COLUMN: Central Utah brings depression and flat tires
Things Done
1. Ride across Utah. Check.
Things to Do
1. Ride to Las Vegas.
2. Brush my teeth.
3. Become famous.
4. Ride to Tucson.
5. Ride to Chile.
6. Overhaul my bike.
Well, I have arrived in St. George (S.G.), Utah. It was a tough couple of days but I was able to pull it off, and pull BOB, my bike trailer, up all the hills. He can be a bit lazy sometimes. Central Utah was boring – just one really long valley without much vegetation. Once I arrived in Elsinore I was happy to pedal up a few hills. Flat, long stretches can become quite monotonous.
Now that I am in the big S.G. and can look back at the days I spent pedaling, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was that one day though. I knew I would have one but didn’t think it would happen so soon.
Sunday, day number 1 ½, was my day of absolute despair. Rarely in my life have I felt depressed. Towards the end of the day, I was arriving in Salina and I had nothing left – no desire, no love, no ideals, nothing. And to top off my nothingness, I missed the turn and ended up sleeping about 100 yards off of Interstate 70. I could hear and see the diesels rolling by all night. At 8 p.m. I was starving. This was a big problem because anything I tried to consume made me feel like vomiting. So I sat on the side of the road and shivered in the cold and didn’t eat a thing.
Day number two started in much the same way. The wind was blowing out of the canyon I haphazardly chose as my campsite. The diesels were helping it blow across me and I was still wet from the day before. My stomach was begging to be filled but my throat refused to let anything past. I force-fed myself a few bites of pasta and packed up. I knew I was going to be hungry. I lasted about 10 miles before my hunger forced me to stop and find something to eat. I laid Dr. Dew (my bike) and BOB on their sides, pulled out my stove and fixed some rice. An hour later I straddled Dr. Dew and started to pedal. @#$!@$@#%$. I had a flat. So, about 10 yards from where I had been, I stopped, unpacked everything and replaced my tube.
Then it happened. I began to pedal down the road and, without noticing anything different, a really big smile covered my dirty, sunburned face. The happiness had arrived.
All the pedaling I did after Monday morning was a complete pleasure and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. A couple hours after my breakfast of rice under I-70, I arrived in Richfield and had an awesome veggie burrito. Coke soon became my fuel of choice, I guess my body needs extra calories right now. The ride after Richfield consisted of small towns and the termination of Utah’s god-awful central valley. In Sevier, I enjoyed a slight climb up out of Sevier canyon to Big Rock Candy Mountain. There is a resort and a gas station that provided me with some water and, of course, another Coke. For anyone who has spent any time in Elsinore, Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort is a must, a beautiful sight for sore eyes. Monday ended with a stay at the campground on the south side of Circleville. A shower, a bit of reading and some food were the culmination of a great day.
Tuesday morning was cold. Strange, I have heard stories of the area around Panguitch. Some may have theories of why penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere. That’s because they made it to Panguitch and turned around because it was too damned cold. I promise, that is the way it happened. I arrived in Orderville at 4:30 after a descent down one of the most amazing canyons on earth. Orderville led me home to St. George by 1:30 Wednesday. Wow.
I did learn a few things from this first leg. First, Utahns drive better when there are fewer lanes. Second, riding a bicycle fully-loaded and over a few hundred miles is just as much fun as it was to ride down the driveway when I first learned. Third, I can’t wait to see all the places, people and things that await me on my way to Chile. Peace.
Lukas Brinkerhoff is a junior majoring in journalism. His column chronicles his bike ride from Salt Lake City to Santiago, Chile to raise awareness of alternative transportation.