April 25-29, 2018
What happened…
Amanda writes: So our next big goal after Bryce Canyon was to head to our friend Glenn’s place in Midway. Originally we had hoped to also checkout Arches and Moab but based on how much we’ve enjoyed Utah so far we didn’t want to rush it. We’ll definitely return to these parts to check things out more, so for now we decided to head for some relaxation at Glenn’s place before our flight out of Salt Lake City. We also knew we had a pretty tight window for descent weather, so combined with some great tail winds we spend many days hammering out some awesome mileage.
We left our campsite on the the morning of the 25th and realized what a great spot it was alongside a lake. We also saw we weren’t alone and that many people in these parts take advantage of free camping on BLM land. As we rode along we passed farm fields with so many baby horses. Maybe its a seasonal thing but I feel like all the breeds of animals we were passing had babies. We rolled into Richfield which was some has-been town with cheap hotels and run down stores and buildings. We found a not awful hotel and decided to stay a couple of nights. I still wasn’t totally feeling like myself so took advantage of some bed rest, in an actual bed.
Over the next few days we continued to cover a lot of ground with the wind at our back. The terrain was quite easy and as we neared the greater Salt Lake City area we could see snow capped mountains; it reminded me so much of home and made me realize how excited I was to be heading back there. We stayed with a super chill warm showers host in Spanish Fork and then made our final push to Midway which is a little mountain town outside Salt Lake City. The ride into Midway was incredible. Mountains and lakes all around us in this beautiful valley. As we got closer to Midway I quickly realized why Glenn calls this home.
Andrew writes:As we approached Salt Lake City everything became a little bit greener. Gone was the rusty red desert and now we were in the mountains with their evergreens and what-not. Our WarmShowers host in Spanish Fork provided a little inspiration; they had bought a 100-year old farmhouse and had some goats and chickens, and we were sleeping in an old camper with a composting toilet. This camper feels like the right amount of space for living; although I’m not sold on the toilet exactly.
We had a few days of constant climbing, but it was very gradual and not that noticeable. Cycling through Salt Lake City on a Sunday it was a ghost town as everyone was at church I guess. There was one big climb between Salt Lake City and Midway but it was mostly on a bicycle path. I think Utah is really quite nice actually.
Today’s Flickr Photographs
[flickr_tags user_id=”17145280@N00″ tags=”042518,042618,042718,042818,042918″]The aerial view of cycling days:
Cycling Stats
April 25, 2018
Start Point: Otter Creek Lake, Utah, USA
Destination: Richfield, Utah, USA
93.69 km trip, 17.1 km/h average speed, 50.1 km/h maximum speed, 5:28 time on the bike
April 27, 2018
Start Point: Richfield, Utah, USA
Destination: WC near Yuba Lake, Utah, USA
86.33 km trip, 19 km/h average speed, 41.3 km/h maximum speed, 4:32 time on the bike
April 28, 2018
Start Point: BLM Wild Camp, Utah, USA
Destination: Spanish Fork, Utah, USA
99.55 km trip, 23.9 km/h average speed, 55.7 km/h maximum speed, 4:10 time on the bike
April 29, 2018
Start Point: Spanish Fork, Utah, USA
Destination: Midway, Utah, USA
77.03 km trip, 18.6 km/h average speed, 54.5 km/h maximum speed, 4:09 time on the bike
Route Description:
April 25 & 26, 2018 The ride on the 25th was paved all day with undulating hills with more of a downhill near the end. The traffic was very light. At about the 60K mark we had lunch in Koosharem at a cafe. We stayed in Richfield which is a shitty rundown town with lots of amenities. We stayed at the shitty hotel for 2 nights.
April 27, 2018 The entire day is on a paved highway except the last 5K when we went looking for a camp spot. We left town via Highway 89 which is the same as I70. We went on it for 15K and there is a huge shoulder. Then we took the exit for Highway 24. We followed smaller paved roads with no or little shoulder and it had light traffic. At about the 50K mark we got Subway in a small town.
April 28, 2018 Again this day was entirely on a paved road after we left the camping spot. We took feeder roads all day to stay off busier highways. Usually there was little to no shoulder. Traffic wasn’t bad. There are stores about every 30K. The route includes undulating hills with a definite downhill overall grade.
April 29, 2018 Again we traveled on a paved road all day with a shoulder and/or bike lane for a lot of the day. Well done Greater Salt Lake City region. We climbed in elevation most of the day.
Accommodations:
April 25 & 26, 2018 We stayed at the Appletree Inn for $40/night in Richfield. You can wild camp just before you descend into the valley with the town. After the descent its all private farm land with fences.
April 27, 2018 Yuba Lake has formal camping available and we’re not sure how much it costs. We took side roads to find a secluded camp spot.
April 28, 2018 There are hotels available in Spanish Fork. We stayed with a warm showers host.
April 29, 2018 We were staying with a friend in Midway but there are lots of hotels and camping opportunities in the region.