Day 14 Provo, UT to Price, UT    75 miles and 4171 feet of climbing

Ironman Ken and I outside of Provo, UT

(Photo courtesy of Doug Sanders of Sanders Painting in Petaluma, CA

for all your painting needs, call Doug!)

It was another near-perfect morning for a bike ride in Provo, UT. I got a bit of a late start again today. The guys I typically ride with had already started out, so I rode alone. It was so peaceful riding in the early morning with very little traffic and cool temperatures. After the first 5 or 6 miles, I was out of town, and I rode by farms, fields, livestock, and country homes. As I approached Rt. 6, the road that would take me to our destination for the evening, Price, UT, a 20 mile an hour headwind started blowing. I geared down and just keep spinning the pedals, wondering how long the headwind would continue. One thing you find when you're riding day after day is that you must learn to accept whatever comes your way at any given moment. Sometimes what comes your way makes things more complicated, and sometimes it makes things easier. Hopefully, it all evens out in the end. "It is what it is," as the saying goes.

Eventually, after about 7-8 miles, the winds subsided, and I started the long climb to the Soldier Summit. The grade was gradual. The surrounding mountains were green and beautiful. To either side of me, there were meadows, some with sheep grazing, as well as wooded areas. At mile 37 of our ride, we had the only SAG stop of the day at a beautiful rest area about 9 miles from the summit. Some of my fellow riders were congregated in a beautiful picnic area under some trees with a lawn area. It was there that we met an Englishman who was also biking across the country, but doing it self- supported, meaning that he was camping and presumably cooking his own meals each night.

  He said he averaged about 70 miles a day and that his wife would be meeting him in Chicago to SAG for him for a week or two.  He said she had initially agreed to SAG for him for a much more extended period but had then thought better of it. I'm not sure what his final destination on the east coast was, but he said he was giving himself 3 months to complete the journey. He is a hardy soul, indeed. As we climbed up to the summit together, he had the riding cadence of a man who is one with his bicycle and one with the wondrous adventure at hand.

The descent from Soldier Summit was about 17 miles. The topography changes as you descend.

The first town you come upon is Helper, UT. As is my habit, I did not stop, and I remained focused only on the remaining miles between me and a hot shower, dinner, and a cocktail. Those who did stop raved about the quaint little western town. The Brits even attended an antique car show that was being held there this afternoon. While they were admiring the likes of a pristine 1936 Packard I, I was devouring a massive and in my view, equally exquisite double cheeseburger at the Burger King in Price. To each his own.

I decided to supplement my exquisite double cheeseburger with a protein drink from a company called Core. It tastes like chocolate milk. My riding buddy Ken from Jacksonville, FL. is perhaps 2 years older than I and competes in Triathlons. Upon the completion of each day's ride, he goes directly to the nearest convenience food store and gets a protein drink to help rebuild his muscles for the next day's ride. Ken is a lean, mean riding machine. He typically goes on 3 to 4 bike tours a year in the US and in Europe and plans to compete later this year in an Ironman competition in Cleveland. Part of the reason Ken chose to ride on this tour was that it will give him a "base" in his bike training. He tells me (with a bit of a southern drawl) that his philosophy is simple. He says, "Dave, I can't really tell ya if I'm gonna be here next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. So I'm doing what I want to do now."
Ken is a vegetarian as well. When we went to Arby's at the end of yesterday's ride, they actually made him a vegetarian sandwich. Yes, the same Arby's whose slogan is, "We have the meats!"

Tonight's dinner was here at the Ramada Inn where we are staying. They could not be more helpful. I had salmon, and it was terrific. At our table was young Zak, the airplane mechanic from Washington state. Zak plans to propose to his girlfriend in a week or so at one of the stops we make where she plans to meet him. The rest of us at the table are all married men, and some of us felt the need to impart some sage advice to Zak whom we all like very much. Doug was first up. He told Zak that the three rings of marriage are the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering. When it came to me, I couldn't resist. I quoted the ancient Jewish philosopher Henny Youngman who said, "The secret to a happy marriage is still a secret." Rimshot, please.

Next stop, Green River, UT.