pedalpanam

A lot has gone on since last updating from WY.  Today was the first day this month that I woke up in my tent and it was above freezing.  In fact, it was over 50°F.

After the night in the motel in Afton, I ran into a couple from Germany.  They had also spent the night in Afton in a different motel.  We didn’t bike together very long, I was motivated to make up for lost time and was travelling a little faster than them.  I got to Cokeville, WY that night, having done 3 miles in Idaho.

From Cokeville I pressed on to Evanston, where I had a place set up via couchsurfing.org.  Maurizio was a great host, and took me out to have some Chinese food.

Park City, UT was next on my route.  I had found another place to stay via couchsurfing.org, this time with Pam and Tom.  They moved to Utah from the east coast to be closer to all the outdoor adventures the area offers.  They cooked up a great meal for me and I

The next morning I was planning on leaving and continuing to Helper, UT over the next two days to catch the Amtrak and go to Denver for a quick visit to my 98 year-old Grammie Johnson.  However, I looked at airfare and found a flight from Salt Lake that was cheaper than the Amtrak.  So I relaxed in Park City for a day and flew into Denver on Saturday.

I took the shuttle from Denver to Loveland, and stayed with former North Parkers Sten and Erica.  They graciously let me stay at their new home and dropped me off the next day at my grandma’s.  I spent the morning and afternoon with her.  I had brought along an audio recorder, and got to spend some time asking her questions about her life and hearing some of her stories.

That afternoon my cousin Seth came to pick me up and I hung out with him and Kirsten that evening in Golden.  Monday I took the bus into Denver, with the hopes of surprising my friend Jessie, who had no idea I was coming.  I had to wait around, as she was out for the day, but met up with her and Steve (Hawk) later in the afternoon.  It was good to see them!

I flew back into Park City the next morning and was picked up by Pam at the airport.  I got back on the road and made it to Provo, where I stayed with Josh, who I found via couchsurfing.org.  He is a student at BYU and lives with 10 other guys in a house.  They made me feel very welcome, and took me out for a bite and a drink at a swanky (non-alcoholic) lounge downtown.

A short day because of a rain got me as far as Nephi last night, where for the first time in over a week, I set up my tent.  Although I have had a good time hanging out with friends old and new, it was good to be back on the road again.