Willard, Utah

And the heat goes on…the heat goes on! It was another day in the upper 90’s, clear skies, with strong headwinds and rough roads. Almost 40 kms today were on a hard packed gravel road. The first part of the trip was on the interstate, and the picture below is of the longest hill looking back (the best view!).

Once we were off the interstate, we drove past a huge complex known as ATK Launch Systems. We met one of their employees along the road and were informed that they manufacture and test the booster systems for the space shuttles here. So here’s a picture I snapped along the way. Too bad we couldn’t attach it to my bike….

Although most of the trip was on rather dry and dull plains, near the end we approached the mountains around Brigham City and Willard, giving us a clue to what we can expect tomorrow. We are currently at a group campsite on Pelican Beach in Willard State Park. The pictures below are of the mountain in the background, the beach – and the little island in the distance that Diane and I swam to – as well as the picnic area that is buzzing with cyclists on computers and crowded with our bikes. Around me a few tires have popped because of the heat. I’m letting some air out of my tires to prevent it happening to me.

Dinner is almost on, and I suspect it will be an early night. Also a more restful night for us. In the very early hours of this past night in Snowville - 1:30 a.m. – Diane and I awoke with a sinking feeling: our air mattress had deflated. There’s a leak somewhere, and thankfully it’s a slow one. I inflated it again and we managed to sleep till 5:30. Diane bought a new mattress today in Brigham City.

Tomorrow we head for Salt Lake City, and our first night in a regular bed in 3 weeks. We are looking forward to it. And what better way to close than with a shot of Diane relaxing with a book by our tent before the storm of dinner hits…


Today’s stats:

Distance: 104.85 kms
Average speed: 22.3 kph
Maximum speed: 52.9 kph
Time in saddle: 4.40.46
# of flat tires: 2