September 6, 2024
Day 19: The start of the Great Basin.
We woke up at the now usual 6:30 to account for less daylight and starting after the sun is up to heat us up. The campground was excellent and so affordable at $10 per night.
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A rider we met last night, Todd, asked to start the day with us. It’s hard to know how things will work out with someone new but we rode together the entire day and it was great!
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The day started with a huge climb and we quickly got 100 m of elevation out of the way. We thought today could be very difficult but it turned out to be one of the most pleasant and easy rides thus far. This was mostly due to really good road conditions, no vehicles, and a net downhill. We were absolutely flying at times and it felt amazing.
Today our biggest concern was securing enough water. We each bought 2 L at the store so we were carrying 8 L to start. We arrived at the well, located just 35 km into the ride. It’s amazing that there is a well running continuously in the middle of dust and sage brush. We dropped the fence preventing the cows from entering and filtered a few litres each. We decided to eat a dehydrated meal even though it was only 10:30. Best to conserve and utilize the resources when available. That worked out really well because then we could just pedal and rely on snacking until dinner.
We thought there might be another water source at 100 km but it was completely dry. The next stop would be an informal camp and it was unknown if there would be water.
The scenery was desolate with sage brush for miles but rock outcroppings and vast areas of nothing; it is aptly named the Great Basin. It was beautiful in a different way from other places along the trail. We saw pronghorns throughout the day including as I am typing this post. There are 4 trying to approach the lake for a drink. Success for a couple of them before they got scared of us and ran away. I read last night that pronghorns are as close to antelopes as we have in North America. They are incredibly fast and can reach speeds of 88 km/hr!
We all loved the riding today. We sort of felt like hero’s because we were moving so fast. There were hills but they were not long and steep. That kept our spirits high all day. It didn’t hurt that we didn’t battle wind and the temperature was ideal at about 20 C. We made it to an informal camp with a lake! What an incredible bonus. Here we thought we were going to struggle for water. Of the 200 km we need to cover in the Basin we now have completed 127 km. We should easily make it to Rawlins for resupply by 3 pm. And then likely continue another 20 km to a campground.
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There’s a lot of time to think when you ride for 10 hours. Lately I’ve realized how good I’m feeling. It’s like my mind was completely washed of any life stresses. It’s just blank but in a very good way. It’s easy for life to become stressful and when you step back and do something like this trip there are only a few things to think about. What to eat? Where to get food and water? And taking care of your body. Nothing else that’s happening in the world has any consequence, or so it seems. I’m feeling happy and very grateful as well for this incredible opportunity.
Today, we achieved the halfway distance of 2,200 km. It feels great! We set out in Banff and have pedalled 19 consecutive days of well over 100 km per day with climbs I’ve never done before. Today, our riding companion said to me that I make riding look effortless. That made me chuckle because it sure doesn’t feel effortless at times. I am feeling very strong up the hills. I struggle on long pavement sections where you just spin the pedals endlessly. But, it was a nice compliment all the same and it’s been a great day.
Todd rode from Vancouver, BC to San Francisco. That’s 1700 km so we have already ridden 500 km further which sort of seems crazy to me.
We have no idea why we have cell service in the middle of nowhere but it must have clear signals from wherever the towers may be.
Tonight after dinner I checked a few key bolts on my bike and pulled out the rear brake pads. The top of the brakes were covered in hard mud. After chipping it all off I still have 50% life and 50% on another set so I should make the entire trip without buying more pads.
At this point we are both happy to keep pushing forward without a day off. We may change our minds. I kept saying our goal was 42 days but Peter reminded me that our spreadsheet, and all comparisons we’ve been making, are against 40 days. We are currently on track for <40 days but weather and any number of issues could change that easily.
A new map is up! We will be starting that section late tomorrow.
Highlights:
-Riding fast and easy terrain
-No water issues and great camp spot
-Seeing multiple herds of pronghorns
-Good food
-Great weather
-Felt very strong on the bike
Snickers count - 8
Mechanical Issues - 0
Distance - 128 km / 1043 m elevation gain
Today's ride: 128 km (79 miles)
Total: 2,211 km (1,373 miles)
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4 weeks ago