The front desk of our motel rang our room this morning to make sure we made it to breakfast. The owner and her friend were in the breakfast area and helped us make waffles while peppering us with questions about our trip. We got a recommendation for a place to pick up sandwiches for the road – Marsha’s in Helper – and bid them farewell.
Highway 6 winds through a canyon up the Price River. There’s more traffic than we’ve seen in a while but at least the shoulder is good. Not to go another day without some weather, it starts raining then hailing as we ascend towards a mountain pass. Before long I get another flat – presumably from the bad rim tape again. We make it to the pass at Soldier Summit at 7500 feet and warm up in the lone convenience store by the highway.
It starts precipitating again – in what would best be described as a “wintry mix.” We look outside in dread for a while before moving downhill into the weather. After a few cold descents over the past week we’ve got our cold weather situation down pat – the colorful stuff sacks over our handlebars do wonders to keep our hands warm.
The wind seemed to have been missing us and returned today, slowing our descent towards the Provo area. After a few more hours of intermittent rain we we arrive in the suburb of Springville – full of strip malls and more restaurants and lodging options than you could ever need – and find a place to stay.
Notes from Donald: “It’s strange coming back into a heavily populated sprawling suburban area.”
Today’s mileage: 72 miles
Total: 1162 miles
