Day 15 - MEXICO!

We made it to Mexico!!! I will post some pictures when we reach our final destination.

Day 11

Today we did a big ride up Mt Lemmon in Tuscon, Arizona. We actually considered doing a different ride because even in Tuscon it was extremely windy, and it only got windier up the mountain. Little did we know the wind was not necessarily a bad thing... We had this fantastic sent-from-above tail wind pushing us most of the way up the mountain! Now that doesn't mean we didn't work hard, and not to mention the grueling head winds that brought us to a stand-still around certain turns.

34 km climb, 5600 ft elevation gain. Took us about 2.5 hrs to reach the top. 

Felt SO GOOD to reach the top!!!

We got some famous fudge and a cappuccino to enjoy on our break before the long descent. 

Day 10

This day we drove from Flagstaff to Tuscon. We didn't really do much, but we stopped in Black Canyon City and Scott got to watch his soccer game at a pub while I (Krystal) had a nice relaxed lunch at the Amish Cafe. We also stopped at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Day 9

 We camped out in Grand Canyon National Park and late in the day decided we wanted to do a hike the next day. We chose the Bright Angel Trail and planned to make it to Plateau Point, an 8-12 hr hike. See that hike below Plateau Point called "Overnight to Colorado River"? Very difficult, not a day hike, do not attempt in one day? We ended up making it down to the river and back up in less than 8 hrs!!!!

This is proof that we made it to the river!

"This rock is a bajillion years old!"

 The river was ice cold but nice and refreshing.

 There was this desert oasis part of the way down that had a stream and tall shady trees.

Grueling hike, but the one we did in India was harder.

Day 8

Approaching Monument Valley

Monument Valley


Then we drove to the Grand Canyon...

Grand Canyon at sunset.

Day 7

We camped out in the desert, which was surprisingly comfortable! No bugs at all.

Canyonlands National Park - Awesome!

Mesa Arch

"Balanced Rock"

Arches National Park

The Delicate Arch in the background to the left.

Day 6

On Day 6 we explored Moab, Utah by bike. 

Moab

Day 5

On Day 5 Krystal drove out of Boulder and into Estes Park where she did a great ride in Rocky Mountain National Park. Driving was too boring for Scott so he decided to ride his bike from Boulder, 95 km, 9000 ft elevation gain, a headwind the whole way. Toughest ride of his life!

The drive on I-70 through Colorado is AMAZING! Highly recommended to all. 

Day 4

A town with mountains, a huge cycling community, street vendors with veggie dogs, coffee shops with compostable cups and gluten free potato chips, a beautiful downtown walking mall with live music and lots of flowers, AND extremely large health food stores. Who knew a town like Boulder, Colorado existed?

This picture was taken moments before a horrific rain storm blew by us.

Day 3

Getting some info using Wendy's free wifi in Nebraska.

Now we are enjoying Boulder, Colorado and preparing for a bike ride in the Rockies. Pictures to come!

Day 2

A nice exercise break at the south end of Michigan Lake on Tuesday. 

That night we camped out in Iowa. For dinner we drove to a gas station 10 km away at 10:00 pm to get some hot tea water for our dried meals because apparently the bottle marked "fuel bottle" that came with our camp stove isn't actually full of fuel...

Day 1

Day 1

We left Kingston on Monday April 16th with our car packed to the brim, only 60 lbs under the weight capacity for the car.