Day 14: Provo to Price, UT

Tomorrow we will break 1000 miles.

I was just looking on my Garmin stats and it says I've been riding over 64 hours, burned over 45000 calories (that's around 112 bacon cheeseburgers) and climbed almost 48,000 feet. Granted there is occasional operator error and sometimes the data just looks off with too much elevation showing up on the Garmin but still ... not bad.

Today was pretty challenging. A ride some called technical and others called dangerous. We left really early at 5:45 to minimize traffic. The route had a ton of construction that left narrow or no shoulders in several places. We got it all today: Strong headwinds as we entered the canyon ... at least 30 mph ... there were several windmills at the mouth of the canyon. Crossing cement barriers and riding on dirt roads in construction zones (they weren't working). Rumble strips in the middle of a narrow shoulder that left sometimes a 6 inch strip of pavement to ride on without going into the lane. A cold rain after Soldier Summit on the descent. And we pretty much agreed - Utah drivers can be really rude.

Despite these challenges, the ride itself was beautiful. Long climbs up Price Canyon through green mountains and the beginnings of canyon lands - including the famous Utah red rock. Then after the summit the landscape became pure canyon badlands with rock pinnacles and deep narrow rifts. It was beautiful and stark. The stone was grey, pink, red and shades of brown. The descent was steep but I kept stopping to take photos, despite the rain that had already caught me at the summit fast on my heels. I got in just in time before the rain set in ...

After getting cleaned up some of us went to the Dinosaur and archeology museum. Huge skeletons of a mammoth and others extinct critters that were found locally. We'll bike pass several dig sites tomorrow on the way to Price. Should be a pretty ride tomorrow, and relatively easy. Then we can head out to Arches National Park or go white water rafting ... nice choices for a fun afternoon.