Auburn to Truckee CA 73.2 miles - 289.2 cum

Today was supposed to be the hardest day of the trip. We got up at 4:45AM, loaded our baggage at 5:15AM, went to breakfast at 5:30AM and started on the road at 6:00AM. The day started off cloudy and cold. I wore long cycling pants, a wicking shirt, a long sleeve cycling shirt and a jacket. I was warm enough but we started climbing almost immediately. Auburn is about 1,500' in elevation and 62 miles later, I was at 7,109' elevation. That is a total of 5,600 of elevation. Total climbing was 7,798'

After a few hours, the sun came out but it didn't really get much warmer. At the mile 32 mark, we started traveling I-80 for 16 miles. This is just an introduction as in few days, we will spend the whole day on I-80. After we got off I-80, I stopped at a gas station and started talking to a woman who had once lived on Mt Washington in Pittsburgh. She was thrilled to meet someone from Pittsburgh, especially on traveling cross country on a bike. We started up Donner Pass road through the Tahoe National Forest. The scenery was spectacular. The road follows a mountain stream for about 10 miles. The cabins and stream almost look like Disney World, they are so perfect.

Our 2nd SAG stop was at the mile 58 mark. When I left the stop, I started riding with a local who is an emergency room doctor in Reno. We are about the same age and had a lot in common. He explained all about the Donner party and showed me where it all happened. At the top of the pass, snow still covers the mountain.

At mile 62, we started back down the mountain. It was a very exciting ride and I had to stop every so often to take pictures as the view was stunning. I left my new friend at the bottom and went on to the motel.