MadLotoSa Day 1: Logan to Willard
This was the big day, I snuck out a bit early the last day of my awesome internship so I could make it to Willard before dark. Everyone there concluded I was nuts for trying something like this. (I have to admit, that I sometimes thrive on that kind of reputation.)
I have been dreading the climb up the unrelenting Sardine Canyon for weeks, especially on a loaded bike. I had the day's journey broken into legs as follows. (Can you tell that my pop's favorite advice is embedded in me? "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.")
- Leg 1: Logan to Wellsville 11.1 miles
- Leg 2: Summit Sardine Canyon: 6.9 miles from 4490 ft to 5892 ft (just over 1400' gain)
- Leg 3: Sardine Summit to Brigham: 6.7 miles
- Leg 4: Brigham to Willard: 7 miles
I figured I could crank out the first leg in an hour and I was
dead on. My main fear about the entire project was Leg 2. I estimated that I could summit in 2-2.5 hours with rests here and there given that I was hauling a ton of gear. I knew if I could summit, it'd be a quick ride the rest of the day, and more importantly, accomplish my primary goal of leaving Cache Valley on the Madsen. In reality, Sardine was unrelenting and diffucult, but not the full-scale brutality I had imagined. You can imagine my ecstatic yelps as I summed in about 1:15. As I dismounted to snap this photo and grab a snack, waves of shock surprise and glee swept over me having conquered this canyon.
Leg 3 was over before I knew it as I flew down the canyon hitting a top speed of 38 mph. It was now barely 7 pm and I had only the short Leg 4 to get to the planned campsite at Willard Bay State Park. I was feeling great so before I turned towards the park I checked out a few other possible camp sites further on towards Perry or Ogden, thinking I could make tomorrow's ride a bit shorter. I opted against it, so I headed into the park. The nice ranger in the entrance station sure was surprised to see me (and the spectacle of a loaded bike). Turns out that if you ride into the park it's only $5 to enjoy the camp with all it's amenities!
I planned on riding a dirt road that followed the lake for a few miles the next day and then on southward, but after discussing this with the ranger found that there is no feasible exit from the park. I was a bit bummed about this, but that's life. I therefore turned into the nearest campground to avoid too much backtracking the next morning. I circled through Willow Campground looking for the perfect spot for my hammock. On my second time around the loop I settled on this blissful little place that would have felt home in the Bayou. I unstrapped my cargo and used the garish tie down straps to sling my hammock from two trees. I then scooted my bike so that as I relaxed in the hammock I could just reach into the bucket for anything I needed.
Perfection.
I went for a little after-dinner stroll (cold cereal) and found a perfect little swimming area. I grabbed some spare shorts and went for a little toe-dip. I was so pleasantly surprised by the delightfully warm water that it turned into a wade.
I slept well, as there was just enough breeze to keep the mosquitos away.
MadLotoSa Day 2: Willard to... ?
I awoke refreshed and as I hopped out of my hammock my legs were jelly and I nearly collapsed to the ground. This worried me. My plan had been to wake up on day 2, assess and ride as far as I could before calling for backup. After all, there's no reason to blow out my knees just for the sake of doing something. I wasn't sure about the days ride, but knew that the most difficult bit was behind me. I studied my printed-out google maps so I could ride with as few stops as possible as I ate a leisurely breakfast in the hammock. With the help of a mapping genius, I had broken the route into 3 roughly 19 mile legs.
- Leg 5: Willard to Ogden
- Leg 6: Ogden to Farmington
- Leg 7: Farmington to Salt Lake
I figured I could approach each leg 
as two 8-9 mile chunks. I'd assess my legs and what-not at each rest point and either bail or go on. I will say that from the outset, I knew that if I could make it to Farmington, I would absolutely go the entire way to Salt Lake, barring major injury.
as two 8-9 mile chunks. I'd assess my legs and what-not at each rest point and either bail or go on. I will say that from the outset, I knew that if I could make it to Farmington, I would absolutely go the entire way to Salt Lake, barring major injury.At this point I'd like to ask a you, dear reader, a simple question. If you were the barging-in-to-a-locked-stall-type of old foreign man, would you be carrying your coffee mug? I'm just curious.
I packed up all my gear and refilled my on-board water stores (2L camelback, 1 L bottle, ~2 L sundry bottles), slathered on a double layer of SPF 50 and headed out, uncertain how the day would end. After a heart-warming wave from the ranger, I was out of the park and headed south.
As I turned towards South Willard on highway 89, I began to have some serious reservations based on the soreness of my legs. I gave myself a good 6 or 7 miles to warm up before making any rash quitting decisions. I'm glad I waited because the morning ride through South Willard, Pleasant View, Farr West and Marriot-Slaterville was enjoyable due to the lonely roads and splendid rural scenery.
I stopped for a good 20 minute rest somewhere west of Ogden. I'd been sucking down water and gatorade all day, with intermittent granola bars. I knew by this time I should be seriously hungry, but food did not sound good, so I forced a few more granola bars down. This was essentially Leg 5, about 18 miles or so. I felt good and had made reasonably good time so I pushed on.
Bolstered by supportive texts from friends and family I was amazed as the signs flew by. Sunset. Clearfield. Layton. Kaysville. Kaysville was a biggie as I knew that from there Farmington was only 6 miles further. My legs seemed to have endless strength as I had a feeling I was going to complete the journey. I took another food-forcing break in Farmington in the shade of a cottonwood tree. Leg 6 was complete and I'd been able to maintain decent speeds.
I cycled on toward Bountiful, glad I could almost see my home city. The afternoon heat had begun to set in and I was really getting tired. Again, I was not hungry so I knew I had to refuel. I pulled over in a deserted park in Bountiful and forced 3 bowls of cereal down. Partially to feed and partially to eliminate extra weight I chugged my remaining carton of soy milk. I changed out some batteries on my devices and rested. When I realized I'd been there almost an hour, I could tell that I needed to keep moving before I couldn't. Two great friends used my live tracking to find me just as I was heading out for the final stretch. They offered watermelon and support, however I could stomach only the latter, which was more satisfying than anything. They did tell me about a quick route change by a semi-hidden bike path over Beck street. I was growing more tired and hot by the minute so I had to get rolling again.
At this point I knew the next time I stopped would be my last so I pushed hard. The bike path was smooth and the access road it led to had just been sprayed down with water, giving me a few miles of cool respite. Then, I nearly died.
Victory road. 250' elevation gain in just over a mile. After 5-6 hours of cranking. This hill at solar noon was absolutely brutal and seemed to go on forever. When I made it to the top, I was sweating to the point that it looked as if you'd just pulled me from a pool. Victory road indeed. I stopped in front of the Capitol only long enough to change my water bottle out. The last 6 miles or so would be a breeze compared to that.
At long last I turned onto my street, pulled the bike up onto the sidewalk and collapsed with sheer joy into the grass. I had made it.
MadLotoSa Stats:
Day 1: 33.2 miles, 4:02 hours
Day 2: 58.4 miles, 6:33 hours
Total: 91.7 miles, 10 hours, 35 minutes.
Bike + gear weight (determining that was another story): 140 lbs
Posts
