More Extreme

In UT, just before the Arizona descent on a gravel road cut-across.

Eric (with Christie's 2 cents): Our turn to the southwest from northern Utah is removing us further from what is comfortable and was "normal" six weeks ago. In doing so, our senses are more awake, our hearts more open, and our arms stretched wider. We've worked our way through smaller ag and ranching towns into areas driven by tourism, thus changing our human interactions and conversations. We learned we can quickly slip into the "hurry-up" routine (whether we are wandering in a casino, checking off our grocery list, or at the beach, the opportunity to take even 1-2 minutes with somebody is always present). Our bodies are continuing to adapt, and are being challenged by the 110 deg-F heat of the desert....at least it's a dry heat (ha)!

Desert riding in NV- we're taking our chances.

In rolling across Utah, we were able to bike through some amazing country. The extremes of river valleys and reservoirs to jagged mountains and beautiful arches kept us anxious to see what was around the next corner. We took time off around Labor Day to take what my sister termed "a vacation from your vacation", to rest and explore the national parks of southwestern Utah with Christie's parents. The slot canyon hiking near Escalante was definitely the highlight. We have inside information from a Deputy in Huntington to thank for that tip.

Bryce Canyon with the Streckers. Slot Canyon hiking. Yeah...I'm not going up there.

Following our downtime, we crossed another 10,000 ft+ peak and then began our 15 mile descent from UT to AZ into the heat and torture of the desert. While we embrace each descent we get, this descent was mixed with a bit of uncertainty. With each foot drop we were more nervous. The inner lining of our noses began to tingle with each inhale, like we were sitting in a sauna (with no door to escape). The challenge of our next few days was laid out. We were out of the 50 deg nights and 80 or 90 deg days. Welcome lows of 80 and highs in the 110's. "Do as the desert tortoise does," as one information center gentleman suggested, "bury yourself for 90% of your days." We were also reminded that "this is the same sun you have in MN...." (not a very helpful statement, but...) yes, we CAN get through this.

So the gauntlet was laid out. Could we conquer the desert as Mr. Powell did or maybe make it bearable as Willis Haviland Carrier made possible by developing AC? Our challenge was not to fight, or overpower nature (practically impossible tasks with our two-wheeled beast), but to dance. We are attempting to embrace the early morning rides, 4 am means less traffic and romantic sunrises - thought the profuse sweating does diminish the mood slightly. We've stumbled here and there, running out of water a few miles before the next station, but aren't ashamed to take advantage of the kind works of others, soak in the strategically placed reservoir, or $20/ night casino hotel with $.99 breakfast ending a 3 am. We embrace the thinking behind the beloved siesta.

Soaking in the water on a clay shelf of Lake Meed (for 6 straight hours-we were WRINKLY!) JoJo's first appearance in a casino-we were quite the show!

Even our entertainment choices are adjusting. We are becoming slightly obsessed with ditch trash. As an aside, I'm confident a resourceful person could furnish a house, small workshop, and wardrobe on a 5 mile stretch of a NV highway. In addition to our running totals of flat tires - 6 and money found total $1.59, we are adding pee-bottles. At first hearing this, it may seem like a simple and boring item to count, but remember a bottle cannot be counted until verified. For example, a 1/4 full Mr. Pibb bottle left in the sun a little too long could be misinterpreted so we immediately reject those. The same can be said for any amber colored glass bottle. Whether or not to count often leads to lively discussions between Christie and I, but in the end I defer to her years of schooling and experience as a nurse and yield to her call. Current count is at 21 from the UT border.

So we are holding up well. Our bodies continue to feel strong, Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) use is down to maybe a pill or two/ person/ week (before it was 4/person/day). We will cross the border with Mexico in a week and are excited to throw another set of challenges into the mix.

Christie's Uncle Rich from Phoenix came for a visit in Lake Havasu.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. It's fun to have you along for the ride.