All done

Well,  that's pretty much it for the trip.  I'll have fun in the city and Zion NP but the biking is certainly done.  It was fun and certainly a challenge.  Knowing I can do a ride like this gives me confidence that there's very little out there,  at least in the US,  that would be more difficult to accomplish.  Name the route - is it tougher than highway 50?  Probably not.

Thank you for following along.  Until  next year :)

Answer

Not holy.  Location revealed to Brigham Young in a prophecy,  but otherwise just a place to live and church headquarters.

Mormon question

I'm strolling through Temple Square and it's interesting to realize that I am at the headquarters (for lack of a better word?)  of a religion.

So I want to know - is Salt Lake City a "holy" city for Mormons?  Or is it like Rome for Catholics?  (actually,  do Catholics consider Rome "holy"?  Or is it just where the Pope lives,  and Jerusalem is holy?  Or is it Bethlehem?)  Is there anything religious about SLC,  or is it only where the Mormons stopped when they moved west?

I'll go to the church history museum tomorrow,  so if no one can tell before then I'll let you know the answer when I learn it!

Salt Lake City

I'm here!  This map welcoming me to downtown is more definitive than any particular skyline or landmark that I'm aware of.

Jordan River

The Mormons did a good job of handing out solid biblical names when they got to Utah. 

Provo Canyon

This place is amazing.  It's as canyon-y as you'd ever want,  with steep,  narrow mountains and a river flowing down.  But it's so accessible! I'm about 4 miles up at Bridal Veil Falls,  and it's a climb of only a few hundred feet.  There is a bike path and parks and picnic areas all over the place.  After a night in the city,  I'm pretty sure Provo spends most of it's city beautification budget on the canyon.  It's a beautiful spot. 

 

 

Bittersweet

A bittersweet feeling this morning in Provo.  Last day of the bike trip (and probably not a great day of biking through suburbs).  One one hand I feel great because this means I've accomplished my goal, and gotten myself across Nevada and western Utah (just about the entire Great Basin, it turns out).  I'll get to explore a new city for a couple days, and then I'll finally see Alicia and begin the next phase down in Zion.

On the other hand, it's been a short trip but just long enough to put me in that "life on the road" state.  It can be hard to pull yourself out of that.  Or at least it is for me. I even have a decent beard already!
But all good things must end.  And when this trip is done I can begin dreaming of where to go next!