Heading north from Park City, Utah (stage 1)
Preparations
for my second bicycle touring adventure was a bit easier, the checklist from
the previous trip just had to be reviewed and the packing to be done
accordingly. All the gear was still the same as in 07, just worn in somewhat
better. The goal was to ride north to Glacier National Park, on to Edmonton and
return via the Canadian Rockies Ice-fields Parkway.
Leaving
Park City on June 9th wasn’t as uneasy as the first time, but it was
exciting to be on the road again. It was a crisp morning of 45F cycling from 6400
feet over Parley’s Summit to Salt Lake City of 4300 feet. It was still all
familiar territory, and the first stop was the Salt Lake Roasting Company
in downtown for a great cup of coffee.
Heading
north toward Brigham City brought back an all familiar scene, a cyclist’s worst
enemy, a constant headwind. Luckily the wind eased up after a while and
progress returned to normal, biking a formidable 82 miles on the first day. The
second day started with a 10-mile uphill over Logan Pass to Cache Valley, then
north on route 23 through green fields and dairy farms along the
Caribou-Targhee National Forest to Pocatello, Idaho. I now consider this city
the blow out city, as I had two flats, one which punctured the sidewall of the
tire. This was more flats in one town than all of Mexico during the previous
trip, but all is part of the experience! Good days, bad days, but in the end
all that’s left are good days.
Moving
quickly out of flat city, I followed route 26 out of the town of Blackfoot past
large lava fields and entered Arco rather tired after battling a headwind for
most of the way. This little community of 1000 residence was the first in the
world to be lit by nuclear power in 1955, by a nearby experimental reactor. It
also had a meltdown in 1961 and accounted for the world’s first fatal reactor
accident.
The
weather was ever changing with sun and rain clouds overhead, making it
necessary to keep an eye on the sky at all times. A spectacular day was riding
from Mackay to Challis ID, with little traffic, a good road and blue sky.
Riding on the valley floor with snow capped mountains on either side couldn’t
be any more scenic. Route 93 goes past Idaho’s tallest mountain, Mt. Borah of
12662 feet. There in 1983 occurred a 6.9 earthquake, which ruptured the ground
and moved the valley floor 10 feet lower. The ground shift can still be seen
today and is a geologist’s holy ground.
After
checking into the Pioneer RV Park in Challis, I met Sadoo from Vancouver Island,
who in 70’s rode his Kawasaki 1500 Vulcan to this part of the world. Meeting
special people like him to share stories, a meal and a couple of beers is what
traveling is all about.
The
journey continued along the picturesque Salmon River, then up and over Lost
Trail Pass of 6995 feet into Montana. Only the weather could have been cooperating
better. As I got closer to the summit, it started to snow. Then as I sped down
to lower altitude and warmer temperature, it started to rain; but at least it
wasn’t constant, just on and off showers. Those elements were making for a good
argument, though, against pitching a tent, so I pulled the rig into a “My Budget” motel for the night
zzzzzzzzzz. . . .
Until next time from down the road,
Tony
Bike
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