Wherever I May Roam: 2015

Once again I got off to another late start to the day, this seems to becoming a routine that I'll have to correct. It was another chilly morning, to be expected as the city of Butte is over a mile above sea level. The skies were overcast, the forecast calling for rain along the route that I'd be taking today. Today will be another day of pounding pavement, though a lot of what I'm riding today is new highway to me.

About 150km into the day's ride I pulled over to throw on the rain gear, clouds on the horizon threatening some precipitation. Maybe I've finally become a biker, because the prospect of rain doesn't really bother me anymore, though sunny riding is still a lot more fun. I've also accumulated great gear by now that keeps me dry, worth every penny.

Not long after getting ready I rode through a short shower, but skies turned sunny as I crossed the state line into Idaho. Two years ago I came into Idaho Falls from the east, funny how towns look totally different when you come in from a different direction. I took a break to eat lunch and fill up the gas tank, then continued south on I-15. The US Interstate system really is an amazing engineering feat when you consider how many thousands of miles of highway that's been built in this vast country. It always amazes me too how the interstates are always in good repair.

Today was voting day in Alberta, triggering my mind to wander to politics as I rode. I'm glad I was able to vote in the advance polls before leaving as I'm a firm believer in excercising my right to vote. Over the years many have paid a high price so that we in the free world can continue to have a say. From politics my mind wandered to many of the issues in society today. It's too bad that those issues seem to dominate the media, overshadowing how richly blessed we are in North America. How great would it be if we could focus on how much we have, not on how much we want! One thing that I really enjoy about my bike trips is that I get a chance to disconnect a little from media, getting a chance to talk with everyday people from all walks of life. There's a lot of good ones left, but sadly they're usually not the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Anyway, I'll get down off my soapbox now:)

Somewhere between Pocatello, ID and the Utah state line the rain started again. It was only raining lightly and man did it smell good as the rain washed everything down. I was not really looking forward to dealing with the traffic of the Salt Lake City area at the end of the day's ride, but would rather get through it today than deal with it in the morning. Traffic started getting quite heavy by the time I got to Ogden, and it got down right gnarly by the time I got to Salt Lake. We were down to 40km/h at times on the interstate! Thankfully it started flowing better once we got south of Salt Lake.

I'll be spending the night in Orem, just north of Provo, which puts me in a great spot for tomorrow. I'm planning to get off the interstate as I make my way down to Moab, where I'll spend the afternoon and at least one more day taking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. I'm looking forward to spending a little less time in the saddle as my back and butt are quite sore today. Doing some more walking and picture taking is probably just what the doctor ordered.