Day 19 Snowville to Willard 104km (actually 108.7) Uphill 1940 ft Downhill 2205 ft

Again everyone is up again bright and early. Last evening we were camped in very close quarters. It was such a long day and no one wanted to carry their gear too far so we were almost on top of one another. I didn’t even need to set my alarm because I could hear all the alarms of my neighbours! We were out of the camp by 6:40 a.m. Today Pete is not biking with us because he is on sweep.

Today’s ride was nice and short. I fear the heat is getting to me when I think a 108km day is short! We merged onto I-84 (Interstate Hwy). It is being repaved and we were very fortunate to be riding on a newly paved lane and wide shoulder. With that said, I should also point out the problem of biking on a Hwy that is under construction. The Hwy crew sets out great big orange barrels to keep the traffic away from the workers but when a large truck or two comes close to these or hits them…they tend to fly. One flew up in the air in front of John, missed both John and Barb but Jake Kuipers was not so lucky. One barrel hit his front wheel, he was able to hold on tight and didn’t go down. Aside from this it was a one of the smoothest roads we have traveled on so far. When we exited the Interstate, there was Walter’s SAG. Across the road from the SAG we noticed several deer and a fawn frolicking thru the long grass. We watched them for around 15 minutes before carrying on.

We are surrounded by mountains on both sides. It’s an incredible feeling. I thought I would feel claustrophobic instead it feels like God is wrapping His arms around me. I feel safe and secure.

From I-84 we traveled onto UT-83 South. We biked for miles around the ATK Rocket Test Facility. At one point we stopped to take a photo and wondered how many cameras were pointed at us. Several security cars have passed us...have we set off the orange alert?

Right after the Test Facility we were into the North End of the Great Salt Flats. At one point it smelled like rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide…this information is being provided by Gerry Kobes. He is sitting across from me and he has decided that I my blog should be filled with some intellectual facts). Julie SAG was situated in the small village of Corrine. We said ‘Hi’, filled up our water bottles and then headed to the Golden Spike Café across the street. It was 10 a.m….coffee time. The interior of the café was interesting. The women’s restroom blew me away. One room, two toilets...I’ve heard about sharing a shower, but never a bathroom! We cleaned the café out of their carrot cake and upside down pineapple cake. One of the privileges of being the first group in these villages is that you usually get your choice of baked goods (although this back fired yesterday with the cinnamon buns). Coffee was great. Now we only have 22 km before we hit Willard.
On the way to Willard we passed thru the city of Brigham. John and Louie insisted on having their photo taken in the middle of a 4 lane hwy right under the city sign. Later on when we were talking to some of the locals they said that every year approx. 3 people die in this intersection. Ignorance is bliss.

The sun is hot so we decided to carry on to the Willard Bay State Park. We missed the road but got turned around in the correct direction shortly. We are staying in a group camping area; Pelican Beach. Thank goodness for the picnic shelter. I have my tent parked facing the lake (waterfront property), right beside the washroom. Life is good. The Wasatch Mountains are across the road. This is a 160 mile mountain range that starts at the Utah/Idaho border. Sometimes they are called the Eastern Boundary of the Great Basin or The Western Edge of the Greater Rocky Mountains. The mountains looms 9,700ft, just waiting for us to cross it. (Again credit goes to Gerry for providing this insightful tidbit of information).

I start sweep tonight, so that means setting up and serving dinner. We lucked out and our using the picnic shelter so we don’t have to set up tables or the dining tents. Tomorrow will be a long day on sweep. We will be the last to leave camp (probably around 8:45 a.m. or later). The climbs are at the end of our 150km day. Paul, Teresa and I and the others on my sweep team will be tackling the climbs in the heat of the day, probably around 4 p.m. or later. Pray for perseverance and strength to make it. Till tomorrow, Cynthia P.S. This was the view out of my tent just before I called it day.
P.S.S. Temp on my bike hit 99F Average speed of the day 26.1km Bike time 4:09:22