For many of you who attended the going away party at the Hendry residence you may have noticed the giant-never-ending hill you had to drive up to reach the house. We can tell you that we have not yet had to ride up such ridiculous slopes. Knowing that this could potentially be the last time we reside in Salt Lake City we wanted to bring together our close friends in one last get together and all of you who navigated to the party it truly meant the world to us sharing in your energy.
From MARK CHANEY and his blues rock band to the epic food and company with friends, there was plenty to be grateful about. Melissa and I both knew that we would miss those dear to us. Eventually after the many goodbyes, nights out with friends, and preparation for the bike tour we left on the 11th of July.
We could not have picked a worse date for departing Salt Lake. The departure started at Liberty Park where we had a few friends meet up with us for a final send off. Salt Cycle's Christy Punkin Pants Jens conducted a final interview of us which can be viewed on Salt Cycle's Website. JD Nielson caught some photos of our loaded rigs while Jager, Kami, and Journey joined us for one loop around the park with us before we departed into the retched heat of the day.
the exact location of my iPhone. She invited us over so we peddled over and enjoyed a lovely dinner together. As night approached and the temperature cooled we departed north once again. We decided we would take a route that would take us over Mountain Green (not knowing how gnarly this pass would be) into Pine View so that we could stop and visit Melissa's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We continued to ride for about ten miles and then hunkered down in a deserted field about 2 miles from the base of Mountain Green .This would be our first real night out on the tour together.
As we approached the bottom of the canyon we were both struggling to keep our balance with the gusts of wind slamming us from the right. Left, right, left, and back...one could always find something to dislike but wind on a bicycle is one of those situations that you never like to find yourself in. Not only do you struggle to keep your vertical inline you feel like you have set the treadmill to the hardest setting so that you feel like a stationary bicyclist. But through all this we managed to keep on keep'n on and made our way to the base of Mountain Green.
Going up the pass to the top of logan canyon was a long stretch, looking back it may not have been too bad but seeming that we were not in shape, novice muscles, and our minds were not yet adapted to log miles on a bicycle it was a leg jello maker. Now we definitely have more defined legs and more mental patience. Our good friends Lexi, Cam, Guy, Frank (the dog), Michelle, Amanda, and Justin met us at a small camp site summiting the pass. We had been there once before and consider this spot our own. The weather was iffy and at some points brutal with lightening strikes hitting too close to the camp. Most of the photos of the first leg of the trip are now lost. External hard drives are very freakish and I have not ever had the best of luck retaining data...mentally and computer wise. With that said, Avenue and Frank were sort of friends while we camped. Melissa and I were slowly learning that Avenue is VERY protective of our gear and would not let Frank close to any of it. She would make sure to place her self between him and our camp spot. But they did have their moments of playtime.
Bear Lake was lovely. We paddle boarded (with Avenue standing at the bow of the board), swam, and basked in the sun. It was epic to be in the same place as close friends. Bear Lake took us straight into Idaho, but before we could depart together into Idaho, Melissa had to take a car back to Salt Lake City to address some home ownership issues...mainly her house flooding. Long story short Melissa went home for a week was off dealing with the "not-so-fun" details of a water pouring out of the main living room ceiling. Luckily the cats called 911 so the house didn't sink 😊
While she was off I spent my time at a home property in Bear Lake...THANK YOU JEN!!! A co-worker of mine offered me a place to crash. My nice big plot of land was a great home. I also got to test out my bicycle gear, more specifically the internet and solar gear I invested in for the tour. I did a small product review which can be seen HERE. I am very impressed with the choice of gear and plan to do more videos on my Youtube channel HERE.
After Melissa's return to Bear Lake we headed north. This stretch of highway was familiar to us because we had rode it only a year earlier to test out bike gear weight knowing we would soon depart on this very tour. Northern Utah/southern Idaho is a truly an amazing place to see at 10mph. Soon after we crossed into Idaho we found ourselves in Wyoming although we didn't see the sign...not sure if there was one. Jackson Hole was a few more days of riding. On the out skirts of Jackson, Wyoming we were basically staring straight into a huge storm that had been catching up to us from the south. Not joking, seconds after arriving to the Albertson's it broke into a down poor. So we called the grocery store home for a few hours while avenue rested on top of coals and we ate tuna fish sandwiches with Doritos on top.
From here we yanked out my iPhone and launched the Couchsurfing app I had recently downloaded. Between the lightening and sheets of rain I saw there was a phone message saying we had a place to stay. So with that said we were off to hang with what turned out to be some pretty epic hosts. Amory, Madeleine, and Iris were absolutely amazing people to spend time around. Iris with her youthful spirit, and amazing hair which Melissa got the opportunity to get her hands in during a little bathroom haircutting sesh. Iris, all that hair on your head is amazing and came out looking like it had received Melissa's love. Madeleine with her amazing voice and unique writing (check out here website here: www.mylifeasaskibum.com). Last but not least Amory with his stories that I thought were only possible on another planet and another time. I too will look forward to experiencing such epic adventures in my time. Jackson welcomed us with open arms and left us with large hearts, new clip-in pedals, and a revived sense of energy and wholeness.