Soda Springs, Idaho to Salt Lake City, Utah

October 6 - 13, 2015

Garmin ride data - with maps

Soda Springs to Montpelier
Montpelier to Garden City
Garden City to Logan
Logan to Willard Bay
Willard Bay to Salt Lake City

Callie at the spa

After a very relaxing visit to Lava Hot Springs, Annie drove me to Soda Springs. There are a few motels in Soda Springs and, first, we stopped at the one on the far south end of town once we turned around. It had a Chinese restaurant in front and this should have been a red flag.  First, I couldn't figure out where the motel office was and then I tried the restaurant for info. The door was locked and I wondered if any of these businesses were in operation. The wind was blowing strongly and my hair was flying all over the place. Just as I was ready to get back in the car, 2 large vans pull up full of Chinese people. Then a young local woman (not Chinese) gets out of a beat up car and unlocks the door to the restaurant. She looked like she had just got out of bed. At least 30 Chinese people file in and I walked in behind them. They were all from China and I don't think anyone spoke English. I asked the young woman about the motel and, her answers were very vague. She was, understandably, frazzled and said there was a vacancy but wasn't sure about the rate. It might be $60. That rate was too high for what was being offered so I thanked her and walked out. All I could think was, of all the places to take touring Chinese people..... A Chinese restaurant in Soda Springs, Idaho? The restaurant looked really horrible and no one was even working in the kitchen. I couldn't imagine how long it would take to be served. That situation looked like a total travel nightmare in the works.

Myrtle fit just fine in the room

Soda Springs

Annie and I had seen a much better motel and I got checked into a nice room for $50 at the JR Inn. The room was big enough that Myrtle could fit too. Once I got everything in the room I said goodbye to Annie. She was headed back to Pocatello and I would continue south. Turns out she will be in Logan next weekend and I think I'll be there at the same time. Our timing has been terrific and it's been really great to hang out with a good friend on tour.

Later in the day I got a call from some triking friends I first met in Istanbul, Turkey. Chuck and Susan are taking a break from touring, returning to the US for a wedding and happen to be in the area. I gave them directions and they checked into the same motel. It has been 1.5 years since we last met in Istanbul. We have been following each other's travels and continue to be in touch through Facebook. We palled around Soda Springs the next day visiting the geyser and telling travel tales. I really enjoyed seeing them again and was very happy they could take the time to find me.

Chuck and Susan checking out the geyser in Soda Springs.

With Chuck and Susan

The hotel in Soda Springs was so comfortable I thought about staying another day. But the weather report was good enough to travel with only a 30% chance of rain. I had breakfast with Chuck and Susan and then said goodbye pushing off down the road. Within an hour, the winds picked up ferociously and the skies became dark. Coming over Georgetown summit it started to rain and then there was hail. I could clearly see blue sky ahead but the rain kept coming down. I had a very wet ride for over an hour and then the storm passed and I was cycling on a beautiful day. I was on my way to Montpelier and passed through the very small town of Bennington. Many, many years ago I went to Bennington College in Vermont and could have passed through these same towns. After a few pictures, I carried on to Fish Haven where I had a few delightful conversations. While stopped at a small market, Mike, who was riding a motorcycle, took a picture and then emailed it to me. Nice!

Georgetown summit on a rainy morning in Idaho.

Wet ride from the summit.

Passing through Bennington

Motorcycle Mike emailed this picture.

Eventually, I made it to Montpelier checking into an expensive motel. Turns out this is a resort area along Bear Lake even though the town didn't really look like much. I talked the receptionist down to $82 from $99 but wasn't too happy about the rate.

Butch Cassidy history

Abandoned cabin on Bear lake

Waiting for the temps to rise

The next morning I had to wait until 9:30 for the temperature to rise about 40. Wow was it cold. I finally left with lots of extra clothes on. The day actually turned really beautiful and I rode through gorgeous scenery. Almost into Garden City, I crossed into Utah. A new state! I only had 30 miles of flat riding to get to Garden City. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride through picturesque farmland along Bear Lake. Garden City was very quiet. The marina was closed, with lots of boats in dry dock, and it is obviously a bustling area during summer. The receptionist in Montpelier said there weren't any motels open in Garden City. Google came up with one and I had called to make sure they were open and getting a reservation. (That receptionist told me lots of things that turned out not to be true.) The Lodge Motel was another expensive place and I was the only person staying. It was a very basic room for $67. Yah for cheaper but sometimes I just have to take what is offered. Most of the businesses were closed for the season. The motel office guy wasn't even sure if any restaurants were open. I did find a pizza place open taking a salad to go to my room. The restaurant was empty and the guy working looked to be bored out of his mind.

Along Bear Lake, still in Idaho

A new state.

Bear Lake scenery

Bear Lake State Park

Moose!

I knew I had a big climb in the morning and made sure to get an early start. Luckily, the temperature wasn't nearly as cold as yesterday. The climb started right out of town and I slowly slogged away. A couple of drivers pulled over to ask what I was doing. I also saw a moose in the field on the way up. There was a lovely scenic overlook and rest area just an hour from the summit. I sat at a picnic table looking out over the Bear Lake Valley having lunch. After a few pictures, I carried on to the top where I was greeted with a 30 mile decent. The road wasn't always in good shape and I suddenly had a very strong headwind but I'm not sure I've ever had as long a downhill. Some stretches didn't have a shoulder but there really wasn't much traffic either. It took 3.5 hours to climb 7 miles and 2 hours to ride the next 30. I was in Logan by 2:30 which really surprised me.

Moose!

Scenic viewpoint after climbing out of Garden City and the Bear Lake Valley

On the descent into Logan

30 mile descent into Logan

My friend Anne and her fiancé arrived in Logan the same afternoon to visit his daughter who is going to Utah State. Such great timing. We all got reservations at the same hotel. Really fun.

Zach of Sunrise Cyclery

I wanted to get Myrtle looked at while I was in Logan. My rear wheel has been making a pinging sound for most of the trip since Portland. I got the sound to go away just recently by tightening up 4 loose spokes and also giving a squirt of WD40 to where the spokes cross. Even so, I left my trike at Sunrise Cyclery for a general tune-up. The gears needed adjusting as well as the brakes. When I picked up Myrtle they said the rear wheel was badly out of true as was one of the brake rotors. I also wanted to get the rear cassette and chain replaced but they don't carry the 11-34 combination. I was really happy I didn't wait to get the wheel checked.

Barn advertising

Down is good

Sunday is always a good day to bike out of cities and on busier roads. The truck and commercial traffic is considerably less on Sunday and since I was going to be on a main road into Salt Lake City, this was good idea. It was another gorgeous day although it started out quite windy. I had a fantastic tailwind so I didn't mind a bit. There was a good climb where I met a lot of guys doing community service trash pick up. Highway 91 is a nice road and very clean with a wide shoulder. Going up the climb some trucks were driving very slowly in the shoulder. They always surprised me as they went passed even though they gave me lots of room. I didn't get a summit sign at the top but the tell tale caution sign showing a truck going downhill was very welcome. I flew down the other side into Brigham. After turning onto Highway 89, I stopped at the Rusted Spoon diner to get a salad to go for dinner. This place really looks like a typical greasy spoon and I was very surprised to get such a gourmet plate. The spinach salad I ordered had fresh blackberries, strawberries, roasted nuts and lots of creamy blue cheese chunks. Yum!

Tent pole snapped

It was only a few miles to Willard Bay campground which is at the Bear River inlet of the Great Salt Lake. There's more than 1 campground and the first one I pulled into was beautiful although it didn't have any showers.  There also weren't any other campers which made me feel less safe. I decided to check out the next sites which were at Cottonwood campground. This campground had campers and I got checked in for $20. Somehow I never feel safe being alone even in a campground. There have been secluded hiker/biker areas in campgrounds and if they were empty I would always pay more for a regular site to be around people.  This site was $5 more than the deserted one but also had a really nice shower. After getting my tent set up in the grass, I was about the put the fly on but needed to move the tent a few inches from the RV asphalt pad in order to have room to stake it out. The tent had lots of stuff in it and I guess moving it was too much for the poles. SNAP!! I snapped a tent pole. This is the first time in 8 years that I've even had a tent problem. The tent comes with an emergency splint that I've been carrying around for 8 years too. The pole snapped and the metal flatten out. The splint wouldn't fit over the break. One of the camp hosts came over with a pair of pliers to round out the edges. He said everyone does this. The pole had snapped about an inch from the round joint the pole fits into. The first couple times I tried bending the pole to attach it to the tent, the top part came out of the sleeve. I had to get the sleeve right up to the joint to cover the jagged break. After that, it worked fine. Now I had to figure out how to get it fixed or buy new poles.

I had originally planned to camp at Antelope Island which is in the Great Salt Lake. On the map it looks really cool. The sites are fairly primitive and it is about as far from Salt Lake City as Willard Bay, where I camped last night. I really wanted to go but I wasn't sure if the sleeve repair on the tent pole would hold up. I was worried if the sleeve didn't hold more damage could be done especially to the tent fly. Since I also wasn't sure how I was going to get replacement poles, I decided to ride directly to Salt Lake City. It was, yet another, gorgeous day and I soon caught my first glimpse of the Great Salt Lake.

First glimpse of the Great Salt Lake

The first 17 miles on the day's ride I was on Highway 89 and 126. Sometimes the road had a good shoulder and sometimes it didn't but the traffic was always courteous. In Ogden, I saw a fun sign at Smith and Edwards Ammo Shop. I decided to turn in and get a picture. While I was there I also made a call to Big Agnes to see about getting replacement poles. This couldn't have been easier. They will send a set of poles to my hotel and when they get the old poles back they will refund the costs. New poles for the price of shipping. Very nice!

Fabulous rail trail.

Smith and Edwards ammo

At the border of Roy and West Haven, I found the Denver Rio Grande Western Rail Trail. This was a super smooth paved path that went for 18 miles. Bright sunshine with no wind or traffic riding along farmland. Heaven! The trail crossed many streets that had staggered gates. The gates were easy to negotiate but sometimes the cut outs to cross the road were at the next corner or half way down the block. Drivers here do not stop for cyclists like they do in Portland and, luckily, I didn't just ride out expecting they would. The trail had repair stations, lots of benches and even poopy bags for pets. What it didn't have were bathrooms. I able to take advantage of bathrooms at gas stations and the huge Smith's (Kroger) market. In Centerville, I took the Legacy Parkway trail for about 6 miles until it connected with the Jordan River Trail right into Salt Lake City. The Legacy Parkway had lovely parks with tables, bathrooms, bike repair stands and soda vending machines. There were no homeless people living on the trail like there are in Portland. There wasn't any trash or graffiti either. I turned off the Jordan River Trail, just a few miles from my hotel, and was very surprised by how wide the streets are in Salt Lake City are. I later learned the streets were designed in the horse and buggy era. They are wide enough so horse and buggies can make a u-turn. Every street I turned on had a very wide bike lane and the city is exceptionally quiet and clean. I easily found my hotel and got checked in.

Trail gates

Jordan River Parkway

Salt Lake City is a big stop for me. So far I've cycled 1100 miles solo and I'm now going to be joined by my friend Maryann from Washington. She will fly in on Wednesday with her Catrike, Larry, to ride the rest of the way to Florida. It's been a long time since I've had a riding buddy and I think we will have a blast. 

Myrtle relaxing by the pool in Salt Lake City