Thanks to the hospitality of the Meachams, we started the day with some breakfast burritos and refuel on supplies, gearing up for our night without running water. We thanked Randy and Gina for their immeasurable hospitality and took a short drive to Salina in order to keep our route contiguous. The initial portion of the ride was beautiful but bumpy, a 10 mile gravel road paralleling the Salina Creek which traverses through red rock canyons. Turning off the gravel road, we started up the steep 4 mile climb, stopping only briefly to admire the wild horses.
At the top of the climb, everyone was absolutely gassed but looking forward to the descent which would carry us through till lunch. Emery (population 300) was our lunch oasis in the infinitude of red rock canyons. Sasha, our support vehicle driver for the day, prepared the usual spread of turkey sandwiches and chips. Lunch took longer than usual after we learned of a snow-cone stand just a few houses down from the park where we were parked.
Ryder, a 9th grader whose summer hustle was peddling snow-cones to Vegas-bound travelers, inspired us with his entrepreneurial spirit and love for his small town. He told us stories of biking 13 miles to get to school, shooting prairie dogs in the fall, and working for his uncle and grandpa who both lived in town. Without him, the day would have been much hotter and less whimsical, so thank you Ryder.
As I hopped back on the saddle at 5:30pm (the sun was still shining don’t worry), I entered a flow state and didn’t think too much about the ride for the rest of the day.
The scenery was stunning and the ride was easy - I was constantly reminded of Radiator Springs, the fabled city from the childhood classic movie Cars. We rolled into camp (correction: a dirt patch) off the I-70 freeway around 7:30, cooked dinner, and setup camp. I felt a little gross after a sweaty 70 miles, but with no shower in sight, I sprayed a bit of water on my face and recalled the eras of history when people were actively scared of baths (Victorian England was truly an odd time). With quite literally nothing to do, we ate our meal in peace and promptly fell asleep.
Looking forward to running water and a shower tomorrow.