Day 13: Crook to ~North Platte

Stopped at a great little Guatemalan pandería this morning on my way out of Provo. Chatted with owner Marlon for a bit while enjoying his creations. Worst road so far coming out of Provo. Quick pit stop before tackling 8k summit this afternoon - getting bike drivetrain cleaned, tuned, and new bar tape. Oh and tacos while I wait for service

Ugh, just finished editing day 2 video and posting. Lucky if I get 6 hours sleep

Found a spot to setup tent just south of Provo in a neighborhood(?) called Springville. Asked a pickleball facility if I could pitch tent on their grass and they graciously allowed it! I was warned there have been mountain lion sightings in the area, but I’ll take what I can get. Big climb out of Provo tomorrow. Tomorrow looks like last day of this heat wave, so going to get an early start to finish the climb before noon hopefully

Dinner in Santaquin earlier - weird mix of rural feeling plots with urban/suburban density around here

Quick pit stop in Eureka, UT. Not to be confused with Eureka, NV. It was a slog getting here through the heat. I was planning on a longer stop here before pushing on to Provo, but the only restaurant is town is closed on Monday, so another 20 miles and I’ll take a proper rest in Santaquin.

Made it to Delta this morning. Didn’t have cell service last night hence the delayed update. Made it about 50 miles past the border riding into darkness before pitching a tent. Howling winds last night with a short burst of rain which made for subpar sleep. Getting breakfast now. Might try to push on to Provo later today. Water carry stretches should become more manageable going forward, though still looks like I’m in a heat wave - high of 96F here in Delta at 3pm, so will try to get on the road quickly and motor on before peak sun.

Rain!

Made it to Baker - small town. Going to post up at the general store for next few hours to wait out the heat for a bit. Very cute shop with nice people behind the counter and outdoor space behind back

Good start to the morning. First stop Baker, then headed for Delta, UTAH! Not sure how far I’ll make it today; will see how I’m feeling around 100. Didn’t sleep much last night- stayed up late editing and posting day 1 video! Check it out on socials

Found some BLM land just around the corner and have my tent setup. I was debating on staying at an RV park and using their shower facilities, but $35!! I still wanted to shower so stopped by a trucker stop and shelled out the $18. If my understanding is correct, the longest no services stretch of the whole trip is between Baker, NV and Delta, UT; it’s around 90 miles, just a bit longer than today’s 2nd leg. I think I’ll plan to depart early again tomorrow from Ely and arrive into Baker around 10/11am. I’m not sure I’ll be interested in doing a 150 mile day tomorrow, and I fear the heat will be worse than today since I lucked out with small storms towards the end of the ride today. Will make a game time decision in Baker on tomorrow’s stopping point.

Arrived in Ely - big day today. Was getting chased by a thunderstorm on the last climb so pushed harder than I would’ve otherwise. Devouring some Mexican food. Need to figure out where I’m staying tonight and plan route for tomorrow. (Sorry, already ate the tostada)

Maybe halfway to Ely. Met a supported group riding Virginia Beach -> SF at the supermarket before heading out of Eureka. They were kind enough to give me some water, Gatorade, and watermelon at one of their rest stops about 15 miles outside of town. Currently stopping for lunch and to reapply sunblock. Leftover pizza mmmm Shade is hard to come by round these parts

Made it to Eureka. Plenty of day left but a bit worried about water and heat. Going to head to the gas station in a bit to see if anyone headed towards Ely would be willing to stash a gallon of water for me halfway between. I think it’s 77 miles to Ely with a bit of elevation gain - not awful for a 10/11am start normally, but will see about water Eating leftover pancakes for breakfast and a breakfast burrito and chocolate milk and Gatorade

Getting packed to head east for Eureka this morning. Not sure where I’ll setup camp for today yet - if I push on from Eureka during middle of day, the heat will sap my water more quickly than if I ride morning and night. We’ll see

Pizza for dinner! Haven’t had many crisp vegetables last few days so the salad hittt.

More water for next stretch

Waiting out for sun to die down before finishing the day just past Austin

Made it to resupply point between Fallon and Austin. Pancakes and lots of water

Soldiered on to hit 120 miles today before pulling off to the side of the road and setting up tent. I think I might be on BLM land so this may be the first lawful campsite of the trip. Just finished my Chinese take away left overs from last night. Planning on hitting the ground rolling early tomorrow - I’m in the middle of the first big stretch between towns without water/services. I’m hoping that an earlier start will help reduce my need for water with the extreme heat I’m seeing in the middle of the day. In preparation for these service-less stretches, I bought x2 1L Smart Water bottles and a 2L hydration bladder at Walmart earlier to bring my carrying capacity up to ~7.5L. Chat GPT says some people have a max carrying capacity of 10L!

Pit stop outside of Silver Springs. Ah yes, August