Two weekends ago we, RIU Crew, did our fourth Salt to Saint Relay - 424 miles starting in Salt Lake and ending in St. George. You can read about here it in our fantastic friend and teammate's blog. In a nutshell, we look forward to S to S all year and the days following sleep deprivation and everything else that goes with two days of relay racing with 7 other people in two cars - well, it leaves you a bit wasted.
Well, of course two days later, Phil and I decided we would ride the Alpine loop before we'd missed the fall colors at their prime (we were early). I'd never done it before and was really feeling the clock ticking for the season as well as life in general. I can't believe how often I remind myself that if I'm ever going to do a particular thing, I'd better do it sooner than later because mid-life has arrived - psh!! The Alpine Loop is "only" a 45 mile ride with over 3,000 feet elevation gain starting and ending at our house. Just thinking about going had me wondering where I'd left my marbles.
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| Alpine Loop - Summit |
The day after we'd done the loop, we got a phone call from another cycling friend/couple. They were signed up for an amazing ride that circumstances were not going to allow them to go and wondered if we'd like to take their place. This ride was to take place in two days. Even as Phil described it to me and asked me if I was up for it; I heard myself answer with an enthusiastic "are you kidding? - of course YES!!' There was a tiny little voice that wondered about my very last marble - I told it to shut up.
We'd never heard of "Ride to Lava". This year was only its 2nd. The ride is 162 miles in two days. Friday you go from essentially Logan to Lava Hot Springs, 76 miles. Then on Saturday, you take a different route back to Logan, 86 miles. The cost of the ride included lunch both days, dinner on Friday and breakfast on Saturday. It also included a campground but because rain was definite, we booked a hotel - more about that cool aspect later. I decided early on that this neglected blog was about to get a kickstart with this ride.
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| First day's lunch from New York Deli out of Preston, ID |
We realized very shortly after agreeing to go on the Lava ride that we'd need to be on our way to Logan (with a hotel reserved) the very next day. Really!? You sure? Arrangements made, woke up in Logan on Friday and were ready to start in Smithfield at 8:30 a.m. The race organizers are great, they've thought of everything. Because numbers are still small, they get to know you by name and cheer you on every chance they get. Lunch both days was catered by New York Deli out of Preston, ID - it was so good!! In fact, if you're ever in Preston - do yourself a favor and eat there!
We were greeted in Lava Hot Springs with massages by Vital Transformations. Yes you read that right, we both got these massages that almost made us feel like we hadn't just ridden 76 miles. At the Riverside Hot Springs Inn, we discovered that we were staying in the very room that President Theodore Roosevelt stayed in whenever he came to enjoy the fantastic mineral hot springs. This is an historic hotel with so much character that wandering around it, I found myself imagining traveling back to President Roosevelt's time to watch the comings and goings of the rich and famous.
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| Bathroom in President Theodore Roosevelt's old digs at the Riverside Hot Springs Inn |
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| The grand former front of our Hotel - In President Roosevelt's days; this is now the back |
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| Two of the Ride to Lava organizers, Steve and Kristy Gonzales with Phil and I going into the Hot Springs |
Dinner (and Breakfast) were all you can eat AND right across the street at Chuckwagon Restaurant. After dinner was probably my personal favorite part of the whole trip, the hot mineral soak!!! Isn't a hot tub the real reason we all stay in hotels? I can't even tell you how happy my sore, tired feet were when they hit the gravel bottom of these warm pools of heaven. My absolute glee at walking around on foot massaging pebbles covering the entire bottoms of the natural mineral hot pools was almost embarrassing.
Saturday morning preparations involved that difficult task of preparing to ride 86 miles in the rain. Hmm, do I really want/need that? How much rain is really coming? The answer - a LOT! It's really not part of the planned setup, but I got lucky enough to meet the luggage trailer at one of the midday stops and was able to trade out my soaking wet gloves and jacket for dry ones! Yippee for me!
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| 86 mile ride in the rain = comfort over fashion |
I'm a pretty big fan of animals in general and get a serious jolt out of getting them to turn and respond to my calls to them when we pass by; there was lots of that. I frequently think if everyone had this kind of opportunity to absorb the less crowded parts of the world, we would have significantly less social ills.
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| Check out the birds drying their wings in the very temporary non-rain moment A great little side note, the SAGS are never far away and ready to scoop your tired, wet body up and put you in a warm vehicle; no - I did not give in!! No, I did not consider it. Those who know me already knew that. Nevertheless, it was nice knowing the option was there. |
Phil flatted twice in the last 15 miles and so, he and his bike came in to the finish line on a farmer's flat bed truck just as I was arriving. So, having just ridden 86 miles, I walked my numb brain and completely drenched body to where the car was parked a block or so away, drove it back to the group then just sat, emptied headed while Phil loaded everything back into our car. After about 10 minutes, I came to and we talked about how we're going to convince every cyclist we know to join in the fun next year!! Sure hope they do!
