June 23, 2001--Price, UT.

Before I start today's journal entry that last night I took a look at my e-mail and was overwhelmed by the positive response I have hearing from so many people interested in the web site. I am really enjoying reading what people have to say but don't have the time to respond to each one. As it stands now I still have over 150 outstanding e-mails to read and respond to. Thank you to everybody for your thoughts and encouragement.
Today started in Provo, UT with a severe head wind. My riding buddy and I were fighting to stay at 13 miles an hour. The fields of dry grass we passed were so enchanting. I could hear the dry grass rustling in the wind and could follow the waves the wind made in the fields with my eyes as they formed the illusion of the surface of a miniature ocean. As humans will do, I became frustrated at the wind after some time of pushing past it. However witnessing the beauty that it created made me forget my childish notion that the wind was out to scorn me personally.
The mountains that we headed for were large and they blocked the early morning sun for which I was thankful. Once within the safe walls of the mountains the wind died down and I was able to focus on the climb to Solder Summit. This mountain range was the most beautiful we have come across yet. The sandy white stone of the Utah desert began to give way to a beautiful crimson and the rock formations became more severe and unique. There were points in the ride where I just needed to stop and take everything in. A picture from a simple point and shoot camera would not have done it justice. As the clouds passed across the sun the colors would change and become more brilliant. I took my racing glasses off for a while so that I wouldn't miss the beautiful colors of the mountains such as the dry grass that would change to a sparkling gold when the sun would show through the clouds. Later in the ride a storm cell began to pass over the two of us. We were not as concerned with ourselves as we were with keeping our camera's safe. I raced down the mountain and pretended I was in the Tour de France. Large raindrops began to fall around me that were sparse but enough to make the road wet and make me concerned about my camera's. After a few minutes of hammering my brains out I made it out of the storm cell's reach. Today was full of beautiful sights and interesting discoveries. The first picture is one my friend took of me from behind as we biked through the mountains. The second is of the rock patterns and green hill we passed. The storm cell I talked about is in the sky at this point but the picture does not show how dark is really was.

June 22, 2001--Provo, UT.

Today we biked from Salt Lake City to Provo. Salt Lake is north west of Provo and the beginning of the trip headed due south. Well, the problem with this was that there is a storm blowing this way from the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to be here in about three days. Once again the head wind was terrible. We fought the wind for about the first 25 miles.
About two miles out from the hotel my friend Andy busted his front deraileur. The ride on I-80 loosened many nuts and bolts on our bikes. Andy's deraileur got loose, slid down onto the large chain ring, and got twisted out of shape. I helped Andy take his deraileur completely off and he finished the ride without it. The ride was relatively flat so it wasn't that big of a deal but he will have it fixed for tomorrow.
The area here is nice. The drivers are more polite than in other places. Every few miles on our ride we would pass a Mormon Church. Every person that drove passed us on the rural roads on the outskirts of town would wave. I made sure I waved back. We passed two girls that were about seven years old whom were laughing and riding a lawn mower up and down their yard. The life seems more laid back here than in the Silicon Valley. People seem happier and less stressed out.
We rode through BYU campus. It sure is a lot nicer than SJSU. We stopped and took pictures of a few things and then continued on to the hotel. This is a picture of me in the main campus area of BYU. My father went to BYU so I made sure I got some pictures from there.
Later today I will hook up with Mike "Pee-Wee" Hurd whom is an SCV alumni from 89. Mike made a generous contribution to my fund-raiser so I wanted to make sure I got to shake his hand personally.

June 21, 2001--Salt Lake City, UT.

Today was my rest day in Salt Lake City. One of my SCV buddies that I marched with, Will Whitaker, came and picked me up for the day. First we went the Timpview High School and I helped him out with his drum line. The drum line at the high school was very decent. I can't believe how I just can't get away from this sort of thing. After hanging out at his house for a while we went to down town Salt Lake City. We went to Temple Square and went inside many of the beautiful buildings. Regardless of one's spiritual beliefs, there are places on earth that have a certain feeling. These places have an aura, if you will. I had this feeling inside the tabernacle. The building itself is awe-inspiring and the reverence that people instinctively show it ads to the mystique of the structure. I toured the new Mormon convention center. It seats 22,000 people. The building was immaculate and had beautiful art all around it. After having dinner at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building I said good bye to my friend Will. It was nice to be off my bike for once.

June 20, 2001--Salt Lake City, UT.

For some reason this morning I woke up ready and determined for my ride. The very first thing we hit in the morning was the Utah State line. After taking some pictures, we mounted the bikes, I yelled Art's name, and we were off to brave the salt flats. First of all I would like to dispel the myth of the prevailing westerly winds across the western United States. Today we crossed the salt flats and experienced the exact opposite. Even though most of the ride was completely flat, we fought the wind the entire time. On a ride that should have averaged about 19.5, we averaged about 16.5 for most of the ride. One of the riders in our threesome had a very difficult day. The sun got to him and he became very negative. The remaining rider and I decided to continue on and leave him to his own pace.
The salt flats were unending. The mountains in the distance never seemed to get any closer. The only thing to focus on was the rhythm. As the day wore on and the ride became more difficult, the sun made its way higher in the sky. At one point my partner ran out of water. I still had some in my bottle so I gave the rest of mine to him since we only had 10 miles to the next stop. Toward the 80-mile marker I was ready for a break. I needed food and I was riding weak. My saddle was causing me lots of pain. After a stop at the 90-mile marker for snacks and carbohydrates, I felt great. Aside from experiencing my first flat tire of the trip, I began riding up to my full potential. Instead of leading for 2 miles and taking a break like my partner and I had been doing, I just stayed in front and I wouldn't let him take it. I kept this up for about 12 miles. I'm sure he was quite all right with that because I was doing most of the work. I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could end this one strong. I thought about all the times things in my life seemed to intimidate me at first. The more I thought of these things the angrier I rode, and I would switch up a gear. Why would I let something intimidate me when I was capable of riding this strong after 11 straight days of riding and two centuries?
When I finally looked out at the scenery we were riding along the rim of the Great Salt Lake. It was beautiful but MAN does that place stink! While I was riding today the words of a song from a rock band I used to be in kept being recited through my head.

Life is real, life is earnest
Life is wonder, life is precious,
And the grave is not its goal

Life will bring you joy and tears.
CONQUER all your greatest fears!
Live your life; enjoy it while you're here

June 19, 2001--Wendover, UT.

Today I set a new standard for myself in cycling. This was the longest day on a bike I have had in all my life. On today's ride I traveled 108 miles. Within this ride we did three hill climbs. This test of our endurance began with a cold and dry desert morning. As we got on the road we kept the pace very steady. We began with a gradual assent through the mountains where the terrain turned into greener and lusher underbrush with larger trees and more vegetation. The early morning desert sun soon lifted into the eastern sky giving us warmer air. However, with it came a frustrating head wind that was giving the three of us a lot of trouble.
The landscape pleasured me with many intriguing things to look at. On occasion I would catch a jackrabbit that was running along side our train as if it were escorting us through its homeland. As soon as it had appeared it would disappear in the underbrush. The crickets I mentioned earlier gave way to reptiles such as lizards and small snakes crossing the road. On a break at the side of the road I thought the rocks were so beautiful and colorful that I took a small brilliant orange one and put it in my jersey pocket.
For some reason at the 94-mile marker I got a burst of energy. I lead the last hill climb and I felt great! I have never felt so strong at the end of a century. I got a beat going in my head and kept the same cadence all the way up the hill. I thought about how lucky I was to be blessed with this kind of experience in my life. How many people can say that they have seen America like this? I thought about how much I loved pushing myself, and that this is really my kind of vacation. I accomplished something today. I surpassed my previous self. It is so important to push yourself to new levels in this life. Breaking down barriers in one's life is liberating be they physical or emotional. I broke through both today.
When we got to the top of the mountain we got our first glimpse of the great salt flats. They are absolutely enormous. The picture doesn't do it justice in the slightest sense of the word. The salt flats go on as far as the eye can see and they are intimidating in their grandeur. I stood on one of the only places on the planet where the curvature of the earth can be witnessed with the naked eye. Pulling into the hotel this afternoon had a triumphant feeling to it. Tomorrow I will prove to myself that I can surpass myself twice in a row. Today's ride was a grind, but it was worth every grueling spin. Tomorrow I will travel 120 miles.

June 18, 2001--Elko, NV.

Today we woke up in Battle Mountain at 5:00 and made our way to Elko. My group decided to take it easy today because we have two centuries coming up in the next two days. The scenery changed significantly today. Instead of vast flat lands framed by soft brown mountains, we encountered many different geologic rock formations. The landscape made up a quilt representing different spans of geological time. We passed open fields of dry grass out of Battle Mountain. After a hill climb the mountains formed unique shapes cut by an ancient body of water that once existed in the desert. Across the valley from some of these interesting mountains, other mountains existed that were completely non-characteristic of them. I was fascinated at these physical oddities that have formed themselves in the desert throughout millions of years.
Though today's ride was 77 miles, it was not that difficult for me. I have noticed myself becoming a better rider by watching the top riders around me. Several people got flats today on the I-80 freeway due to tire wires from trucks that have had blowouts. I took the advice at the beginning of the ride and put tire liners between my tubes and tires to avoid mishaps. So far I have been successful in avoiding flats, but one can never be too careful.
The group as a whole has an unending appetite for good food. Every time we eat the servers are dumbfounded when the platters of food they set out disappear as soon as they hit the buffet. Some servers actually get visibly frustrated.
Today I got a chance to ride on my own. I thought about what I was out here riding for. I thought about my days in The Vanguard. As I descended a mountain I ran through the 1997 closer in my head. This majestic piece of music was the most emotional music I ever played. It was really awesome to think that I was riding for the Corps. On my hill climb I said the name of every drumline member I marched with. I said them rhythmically and imagined them there with me. After I got to the top I felt as if I did them right.

June 17, 2001--Battle Mountain, NV.

Today was an easy day. We are gearing up for a more difficult couple of days to come. We started off from Winnemucca and followed I-80 to Battle Mountain Nevada. We had one mild hill climb but the most difficult part of the day came with more road construction. There was a section of about 5 miles that had gravel on one side and one lane of moving traffic on the other. We rode on this part of the road till my friend Brian fell off his bike and tore his knees open. He was okay; he just drew some blood. At that point we decided to walk the bikes for a while rather than risk a more serious accident.
There are a few riders who have complained to the leaders about the road conditions. I just don't understand what complaining is going to take care of. Nobody said that crossing the country was going to be easy. Of course we are going to come upon some unexpected obstacles. It's all about how one handles his/herself in the face of challenge. Leave out conditions, courageous convictions will drag the dream into existence. (Neil Peart)
The trip was short. We only traveled 52 miles today. When we got to Battle Mountain we took a tour of the town and put about 12 more miles on. We took some roads out of town just for the heck of it. We ended up at the Battle Mountain dump. Here is a picture of me with a few of my riding buddies in the Nevada desert (left to right: Jeremy, John, and Andy)
The town of Battle Mountain is completely shut down on Sunday's I guess. The town is dead, and there are virtually no stores open. I am going to get back on my bike and tool around town some more. Tomorrow should be an exciting day.