Week 3: NV-UT-WY

Written By Kelsey McFalls

Total Mileage: 1,019 mi
Total Elevation: 49,831 ft
Flat Tires: 3
Mental Breakdowns: 1
(all totals are cumulative)

Before beginning this ride, Pat had visions of endless dirt trails, dispersed camping, and wildlife sightings, something similar to Jan Bennett’s Pony Express Trail journey on YouTube. Reality has looked very different: frequent reroutes to major roads, no remote camping opportunities, and lots of bugs.

As Pat left Nevada and rode through Utah into Wyoming, he encountered more snow, hike-a-biking, flat tires, and wind. On his “zero day,” he walked six miles in his bike shoes—his only footwear—to REI to replace the winter gear he had mailed home earlier to save weight, assuming the snow was behind him after California.

The people he’s met continue to be a bright spot. Huge thanks to Ross in Salt Lake City for hosting Pat on his first rest day.

Lowlights: THE WIND
Highlights: The kindness of Dr. Nate Lester (of Bear River Dental, Evanston, WY), who found Pat stranded with his third flat, drove him to Walmart, and offered advice to help Pat navigate around the heavy snow that blocked his planned route.

This week, he ate:

  • baked potato

  • double cheeseburger

  • 2 fish tacos

  • 3 chicken burritos

  • 6 energy bars

  • peach cobbler for two

  • biscuits and gravy for two

  • 2 breakfast burritos

  • sourdough toast

  • 2 bananas

  • 9 tortilla shells

  • 700-calorie energy bar

  • 4 yogurts

  • 1 orange

  • pickled snap peas (“The only thing close to an actual vegetable I could find at the gas station.”)

  • chocolate milk

  • 2 large protein cookies

  • 1 large Reese’s Pieces milkshake

  • mushroom burger

  • 3 bagels

  • scrambled eggs

  • bacon homefries

  • cereal

  • apple

  • homemade lasagna

  • 2 salads

  • protein milk

  • 1 bag of chips

  • pretzel bites

  • deli French fries

Kelsey McFalls
Next

Week 2: NV