Live for the Path

37 miles in 4 hours – Max Speed 29mph

One last shot of my sweet campsite the night before.

I get up late because I need to go to a bike shop, and I figure that they probably won’t open until 10. I still manage to not sleep long enough and get to the bike shop at 9:45 where I have to sit outside for a while. I eventually get let in, and buy two new tires, two new tubes, pay for them to install them (I don’t feel like doing it) and get new bike gloves (mine are literally shredded). I head out $120 lighter, but with a far improved bike, and improved spirits. I stop at a BK for a late breakfast and have a Whopper, the breakfast of champions. I need money, so I then head to what appears to be the only Bank of America in the state. I arrive and see it is only a BofA home loans. I talk to them and they say that BofA does not bank in Utah, but there are two ATM’s around Salt Lake. That is not helpful.

I give up and head up towards Heber City. The ride is really beautiful through a canyon, but my legs feel a little rubbery, probably because I did my first century ever the day before. I take a picture of a waterfall, look down the road where Sundance is, and ride by a nice lake.

The ride though a mountain pass

A picture of the falls.

People playing at the base of the falls.

Sign for Sundance. I didn't ride up there though.

Fly fishing.

At the end of the ride though, the shoulder disappears and the traffic is very heavy. This is not optimal, but I end up making it to Heber City. I eat in the town, but it is 6pm by the time it is done. There is a campground just 15 miles up the road, but I know it is 15 miles directly up to the summit of a large hill, around a 2500 foot climb. I decide not to do it and check in at a Holiday Inn Express instead because they have a deal where if you stay for two nights before July 4th, you can get a third night after July 4th free.

My room was ridiculous – it had a hot tub in the main room and also a fire place.

The bike always hogs the fire.

And for a Holiday Inn Express it was fairly inexpensive. I had some major decisions to make as it looked like it was supposed to rain for a week straight in the Rockies, which is where I was supposed to be. I decided to go North into Wyoming instead, and take I-80 all the way across the state.

With the heavy lifting out of the way I spent the rest of the night watching TV from my hot tub. The life of a tourer is tough sometimes.

The hot tub I sat in for a while.