Back on the road again.

Sorry for the late post! It know it has been too long.

We have been back on the road for a few days, and we are in Kansas!!!

Utah was spectacular. I did a bit of night riding through some of the most amazing rock formations I had ever seen. The shifts have been chaotic because of the heat, but I was a bit of a rogue during Utah. I was thrown in random shifts when the other riders got tired. We rode over the northern part of Lake Powell which was great! (as I said before pictures will come in time. I am going to organize a photo sharing site and will post the best ones)

We just finished climbing and descending the great Rocky Mountains. We were doing long shifts with more people because we needed to be spelled sooner. My team consisted of myself, Michael, Bishop Mark, and Daniel. We were on the road for 8 hours per shift. (the other team was Kelly, Steven, and Mr. Daniels. (Isaac has been thrown in the rotation off and on.))

The Rockies were actually a blast. Climbing is probably on of my favorite parts (I don't know why, but it is.) My first shift in the Rockies was an eventful one. Daniel brought us to the base of the first climb. Then Michael did a few miles. When I took over I felt great. The hill wasn't too steep to slow me down too much, but my bike did slow me down. I began to have trouble shifting with my rear derailleur. And I had to finish the climb on The Bishop's bike. I finished my hour long turn (the average turn length for our team) and turned it over to the Bishop. He climbed about 100 more yards and reached the peak... and got the downhill... fine.

On the way down he hit some road construction where half of the road was paved and the other half was scraped. He tried to switch to the new pavement but since it was dark he couldn't see the 3 inch lip that separated the lanes. His bike came out from under him and he slammed his hip, shoulder, and head. His jacket was torn up and his helmet considerably cracked. But he kept going. (This was probably the best choice considering he knew he didn't break anything and he didn't want his hip to freeze up. He wanted to keep warm.) Needless to say he is sore still, but pedaling on like a machine. Impressive.

My next shift was the climb to Monarch Pass! The official climb was about 9 miles. The last 6 of which, to my pleasure, were my responsibility. It was an awesome climb, a bit more than the altitude of Ohio, so it was tough. But it felt great at the top.

We have now switched to 2 man 5 hour shifts. The teams are, Kelly and Steven, Me and Mr. Daniels, Michael and Daniel, and Bishop Mark and Isaac. (In that order.) So after my 8 hour shift (the one with Monarch pass in it) from noon to 8pm. I had a whopping 5 hours to try and sleep before another 5 hours on the road. It wasn't 5 hours on the bike but it was 2 and a half. (The Prius provides some light with its headlights and is driven by the other half of the team of 2.)

I am enjoying some rest before taking another nap, and will continue to update when possible.