Day #60
Miles Covered Since Salt Lake City, UT: 123
Hours on The Road: Lots!
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 2,995
Where We Are: Delta, UT
Day Overview: The theme words for these past two days have been: hot and windy.
Yesterday, we were struck with a record 100 degree day yesterday, in a part of Utah with little life and little shade to hide from the scorching sun. All of a sudden we were chugging water at uncontrollable rates and draining our sunscreen supplies.
Taking advantage of whatever is available to cool off
In the middle of the day, Boris had another trailer mishap, where the left side of the base snapped and broke. It took a few hours to deal with the issue, again requiring some creative thinking to compensate for snapped aluminum support. We wonder what will be left of this trailer by the time we arrive to San Francisco.
Inspecting the damage to Boris's trusty trailer
Close up of the damage to Boris's trailer
But, for every challenge or set of challenges there is some sort of redeeming prize that makes you forget about trailer break-downs, 100 degree heat and head winds you thought you left behind in Wyoming. For us, this was riding at night, in the pure, magical darkness.
When we had an opportunity to get out of the heat, we did – to relax, have dinner and hydrate. By the time we got back on the road it was already dark. After the long, hot day, the cooling night air felt like a dream. The road was mostly empty, with the occasional car passing every 15-30 minutes.
We watched the full moon rise behind the Wasatch Mountains and star-gazed up the hill leading to our temporary home in Eureka. Cycling through windy, moon-lit canyon roads was a new experience for both of us, one that made all the unpleasant lead-up completely worth it.
Arriving into the old mining town of Eureka, UT at almost midnight just added to the experience. It’s one thing to see an old, semi-abandoned town during the day. It is a much more rich experience to have the opportunity to see it at night. Just the perfect amount of spookiness!
Biking at night to get out of the heat
The next day, the winds were flairing up all through the day. And since we liked night riding so much, we decided to wait out the winds and just bike in the evening yet again. By 6 pm, the weather has calmed down and we got on the road to do a 50+ mile ride.
If this continues, who knows – we may just have to adjust our schedule to a nocturnal one while we’re in Nevada too.
Next Scheduled Event: We’ll be in Carson City, Nevada on June 16th, where we will give a presentation in conjunction with Muscle Powered. For details, see full schedule of future stops.
Ahhhh, the magic of night in the desert.
Stop buying cheap Chinese goodies!
I admire your tenacity and malleability.
Boris, Anna: I hope you guys stay safe! It is nicer out at night. It was great seeing you in Salt Lake!
Calvin,
Thank you!
It was absolutely fantastic meeting you in SLC! We’ll certainly remember this encounter for a long time
- Boris
Hi Boris and Anna,
Hope the rest of the ride is worry-free, safe and enjoyable for you.
Love reading about your experiences and the clever thinking for getting out of obstacles
Your Baltimore airbnb host,
Deb
Thank you, Deb!
Our stay in Baltimore with you is still one of our highlights of the trip (and Airbnb experiences)!
Thank you for everything!
- Boris
Excellent adaptation, and creative problem solving. Sometimes people in SLC who can only exercise in the evening , like myself at times, will go out late evening to night to avoid the draining heat exhaustion. (can be a bit dangerous at times if not accustomed to it). Road trips at night have the advantages you mention, cooler, less traffic, easier on the equipment, etc… Congratulations on your continued momentum, and a safe journey. I hope your support teams along the way contribute to your safety and enjoyment.
Thank you, David!
I completely agree – riding at night has a lot of perks!
Hope all’s well with you!
- Boris