Hello from Heber City, UT!
Hi again folks!It's been a while, but here I am again, writing another disjointed blog post! We're currently in Heber City, Utah staying at a beautiful church called Mountain View Church. It feels like a lodge with high, vaulted ceilings and wood everywhere. Out back, there's a beautiful patio, horses, and (of course) mountains! Today was 72 miles and was pegged as a very challenging day. We reached 8000+ ft and then had a beautiful descent into Heber City. We got an early start this morning (4:45am wake up instead of 5:45) and beat the oppressive heat. The hardest part about the last few days has been the heat; we've been biking through the desert of Utah and it's been near 100 for the past few days-- hot, hot, hot! Yesterday, we had a rest stop at a lake (that we obviously got into) that helped a lot with the heat. We also rented a water trampoline/blob thing and it was a ton of fun to be in the freezing water and act like the 8 year olds that we all really are at heart. We did get a few jealousglares from actual 8 year olds... oops!The campsite last night was breathtaking and luxurious (for camping, at least). It was so great! We set the tents up on the grassy area that overlooked the reservoir and rock formations in the park. The best part was the lack of bugs at the site! The stars were incredible. There were also showers and outlets, so all were happy.For me, the last week or so has involved a lot of reflection and thought. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do in the future, both near and distant. (For those who don't know, I graduated in May-- thus the introspection!) No earth-shattering conclusions yet, but some deep thought. Through the Rockies, I really came to love cycling. I've really enjoyedall of I4K, but I thought that maybe it was just all the wonderful people I'm doing it with that made me love what we do everyday. But, after the climbing through the Rockies and the most stunning descent I've ever been on (down Rabbit Ears Pass into Steamboat), it was decided-- cycling, especially in mountains, is awesome. I've also leared a lot about my teammates and they've taught me a ton. We've gotten into playing the game of everyone taking an hour and telling their life story and then responding to questions... it's really interesting and lots of fun. Having 19 other roommates everyday is still going surprisingly well for me, and I think most of the team. By now, we know each others' quirks and mannerisms and can almost predict what each other are going to say. It's fun to be at that point. It's also getting scary that we have fewer days left than days that we've done! Today was Day 45 of 71. Tomorrow we'll be in Salt Lake City (and have a rest day there the following day) and we'll be one city closer to the Golden Gate... and that's the scariest thing of all! Way scarier than crazy elevation gains, headwinds, or anything else Mother Nature can throw at us. I'm jealous that so many of my teammates get to go back to campus and keep hanging out and riding bikes together! I'm going to miss all these crazy goons when this is done! But for now, it's time to live each day! And luckily, each day is getting easier and easier because we are in even better shape and we just get to hang out with our friends while being outside and fighting cancer every single day. What a gift!