Breathing Lightning

     My sleepless night of lying in the tent hearing coyotes ended as soon as the sun came up. It was time to pack and hit the road for SLC. Watching us pack the tent must have been hilarious. The wind was blowing 40 mph, making the folding of the tent near impossible. At one point, I laid on the tent to keep it on the ground. Between gusts we would squeeze in one fold, then lay on it again until we got another break. It took at least 30 minutes to do a two-minute job.

View from the campground overlook on our last morning at Flaming Gorge

     I was hoping to stop by Red Fleet State Park for another shot at the trails there, but it rained most of the night on that side of the mountains so dirt was not an option today. The clouds looked to have cleared as we left the campground, so I changed my ride plans to the switchback climb on Hwy. 191 north out of Vernal. Everything looked good until we got to the top of the mountain and found clouds and rain waiting for us. It was pouring as we descended to Vernal.

Descending to Vernal

Shannon loved the flowers that lined the streets of Vernal

     I decided to just keep driving and wait for a time when it wasn't pouring rain. That time never came. It rained all the way across the state. All the way. We came into SLC from the east.through Heber City. The rain let up here so I opted to try for a road ride up the steep Pine Canyon Dr. to Guardsman Pass and then would descend down to Sandy. It would only be one mountain, but it would be a tough one.

     Shannon let me out at the Wasatch Mountain State Park Visitors Center after a quick stop by Granny's Drive In. We were disappointed to see they were not open that day, so no milkshakes or burgers for us. Looking up the mountain toward Guardsman was looking into the clouds. About halfway up the mountain was a huge rain cloud and we could hear distant thunder. It seemed like a suicide mission, but I was going to try it anyway.

We are going somewhere up in those clouds

     It started to rain immediately as I started the climb. It was a cold rain, but the steepness of the grade kept me plenty warm. I have ridden this climb the last two years and I knew I was in for a hard ride. This is a beast of a road. I had good legs again today and pounded away at the mountain. I knew my PR times at a few of the points and I was ahead of my best at every check point. The rain stopped after a few miles and I continued to plug away at the 8.3-mile climb thinking I had dodged the storm. I had some legs on the steep "Hell" section and actually enjoyed it this time. But then I started to get into the cloud. The thunder returned and grew louder and more ominous with every pedal stroke.

Heading up Pine Canyon Dr.

On one of the steepest curves of the whole climb. Around 23% grade here.

     As I neared the turn for Empire Pass, lightning began to strike in nearby fields. The clouds were moving fast so I thought maybe the lightning would pass by before I got to Empire. It did not. Just before the Empire turn you enter a huge clearing. There would be nowhere to hide from that point on. As I reached the clearing, lightning popped in the field three times, once to my left and twice to my right. I decided it would be best for me to hop in the truck and wait a few minutes for this thing to pass. It was pouring and I could see my breath as I jumped in the truck. It had become much colder now that I was in the cloud. It began to hail, then sleet as the temperature continued dropping. We got pelted with all forms of precipitation for the next 20 minutes with lightning flashing almost constantly. It showed no signs of letting up so I decided to throw in the towel. I jumped out one more time to put the bike on the rack, then we drove the last 1.6 miles to Guardsman Pass.

It was a tough ride that ended a bit early, but I enjoyed the effort and the Fall colors

Looking back toward Heber City

     The other side of the mountain was no better with sleet and rain mixing in as we descended. If I had made it this far, I believe it would have been about as much fun as my descent off this mountain in 2013 when I ended up seeking shelter in a real estate office and calling for a ride. Getting in the truck was a good decision, but I really would have liked to have finished that climb. Not just because I hate quitting a ride for any reason, but I was breaking PRs!

     We arrived at Gma's house in West Jordan with rain falling there as well. We got to see all the family, then went out to Leatherby's for some ice cream to make up for our failed attempt at getting some from Granny's. Leatherby's is some of the best ice cream I have ever had and I highly recommend stopping by there if you are ever in the SLC area. It's affordable and they don't skimp on the portions.

Doesn't this look tasty?!!

     It was good to be with family and be sleeping in a real bed after camping for over a week. Now it was time to catch up with family, followed by some bike exploring in a more-familiar area.