First Spring Ride of 2010! It was COLD!

At the end of the first week of spring it was quite chilly. I guess 80 mph can be pretty chilly at most temps. It was a lovely jaunt across the salt flats and into Wendover, Ut. The Oquirrhs are white and snowy. The Stansbury's are white and snowy, especially around Deseret Peak. The subsequent ranges were dusted on the tops, but nothing substantial. Pilot Peak was a standout fully white and beautiful, it is a 10,000 footer. The Toano Range just beyond Wendover was nicely painted white as well.

I was wrestling with the idea of trying for an IBA ride. I was too tired and with the cold, I thought better of a 24 hour ride. The 6 hours I spent today in the cold were delicious. I have been eyeballing this ride for some time.

The worst part of this ride is getting across the flats. I really had some convincing to do as I rode past many possible ride destinations, and kept droning west on I-80. The return trip seemed quite quick. I was playing a game with my GPS. It gives an approximate arrival time, so I would push consistently above the speed limit to see if I could hasten my arrival. I watched for the first change, then the second, and then I would try and calculate when the next minute would fall: about every 8 minutes I would loose a minute.

The Byway was great. The road was very nice, rough enough to have to pay attention, but never very menacing. There were a few sand sections that give a good pucker, but other than that is was gravel and dirt with a few smaller rocks. The scenery was beautiful and ever changing. There are quite a few smaller roads or trails that cut through the mountains that look very fun and challenging, I explored one but thought I should save that for a time when I wasn't solo. Get your bike Shawn! It is about a 60 mile loop from the Sinclair and back. It was a little sketchy finding the starting point. The road did not match the GPS, but they did have nice, new looking signs to help.

There is a little Mexican/American diner at the gas station, it was pretty good. I had the chile verde burrito, but the eggs and chorizo looked great! I will have to revisit and try them, maybe for Speed Week!

JP

Take Exit 4 and head North... Get a Map!