Coral Reef National Park, UT to Otter Creek, UT

On Monday we had a shorter ride day of only 62 miles which was good because I was tired from such a long hard day previously. In the morning we passed by some fenced in buffalo and took some pictures. 

The ride wasn't too eventful but it was very windy for the last 20 miles. We made it to a pretty lake where we camped out again for the night. We set up a campfire at night and had family meeting around it. I said I had a high almost every day again this week with all of the great rides, hikes in Moab, and great build site in Moab. I said my low was getting my first flat in Green River. Lastly I I gave kudos to a bunch of people for various acts of generosity and kindness. I really enjoyed the camp site because of the nice shower facilities, pretty lake, campfire, and amazing view of the stars at night. 

Otter creek. 

Bikes laid out. 

Place to chill. 

Otter Creek State Park, UT to Milford, UT

On Tuesday we had our second century ride of the #best9. It started off a little cold but warmed up quickly. The morning was a pretty scenic ride, and we only had one major climb right after the first lunch stop. 

In the morning. 

When we got there we had great host facilities because we were staying in a hotel. Most people just slept in a conference room or in one of the two hotel rooms. My friend and I also DM'd 10 tacos for dinner. Since it wasn't enough, only laundry crew got to eat them which worked out because we were both in that chore group this week. 

Green River, UT to Coral Reef National Park, UT

On Sunday I had my last sweep day with my friend Yudi. I knew it was going to be a long day because it was a 106 miler, and we woke up at 5 to get a head start. In the morning one of the riders got 3 flats in the first 20 miles. We ended up having to flag someone down to give him a ride to the van which was parked at lunch. That set us back a bit so we didn't see anyone for most of the day. 

Ride in the morning. 

Lots of desert. 

At the second lunch stop we felt we were making good time and the day had been pretty flat and easy. We only had about 30 miles left and figured it wouldn't be too hard. When we entered Coral Reef National Park it was very pretty but we finally had caught up to a group in front of us which was moving much slower. We waited around and took picture of the scenery. 

It was starting to get late, we were moving pretty slowly and it looked like a storm was in front of us. I started to get in a bad mood but my sweep partner helped by staying positive. It was about 7:30pm when the van came by and told us we have to make it in by 8 or we were getting vaned in. I got really upset thinking that this would be my third time being vaned so my sweep partner and I biked as fast as we could. Three people in front of us ended up getting picked up by the van but my partner and I were able to successfully make it in. When we arrived at the host it felt great and my friend had DM'd my partner and I subway  sandwiches for dinner. We also ended up camping out that night and it was a very good end to a long day of riding. These next 9 days our team has referred to as #best9 because we have 4 rides that are at least a century, 3 nights without towns, 4 nights without hosts, and 7 days without a host dinner or breakfast. It is going to be tough but everyone is looking optimistic. 

Green River, UT build day

On Saturday a group of 18 of us had an early start to the morning to work on roofing. We were ready to go at 6:15 but none of us really minded because we figured we would get done early. First we stripped the roof of all the shingles and cleaned it off completely. Then we had to lay down the water sealer and some cardboard paper material. Lastly we had to put down the shingles. At one point we stopped for lunch but we knew we were behind schedule. We ended up finishing at around 4:30pm, while the other groups finished a lot earlier. Although I enjoyed roofing and actually completely the project, our team felt that the Epicenter group took advantage of our visit. We worked for about 9 hours. And completed one of their major projects for the year. Since they are a small start up group they don't have much man power to complete many projects. I also thought that if there were more hammers or nail guns on site the project could have moved much more quickly, but not enough were provided. 

House with completed roof

Cute dog at the house. 

After the build we went to dinner. They had planned to take us to a local beach but not many people wanted to go since it was such a long day. I felt that this host was too scheduled and felt the need to constantly entertain us when all we really wanted to do was relax. Overall Green River was not one of my favorite places, even though my first impression was positive. 

Moab, UT to Green River, UT

On Friday we had a short ride that was pretty flat and easy. It was scenic riding out of the Moab cannon and we took a bike trail that passed by the Arches park. I wanted to see the park but never had time during our stay in Moab. 

Desert landscape. 

In the morning I had a slow leak in my tire but about one mile from the host it went flat. It was my first flat of the trip and I had made a bet with another girl who hadn't had a flat either on who would be the first to crack. I lost the bet so now I have to buy her a drink at some point. Our host for the night was at a house where the people who started Epicenter live. Epicenter is the affordable housing group in Green River and the employees are all very young and optimistic about making Green River a more tourist and popular place. They gave us a presentation and tour of the town which seemed very run down and small. There were some nice hikes and scenic spots around Green River that they tried to advertise but they were all 30-50 miles away. 

After the presentations we went back to the house and had our prom celebration. We all had a good time and our 2 team leaders Johnny and Katie won prom king and queen, who went dressed as salmon. 

Batman and cat woman. 

Moab, UT day off

Thursday was our second day off of the trip and about half of us signed up to go white water rafting. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day and it rained a few times but overall it was a great ride. I didn't take many pictures due to the water and rain but I did take a few. We also went on a short but really pretty hike during our lunch stop. 

Rode in a 5 person boat. 

There were a few large waves that we came across but for the most part it was pretty calm. After rafting we relaxed at the church for a while and had dinner. After dinner a few of us walked around town some more and went shopping for our prom outfits. As we were walking back a storm rolled through and I got a picture of the red sky. 

Moab, UT build day

The night we arrived in Moab we also had a host dinner with an affordable housing group called Community Rebuilds. All the employees were young and very interesting to talk to. They were very passionate about their work and the cause they were supporting. Their group was much different than previous housing groups because they make homes made of straw and focus on environmentally friendly designs. The group gave us a presentation and tour of a straw house which we all found very interesting. The straw is covered by 2 outer layers of a clay solution. It is all co-products of the environment and the straw works as a great insulator. The windows in the homes are mostly on the south side of the house so that the sun can warm the floors during the cold winter months, but not heat the house in the hot summer. The floor is designed to heat the house using the sunlight in the winter as well. The bathroom walls were also very clever as they were covered with a soap olive oil mixture that smelled great and was meant to keep the walls water proof. 

Kitchen of house. 

Bathroom wall. 

Outside of house. 

So on Wednesday we had a build day but unfortunately not able to work on a straw house. Instead in the morning I worked on a demolition site of a trailer for a woman who was soon receiving a straw house. I worked on the outside stepping stones and deck and got to use a backhoe which was awesome. 

Trailer in the morning. 

Driving the backhoe. 

After lunch we switched build sites and I worked in a house that was being prepared for 16 interns to move in. I wasn't able to see the demolition that took place in the afternoon but I heard that half the trailer was destroyed by the backhoe. 

After building I went on another short hike to a pretty water hole. 

During the hike. 

Water hole. 

A few other people were there and were walking across a high line attached to the rocks. They also did a few back flips into the water but I as too intimidated by the height. 

Naturita, CO to Moab, CO

On Tuesday we were excited to finally ride to Moab where we would have a build day and our second day off. It was another beautiful ride and we knew we had about 1500 feet to descend in total but the ride ended up being much hillier and harder than we expected. 

During the ride. 

Kissed Colorado goodbye. 

Posing as arches for Utah. 

Cool car at a tourist stop called Hole in the Rock. 

When we got to the host my riding group was tired but I convinced them to go on a short hike with me. It was well worth it and the surrounding canyon was beautiful. 

Bike ride to the trail. 

During the hike. 

Moab is located in a canyon and the town is very touristy. Some of the shops were really nice and there were also a lot of Mexican restaurants as well as Native American things. 

Montrose, CO to Naturita, CO

On Monday we started off with a pretty flat ride but had a large climb around mile 20. It took a while to get to the top but most of the ride after that was mostly downhill and very scenic. Unfortunately it was raining for most of the pretty parts so I couldn't get many pictures. 

My friend Sarah and I rode together and during the downhill it was raining and we got a distracted and ended up passing lunch. We stopped at one point to eat quickly but we ended up being the first to the host. When we got there we were meant to stay at an elementary school but it was empty. We went around town for a bit and were texted by some group members that the school had flooded te day before and that we were meant to go about 4 miles north to Nykra to stay at the high school. We then biked over and as soon as we arrived a huge thunderstorm rolled through. 

Rolling into Naturita. 

Thunderstorm. 

Both towns that we were in were very small and seemed very underprivileged. According to the town facts in the morning the population of Naturita is only about 300 and 10 people have bachelors degrees. It was a very strange and desolate town but interesting to pass through.