School was wearing me down. I was frustrated, tired, and I felt overwhelmed. In hindsight the most effective thing to do would be to sit at home and get ahead of the power curve on the homework. So what do I do? I take my bike for my first road trip ever!
Initially, I wanted to reach a coast. However, being in Colorado doesn't make that work very well. Thus I decided to visit my brother Kris, his wife Katherine, and their son, 14-month-old Nickolas, who live just south of Salt Lake City in a town called Draper.
My plan is to ride there Friday, surprise them and spend the night. Saturday I leave, and come back halfway, spending the night in Moab or Arches National Park. Sunday I would then ride the final 5 1/2 hours home.
You can see the route I took here:
Colorado Part
Utah Part
I'm cruising along, and I hit Glenwood Springs at 10AM. That's when I first realize that I'll need to use a squeegie at every gas station I hit.
Of course, I stopped at a variety of gas stations. This one in particular, I found.... amusing.
I made quick time, since that's about the only thing you CAN do in those open plains. The scenery, while rugged, was extremely beautiful. In hindsight I wish I had taken more pictures of the surrounding area. As is, this picture has been turned into my computer wallpaper. (Click on the picture to see the big, really cool version.)
There seems to be a consistent theme of gas stations here. Believe me that's not all I saw! It was simply the few times where I had an opportunity to pull out the camera. This picture though... this is the new name for "Big-V" gas station! It's no more! Anne, you know what I'm talking about. ;-)
Finally, about 4:45, I reached Draper, UT. Armed with only the address and a crude map, attempted to find the house. 1 police officer who warned me about going too fast and two gas stations later, I still had no idea where his house was.