STEAMBOAT SPRINGS TO MAYBELL
Only a 75 mile day, we flew in to Maybell around noon since it was mostly flat and almost no wind. Maybell is a tiny town on the edge of Colorado with one "general store" and a city park that we camped in. We made two big pots of chili on our camping stove and played soccer and looked at stars.
MAYBELL TO VERNAL, UTAH
The first 28 miles were all rolling hills on this 90 mile day, so it took us a while to get to first lunch. After first lunch, we encountered Dinosaur Colorado, where streets have names like "Tyrannosaurus Boulevard" and "Velociraptor Lane." We learned from Mike at the visitor's center how to get to a canyon with fossilized dinosaur bones, and of course took pictures at the Utah sign.
We decided to go ahead and add 14 extra miles to our 90 mile day to go see the dinosaur bones- making this my second century day and longest ride yet! Totally worth it- the ride was awesome through canyons and we got to see a giant slab of rock with cool bones in it.
I got awesome mail in the mail drop today- shout out to Nate for my favorite package yet!
VERNAL TO FLAMING GORGE
This ride was only 42 miles but the first 20 were all climbing and we of course added miles to go look at the Red Canyon. The ride was totally beautiful- Utah is exceeding my expectations just like Kansas. With the climbs came great descents, and the Red Canyon was breathtaking. Probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing the Grand Canyon.
We're camping at an awesome campsite by a dam where we are real camping with a hike to a bathroom and no showers- feels pretty legit! Hammocks and tents set up, we done on delicious chili and spoons of Nutella.
We had another accident today- Jess fell on a cattleguard grate and hit her head. She's fine though, 9 stitches in her head, a black eye, and a swollen wrist, she'll be back on the road in 2 days.
I was sent on an awesome scavenger hunt with rhyming clues to find my prom date- Joseph! The last clue led me to my tent where he was laying in my sleeping bag with a ring in his hand. So cute. My favorite clue was: "plop, plop, plop, plop, if this overflows you'll need a mop" (this led me to the bathroom).
FLAMING GORGE TO ROCK SPRINGS
The day began with a beautiful descent down to a dam- and from then on out it was climbing. We crossed into Wyoming and the views were nuts- mountains that looked fake like Bob Ross just painted them. There were some awesome geological landforms and just miles and miles of undeveloped land.
Of course my phone was dead all day so I couldn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to believe me that Wyoming has beautiful canyon views but really awful roads (and drivers). Also very windy. My feelings on Wyoming are mixed.
Tally:
Centuries: 2
Bonus miles this week: 36
States: 11!
Dinosaur bones: ~100
Real dinosaurs: 0 (disappointing)
Amazingly hot prom dates: 1
Camping nights: 3
Scavenger hunts: 1
Campfire to forest fire ratio: 2:1
Snakes encountered: 1 (absolutely terrifying. I had a minor panic attack)
RSS Feed