Day 17-Hanksville Here We Come

Miles Completed Today: 79
Total Miles Completed: 1051
Miles To Go: 2649

Team Sean & Pat hit the pavement at 8:15 AM today and are heading north out of Boulder, UT on Route 12 beginning with a steady 2,500 foot climb. Once they summit, though, it will be smooth sailing for fifty to sixty miles to the east on Route 24 into Hanksville, UT where we hope to spend the night. Last night they hooked up with the "Connecticut team" again for dinner in Boulder and got to meet the parents who came in from Connecticut to support them.

Update: It was a long hot ride today at 79 miles, but it was filled with enough scenery for a week. The early climb to 9,500 feet with lush green pines and aspen was followed by a slow descent through Capitol Reef National Park, where vegetation slowly disappeared over the final 50 miles. Forests gave way to red rocks, which were then followed by a ride through steep, rocky canyon walls as the trail went along the Fremont River. The guys took a nice break at a swimming hole in the Fremont River before rolling in to Hanksville, UT at 6:30 PM. Pat ate two BLT sandwiches for dinner, and then topped it off with a club sandwich for dessert.

Today's Internet courtesy of Subway in Torrey, UT.

Day 16-Onward To Boulder (Utah)

Miles Completed Today: 71
Total Miles Completed: 972
Miles To Go: 2728

Bryce Canyon was so spectacular, we decided to included it in today's outbound photo. When we approached Sunrise Point for the photo, we were surprised how different it looked in the morning compared to yesterday. The colors change throughout the day, so instead of the pink hues of yesterday, the rocks gave off an orange glow. Although not as impressive as the Grand Canyon, it comes in a close second, so if you've never visited, start making plans.

Pat and Sean took off at nine o'clock this morning and are aiming for Boulder, UT, about 70 miles away. Today's path on Route 12 will wind through other sections of Bryce Canyon National Park and Escalante Staircase National Monument before turning north and beginning the fifteen hundred ascent into Boulder. Given their fresh legs today, it should not be too much trouble.

Update: We made it to Boulder and camped at the local RV/Grocery/Gas Station.

Day 15-A Day of Rest

Miles Completed Today: 21
Total Miles Completed: 901
Miles To Go: 2799

Two weeks of hard pedaling have earned Sean and Pat a day of leisure, so today they will ride the twenty-one miles from Panguitch, UT to Bryce Canyon National Park and we will spend the day taking in the sights. If they feel like riding a few more miles later in the afternoon, then they'll press on a little further, otherwise, we'll stay near Bryce.

Update: It was a short 21 miles from Panguitch, UT to Bryce Canyon National Park, but the road was picturesque. The road out of Panguitch paralleled a meandering river for several miles and then wound through Red Canyon, which was extra special because of its red rocks and five mile, paved bike path for cyclists. We converged at Ruby's Inn just outside the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park around noon and spent the rest of the day taking in the sights at Bryce. By five o'clock we had found a nice camping site in Bryce and settled in for the night. Soon thereafter, we had an intruder try to break in to the camper and steal some of our food. Fortunately, we caught him red handed. Since he looked so hungry though, we let him off the hook and let him keep his bounty: one pretzel.

Today's Internet courtesy of the Panguitch, UT KOA campground.

Day 14-Heading Toward Bryce Canyon

Miles Completed Today: 60
Total Miles Completed: 880
Miles To Go: 2820

The bike shop worked late into the evening yesterday to build Pat's new wheel, so we picked it up at 9:00 AM today, and they hit the road at 10:00 AM out of Cedar City, UT. It will be a tough start as they begin with a four thousand foot climb over 26 miles. They will head out on route 14 and then make their way towards Bryce Canyon National Park about 75 miles from Cedar City.

Update: Sean and Pat rode into Panguitch, UT around 5:00 PM after reaching a 10,500 foot summit earlier in the day. We decided to stay in Panguitch and have dinner with the "Connecticut team" and the "Swedish team". They both started today in Cedar City and have been playing leapfrog with Pat and Sean. The climb up today was on a very tight road and in some places was underneath shear cliffs that hung over the road. Utah's colors shone again today as the foothills started in rocks like red clay and then turned to volcano rock black at the summit just before the guys hit the first of several alpine meadows. Tomorrow we will swing through Bryce Canyon National Park, which is supposed to be one of Utah's crown jewels.

Corrections, Updates, and a Broken Wheel

Just to set the record straight, Pat got to 51.6 mph but he took his bags off of his bike, I kept mine on and got to 50.6. Also we met two new groups that are riding with us recently. A group of college graduates from San Francisco, and a group from Connecticut that is sponsored and whom we sped by today on the way to Cedar City.

On the way from Baker to Milford there was this creepy abandoned house on the side of the road in the middle of no where. The house was falling apart and at points it looked like the roof was sliding off. We had spoken to the old British guys and since they didnt want to put in the 86 mile ride to Milford, they were going to break up the ride into two days by camping out at this old abandoned house. I hope they decided to just keep going after seeing that place, it definetly felt creepy.

Supposedly the area around the road that Pat and I rode on through the Sierra Nevadas is on fire right now. That would have made the ride down the mountain even more intresting now wouldnt it?

We are getting the bikes worked on here in Cedar City. Pat needs a new front wheel, but no one in town has the correct size tire, so the guy who owned one of the bike shops offered to make on himself for Pat. The wheel will be higher quality but it will cost Pat. I got my bike worked on, my gear buttons got fixed and I got the handlebar tape rewrapped because it was starting to come off.

Day 13-Cedar City, UT And Beyond?

Miles Completed Today: 53
Total Miles Completed: 820
Miles To Go: 2880

Since Pat was still riding on Chris' mountain bike wheel and Sean's bike needed a gear adjustment, it was decide that Chris would drive ahead from Milford, UT to Cedar City, UT this morning and get Pat's wheel into the bike shop for repair and to give them a "heads up" that Sean's bike would arrive in the afternoon. The wheel's in the shop now and the guys should arrive any minute. If the bikes are repaired in time, we'll go a few more miles toward Zion National Park.

Update: Pat's front wheel could not be saved, so we will spend the night in Cedar City, UT while the bike shop builds a new wheel from scratch. Sean's bike has been tuned up and rides like new. Tomorrow the route will lead past Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks on a zig-zag path through southwestern Utah before turning northward to central Utah.

Since Pat's wheel would not be ready today, we made full use the free hours late this afternoon and drove fifteen miles south of Cedar City on I-15 and explored Kolob Canyon in the northern section of Zion National Park. Red rocks everywhere and two thousand foot cliffs surround the canyon, but the bottom was dry, even though it was covered with lush growth.

Today's internet courtesy of the Cedar City, UT Public Library.

Day 12-Utah!

Miles Completed Today: 84
Total Miles Completed: 767
Miles To Go: 2933

The guys started at six AM today since it was a long haul from Baker, NV, to Milford, UT, but they made it by 3:00 PM. It was an uneventful day (that's a good thing) and Pat's use of Chris' front wheel proved successful. Pat discovered an issue with his front wheel yesterday and tried to fix it last night to no avail, so he put Chris' mountain bike wheel on his bike. Now it's getting interesting! We'll stay in Milford tonight and then head to Cedar City, UT on route 21 tomorrow.

It was a long and desolate ride today with only one or two places to get water along the way, and one of them was an old abandoned house with a water out back. A westbound cyclist in baker described it to us as the only tree and house along the road, and he was right. Seeing live cows crossing the road was amusing, but then we saw dead cows in some parched areas.

Chris hung around Great Basin National Park in the morning, rode up to Wheeler Peak above our campsite, and then hiked up from 10,000 feet to 11,000 to see the Bristlecone pines, the oldest living organisms know to man, and the last remaining glacier in North America that did not flow down from the north. One tree was dated to be 4,900 years old. Yes, that's not a typo, 4,900 years old! They're extremely tough, grow at, and above, the tree line and sometimes appear to be dead, but continue growing on certain branches or limbs. The needles alone live to be forty years old.

Day 11-Utah Is In Sight

Miles Completed Today: 63
Total Miles Completed: 683
Miles To Go: 3017

Another early wakeup today at 6:00 AM, and the guys took off for Baker, NV at 8:00 AM. Sixty-two miles and two passes lie ahead on Highwy 50. We will bid farewell to Highway 50 just before the Utah border and make a turn to the southeast near Great Basin National Park on roads 487 and 21 towards Cedar City, UT. Sean and Pat struggled getting up, but that's the case every day, so all systems are "normal".

Update: During a lunch break at Thomson's Pass today the British team came along, and another team from San Francisco as well. All three teams are headed for Yorktown, Va. We gave bananas to the U.K. team and topped them off with some extra cold water since they were having a tough day, but they're a tough group and bounce back every day.

Wind was the biggest obstacle today, and even though an early start helped, the winds picked up throughout the day reaching 40 mph gusts. Fortunately, they were in the right direction for the final climb of the day and helped pushed the guys uphill. We converged in Baker and had a nice pesto pizza at the Lectrolux Cafe, named after Electrolux vacuum cleaners, where we met yet another biker, this one riding from Ohio to Washington state. After dinner we drove a few miles to Great Basin National Park and found an ideal campsite at Lower Lehman campgrounds.

Today's Internet coutesy of the Ely, NV KOA Campground.

Records are Made to be Broken

Some times you just gotta go really fast, lets say "I felt the need for speed." After going over Carson Pass, at 8574 feet, I decided it would be fun to try and break my longstanding personal speed record of 43.6 mph. To even have a chance I had to remove my rear panniers and leave them in the van. We set off down the mountian and I soon left Sean behind (we planned a meeting spot so don't get too worked up.) Soon after we started, within the first mile of the decent, we went down the steepest and longest sections of road I have ever been down, but I was not warmed up and not "feeling the burn" and I only beat my record by .5 mph. So after another six or so miles I found another stretch that fit the bill. I cannot think of any other time that I have ever pushed myself that hard on my bike. On that section I smashed my record, I got up to 51.6 mph. But records are made to be broken and you can be sure I will try again sometime this trip.

Day 10-Crickets, Crickets, On The Road To Ely

Miles Completed Today: 76
Total Miles Completed: 620
Miles To Go: 3080

Five AM wakeup! After listening to the weather forecast last night that called for 40 mph winds in the afternoon today, the guys decided to get up early, leave in the cool, and get their miles in before the wind kicked up. By 11:30 they had logged over forty miles, and by 3:30 had cruised in to Ely, NV, where we will spend the night.

The first fifteen to twenty miles of road were covered with crickets. Live ones, dead ones, crickets everywhere. They were more a curiosity than a distraction and didn't cause any trouble. Two more summits were passed today and the air cleared noticeably as a "cold" front pushed through keeping the temperatures in the 80's and 90's.

Tomorrow, the route turns to the southeast as we head out of Ely completing the transit of "The Loneliest Road In America". The name is well deserved, but it should not be misconstrued; the scenery is actually quite spectacular and some of the summits and vistas offer views that go on forever. In some instances visibility was easily more than seventy to eighty miles. Just a few miles west of Ely we passed one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world at the town of Ruth, NV.

Today's Internet courtesy of the Grand Central Motel in Ely, NV.

Day 9-Hills And More Hills

Miles Completed Today: 66
Total Miles Completed: 544
Miles To Go: 3156

Bob Scott campground bid the bikers farewell at 9:45 AM today as they headed to Eureka, NV. Still not a cloud has passed over us since Fallon, and those were just wispy, high clouds. The temperature though is not too bad as we are above five thousand feet and will remain so all the way through the state. We plan to stay in Eureka today, and then make a long run to Ely tomorrow.

Today's internet courtesy of the Eureka Public Library.

Day 8- Loneliest Road Lives Up To Its Name

Miles Completed Today: 58
Total Miles Completed: 480
Miles To Go: 3220

Pat and and Sean left Cold Springs at 9:30 AM and after a 12:30 PM snack and water refill at New Pass Summit continued toward Austin, NV. They passed the British team a little while after departing, and also ran into another team that is cycling all the way to Maine. The terrain remains very desolate and arid, and the only sign of life was a few wild horses seen after New Pass Summit. Around two o'clock they reached the dying mining town of Austin, NV. Although the map says the population is 370, the locals said it is now only around two hundred and falling. We were the only customers for lunch at the International Hotel & Cafe, and the bike shop where we hoped to buy some extra tubes for Sean's bike was no longer in business. After lunch, Chris drove ahead to Bob Scott campground while Pat and Sean stuck around Austin for milk shake, and then proceeded to fall asleep in the soda shop. Eventually they woke up, mounted their bikes and climbed another thousand feet out of Austin before rolling downhill three hundred feet into Bob Scott campground.

Today's internet courtesy of the Eureka Public Library.

Day 7-Beginning "The Loneliest Road"

Miles Completed Today: 60
Total Miles Completed: 422
Miles To Go: 3278

We woke up at 7:00 this morning, but never got on road until 10:30 after having breakfast and getting ready. We wanted to get some more insurance tubes after yesterday's flats, but the only bike shop in town was closed. So Pat and Sean rolled out of Fallon, NV at 10:45 heading down the stretch of Highway 50 known as "The Loneliest Road".

The "guest" in today's heading-out photo is "Mel" the Wal-Mart gardener who was sprucing up around us this morning and was so intrigued by the journey we were enjoying. A seventy-one year old, tough as nails, self described "Brooklyn boy", he'd made his way out west, lived in San Francisco, and settled in Fallon, NV. After we chatted with him for awhile, we asked him to be in the picture, and he was more than happy. Then he grabbed Pat's hand and gave a nice, spontaneous prayer and blessing to send us off on our way. What a guy.

Today's internet courtesy of the Churchill County Public Library in Fallon, NV.

Update: The guys made it to Cold Springs, NV where we spent the night.

Day 6-One State Down, Eight To Go

Miles Completed Today: 69
Total Miles Completed: 362
Miles To Go: 3338

Out of the mountains, but cursed today. Pat took a spill on his bike in the parking lot going about 1 mph as we were getting ready for the daily outbound photo. A little scratch, but a good reminder. They took off at 8:30 today and were making very good time until Sean's rear tire failed and went flat. Chris made a quick run to a Carson City bike shop for a couple tires and tubes and they were on the road again by 11:15AM. Thank goodness for cell phones, radios, and GPS. The GPS alone has already proved invaluable several times in just a few days.

We are meeting a lot of interesting people on the trip. This morning we met three men camped out at the RV Park, Dave, Roger, and Brian from the U.K. They are making the same trip to Virginia and are raising money for breast cancer. Amazingly, one of them is seventy-one years old and they started the same day as Sean and Pat. This certainly motivated Sean and Pat to kick it up a notch today, and they passed the U.K. riders very soon after starting this morning even though they had a forty-five minute head start. But, the U.K. team passed them by while they waited for a new tire and tube. By now, I suspect Pat and Sean have caught them again.

Yesterday, after Sean and Pat left Carson Pass a heavy set, bearded, tatooed, Harley-Davidson biker was so curious about these two guys on bicycles way up there that he approached me and asked where they had come from. When I told him San Francisco and that they were going to Virginia, he almost fainted. Today, they are shooting for Fallon, NV and possibly a few more miles, but not too many, as that will be entering "The Lonliest Road" and we will have to stay in close coordination on this 150 mile stretch of desolation. We will certainly have limited cell phone and internet connections, so may not post for a couple of days.

P.S. FYI, The photos can viewed full size simply by clicking on them.

Update: They made it to Fallon and we stayed at the "Wal-Mart Inn" i.e. slept in the van in the parking lot with the other RV'ers. Sean had a second flat tire yesterday afternoon, but they were only delayed a short while.

A Sean Update

I havent gotten a chance to see the blog since before we actually started riding on our trip. Its good to see that people seem to like it. A quick update from me: I'm really sore. Those Sierra Nevadas are steep and long, at times we were only going 5 mph up the mountain. Today though we passed through the highest point, Carson Pass, which is if I remember correctly 8573 feet high, it was almost above the tree line. Going down the mountains was alot of fun, I hit 50.6 mph going down, thats a new personal record. Backing up a little bit, crossing the river that we ran into right before Sacramento was awful. We wasted about 4 hours trying to figure out how to cross it. The map just showed us easily riding across, but there was no bridge, there was the remainder of one though. So we walked our bikes along a train track for half a mile and after talking to some fisherman that had just crossed the river, we found a spot that we could cross. The crossing took multiple trips, and since I dont do well with swimming or large bodies of water it freaked me out a bit. My bike hasn't been handling the trip very well so far; one torn tire, a front deralieur that wouldnt shift, a flat, and now gear buttons that are quickly dieing on me. O well it will keep working.

Day 5-Summiting At Carson Pass

Miles Completed Today: 68
Total Miles Completed: 293
Miles To Go: 3407

Pat and Sean hit the road at 10:30 AM and resumed the climb to the 8,500 foot summit of the Sierra Nevada, Carson Pass. They reached the pass at 4:30 PM and were rewarded with a twenty five mile descent into Nevada. After a late dinner in Genoa, the first settlement in Nevada, they made a quick jaunt into Carson City, where we are spending the night at the Comstock RV Park. Muscle pain seems to be the norm every day, but no cramps or anything else as they are each carrying about a gallon of water and sports drinks.

Day 4-Still Climbing.....

Miles Completed Today: 38
Total Miles Completed: 225
Miles To Go: 3475

We spent last night at Indian Grinding Rock State Park in the Sierra Nevada foothills and woke up at 7:00 AM to try and get an early start. But after driving back to Consunme River where the guys stopped yesterday, and replacing tires and tubes on bikes, they never got on the road until 11:00 AM. It's another 57 miles to Carson Pass at the top of the Sierra Nevada, so likely we'll stay somewhere before there and then make some serious mileage tomorrow and the next day on the eastern slope.

Update: A late start around 11:00, one flat on Sean's bike, and a brutal three thousand foot climb limited the pace to around about five miles per hour from the Cosumnes River to Cooks Station twenty five miles away on HIghway 88. From Cooks Station they climbed another 1,000 feet and we camped along the Bear River Reservoir at 6,000 ft. Bear River Reservoir is tucked deep in a canyon and it bears a striking resemblance to Yosemite Valley not far away.

Day 3-The Sierra Nevada Beckons

Miles Completed Today: 48
Total Miles Completed: 187
Miles To Go: 3513

Today begins the slow upward slope of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada starting in Folsom and leading all the way up to Carson Pass. It will take seventy to eight miles to reach the pass, but it is expected Pat and Sean will go about fifty today. Fortunately, the weather has cooled considerably with temperatures in the eighties, and there is a nice breeze. Sean's bike developed a minor issue as a result of the river crossing yesterday, and it took awhile to fix this morning, but they succeeded, so he's able to use his lowest gears on the hills today. By 1:00 PM they reached Rescue, CA and headed on to Placerville.

Update: Placerville was reached at 5:00 PM and then they pressed on to Somerset where they hooked up with Chris in the SAG vehicle. Since the meeting place was at the top of a long hill, Sean and Pat coasted another two to three miles and stopped at Consumne River. It proved perfect as everyone walked down and cooled off in the river before heading over to Indian Grinding Rock State Park for the night.

Day 2-The Heat Is On (Again)

Miles Completed Today: 69
Total Miles Completed: 139
Miles To Go: 3561

Pat and Sean resumed the trek at 9:30 AM in Winters, CA and made quick progress reaching Davis and the university in about an hour. After a quick rest at UC Davis, they headed on toward Sacramento and soon ran into their first dilemma; a river with no visible crossing. Backtracking, asking the locals and a fisherman for directions, and perseverance eventually paid off after three hours, but they forded the river a la Lewis and Clark style carrying their bikes across the river.


Based on the progress and blistering heat again today, they will stop at Folsom State Park, assuming no other insurmountable obstacles. The good news is that tomorrow temperatures are forecast to drop and we'll be going up in elevation too, so things ought to improve.

Update: The guys reached Folsom at 8:30 PM by winding along the American River through Sacremento on a specatular bike trail. We "camped" in the van for the night.

Day 1-And They're Off!

Miles Completed Today: 70
Total Miles Completed: 3630
Miles To Go: Less Than 3701.7

After a good night's rest in Vallejo we got up early, loaded the bikes on the van and headed across the bay to the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided last night to add an extra 1.7 miles to the route so the guys could bike across the bridge from north to south and then hit the first leg of the route, which begins at the south end of the Golden Gate. We took some photos for Flag Day on the north side, and then they headed out.

By 1:00 PM they had crossed San Francisco, boarded the ferry, and reached Vallejo where the temperature was 30 degrees hotter than at the bridge. Ouch! At 6:00 PM Davis was within their sights. They're still shooting for Sacramento, but the mercury's over 100 further inland, so we'll wait and see.

Update: The final finish line was Winters, CA, about ten miles west of Davis. Temperatures over 100 took their toll and it was after dark by the time the guys reached Winters.

Not A Good Start

Well I didn't have a very good start to our adventure. Headache to Diarrhea and everything in between... But don't worry I think i will be alright by the time we get going tomorrow morning.
My dad drove Sean and I up here to Chris's house, by way of Uncle Tim. We then spent about an hour loading up the van with all our junk and took the drive out the Vallejo. We found a $35 hotel :) so we stayed there because it was cheaper than the RV Park. We're gonna head out tomorrow morning so I will write soon!

The Day Before

We loaded up the SAG vehicle as tight as could be this morning with food, maps, bike equipment and a million other things and then drove up to the Bay area.

We have checked in to a hotel since campgrounds and RV parks are sparse around San Francisco. It will also provide for a final good night's sleep before starting the 3,700 mile trek to Yorktown, Va. tomorrow. Pat and Sean are making some final tweaks to their bikes as you can see. Yes, inside the hotel room, but don't tell anybody! We'll kick off early in the morning at the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Pat & Sean will ride south across the bridge, make their way across San Francisco to the docks, and then hop the ferry to Vallejo. From Vallejo, they will proceed east winding through country roads and bike paths with Sacramento being the final destination. . Chris will shadow in the SAG vehicle, hook up with them for lunch, and then drive ahead to Lake Folsom State Park. Wish us luck!

God's Speed to the King's Of The Road, The Pedaler's Of The Pavement.