June 11, Day 11

June 11, Day 11
Wendover, NV To Salt Lake City, UT
Distance: 117.45 miles
Weather: Cold pretty much all day long
Dear All,

Sorry that we have been off the air for a bit, but we had no WiFi and there seems to have been a problem with Blogspot. We hope it is all resolved.

Today was the beginning of our back to back century rides. As if yesterday wasn't tough enough we had to do it all over again with a couple of extra miles thrown in for good measure.

We awoke to a pretty cold temperature (low 50's) with a wind coming from the east at 10 to 15 mph. Remember folks we're heading east. This was not a good sign. With that kind of headwind this looked to be one hell of a day. But, your prayers and good vibes must be working. By 6:45 am when we started out the wind shifted to out of the north and then moved slightly to the west. Heaven sent.

We road out of Wendover and for the next forty miles we were surrounded by the great salt flats. Flat as a pancake and Morton's salt as far as the eye could see. It really was something to behold. Along the way

Amy had her first flat but luckily there were a several folks around including the mechanic who supports with the group. For those of you who think you can change a tube quickly, let us suggest that you can't possibly do it as fast as Gerald. We didn't have a stopwatch on him but it sure felt like a pit stop at the Indianapolis 500.

The road was smooth and the pace was fast for the first 45 miles or so and then our little group of riders (about 5 or 6) broke up as the hills arrived. We road alone for a good deal of the time thru about mile marker 70 or so when we picked up two riders (a father and son team) and started a simple little pace line. We were flying.

As we approached Salt Lake City the Wasatch Mountains (the home of Park City and other skiing resorts) kept getting larger in the window. The salt flats were gone and in their place was scrub vegetation very much like we had seen back in NV.

The traffic picked up as we approached the city but we hung in there until we exited the freeway and rounded the corner to Frontage Rd., which, as the name suggests, runs right along the Great Salt Lake. It was a sight to see. Interestingly although the day would have been ideal in Buffalo for sailing there wasn't a boat on the water. We later learned that while there is sailing it's not a big deal since the smell on the Lake is not something that is all that enticing.

We rolled in just a tad beat from the last two days of pedaling. A lot of miles in two days. We're looking forward to a day off and sleeping in past 5:30 am.

By the way, Amy's knee is improving although not perfect and John has come down with a head cold which will make the ride on the 13th of some 65 miles interesting. We assume both of us will be on the mend after a day off.

Keep saying prayers for winds from the West and as always, send good vibes.

Talk to you soon.
John and Amy