Day 32 (Eminence to Farmington)

(86.4mi,12.1mph,6844ft)
We had been warned about the steep hills east of Eminence, and the steepness of the Ozarks in general, but they weren't bad. Some were steep, but they were all short. We stopped in Ellington for lunch and met a group of 12 on 6 tandem bikes. Two families of 6 with kids as young as 8! It was hot riding after lunch, but we had some shade and a breeze that made it bearable. We rode another 60 miles to Farmington (with a shortcut that cut off 7 miles. We're one for three on successful shortcuts) and found an inn for cyclists that we had been hearing about.

Day 31 (Houston to Eminence)

(43.7mi,13.9mph,2279ft)
Got another early start and rode to Summersville for a snack. We had heard from other cyclists that there was tubing on Jacks Fork River near Eminence, so we stopped in Alley Spring and found a rental shop. They were able to take our bikes to the spot where they would pick us up, so we floated instead of riding for 5 miles. The river was slow, but very cool and refreshing, and my waterproof speaker provided us with music. We spent 5 hours floating on our tubes before we reached the pick-up spot with fresh sunburns. We had dinner in Eminence and the Methodist church is letting us stay in their basement. The hills are supposed to be tough tomorrow, so it will be nice to have a cool place to sleep.

Day 30 (Fair Grove to Houston)

(81.4mi,13mph,3463ft)
Left at 5:40 and rode 40 miles to Hartsville for breakfast. The hills weren't bad, and it was under 90 degrees before 10am. We stopped in Bendavis before we arrived in Houston around 1:30. After a cold drink and a quick stop at Walmart, we went to the local pool to cool off. We were allowed to camp in the park, so we set up there and we'll try to sleep as it slowly cools down.

Day 29 (Pittsburgh, KS to Fair Grove, MO)

(102.2mi,13.1mph,6404ft)
Woke up at 4:30 and waited until it was light enough to ride. Started around 5:45, but almost immediately Aidan had a flat, so we left Pittsburgh at 6. 35 miles later we stopped in Golden City for water and a granola bar. (We stopped eating at cafes for breakfast a while ago because we found that we were spending at least an hour sitting around and usually $10 a person.) 33 miles later in Ash Grove, we stopped at a small gas station for lunch. We had hoped to be done before the heat of the day, but beyond Ash Grove there wasn't much until Fair Grove (33 more miles). We pushed on and the hills got bigger as we rode farther into Missouri. At 3:45 we found a Subway in Fair Grove and cooled off for a couple hours. I had two footlongs and probably a gallon of water as I recovered from the long day. We were told we could camp in the city park, which had showers. Hopefully it cools off tonight and we get another early start tomorrow. No dogs yet, but we've been warned that they're coming.

Day 28 (Parsons to Pittsburgh)

(36mi,12.8mph,872ft)
We woke up tired, but rode 35 miles to Pittsburgh in the morning. We tentatively planned to go another 35 to Golden City, MO, but by the time we had lunch in Pittsburgh, it was 1pm and 100 degrees. We found a motel and took a nap for a few hours. The local bike shop was busy with other tourers after lunch, so I went back at 4 to have them take apart my bottom bracket (it was squeaking). We're going to get a very early start tomorrow to get our riding done before the heat, and hopefully make that our new routine.

Day 27 (Eureka to Parsons)

(91.5mi,13.7mph,1849ft)
After a late night, we got started around 8. We got to Toronto, KS looking for water, but everything was closed on Mondays. We went a little farther to a small bait and tackle shop where the owner gave us some advice on an alternate route. We decided to follow his suggestion and were hoping to cut off a few miles, but unfortunately there was a road closed for construction. We talked to some locals at a gas station who gave us another detour, which we decided to follow instead of going back on the original route, still hoping to save a few miles. We realized we would be going farther south to Pittsburgh anyway, so we made our way down to hwy 400 and rode east. After 91 miles in the heat, we stopped in Parsons for the night. We eventually realized we would not be able to sleep in the heat, so we found a Super 8 and escaped the heat for another night.

Day 26 (Newton to Eureka)

(74mi,13mph,1870ft)
We got off to a slow start as we readjusted to heavy bikes. It was over 100 all afternoon, but the wind kept it bearable. They were almost no services for our whole ride, so when we got to Eureka we decided to stop for the night. We had some dinner in the city park, and then we were offered a place to stay for the night. We took showers and will be sleeping in air conditioning tonight. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow to avoid some of the heat.

Day 25 (Larned to Newton)

(109mi,14.3mph)
Had breakfast with our families and loaded our gear into my parents' car. My dad joined us in the morning, unfortunately on one of the least scenic days of the trip! We battled crosswinds again and we seem to be getting into more humidity each day. It was awesome to just have our bikes for the day, although I had to figure out how to balance again without my trailer. We met up with my parents in Nickerson for lunch and then they dropped our gear off in Newton. About 25 miles from Newton, Katie's shifter cable broke, so she had to finish the ride with a single speed! We found a small bike shop where we got it fixed quickly, then we headed to the hotel room. We arrived to find a room full of food, but also full of our gear that we had to put back on our bikes! We had no trouble falling asleep after a long day in the heat.

Day 24 (Dighton to Larned)

(96.1mi,11.7mph,5319ft)
Biked about 30 miles to Ness City where we picked up some donuts and breakfast food. 30 miles later we stopped in Rush Center for a burger before we had to ride 20 miles south into the 20mph wind. two hours later, we were able to turn east again and ride into Larned around 5. We met another group of three that are traveling west at the same pace as us. They warned us about the dogs in Missouri and Kentucky. We found the hotel room my parents reserved and took showers. Waiting for them to arrive now. Another day with strong crosswinds that slowed us down.

Day 23 (Sheridan Lake, CO to Dighton, KS)

(99.9mi,13.5mph,2321ft)
Got started around 6:45 and biked 30 miles to Tribune, KS for some breakfast. We had a light headwind all day, but it wasn't bad. There were times when the wind stopped completely for a few minutes and we tried to take advantage of those stretches. 20 miles later we stopped in Leoti to make plans with our parents about meeting up tomorrow in Larned. Then it was a quick 25 miles to Scott City for a short grocery store stop, then 25 more miles to Dighton for the night. We grabbed half a watermelon and headed to the city park to camp. We were looking forward to tailwinds on this part of the route, but today wasn't as tough as yesterday. Tomorrow we're supposed to have 20 to 30mph winds from the south which could make it a slower day. Hopefully we can make it 100 miles to Larned in time to meet our parents!

Day 22 (Sugar City to Sheridan Lake)

(83.5mi,9.7mph,3586ft)
Got up early after little sleep due to wind, heat, and being sprayed by the sprinklers around 11pm. The wind was still blowing around 25mph from the north in the morning, so we had a crosswind/headwind to contend with. We averaged 8mph on the first 35 miles, but there was only a small gas station in Haswell, so we continued to Eads for lunch. The ride to Eads was easier and we weren't quite as drained when we arrived. After a hot dog and some jerky, we decided to ride another 28 miles to Sheridan Lake. We were hoping to reach Kansas today, but Tribune is the next town with services and it's 30 miles from here. We had pizza and ice cream after a long day in the wind, and then we were invited to stay at the local church for the night. We did some laundry in the sink and are looking forward to better sleep than the last two windy nights. Definitely getting to Kansas tomorrow.

Statistics

We're three weeks in, and we've gone 1705.8 miles and climbed 120,077ft. That makes our average 81.2 miles per day, 12.5mph, and 6000ft of ascent each day. We have 2078 miles left in our route of 3784 miles. (We will end up doing more than that because not everything is directly on the route. Western Express is 1589mi, however we did about 1655mi.)
We're done with the west, and headed toward easier terrain for at least a few days. I'm ready for a break from climbing, although I'll miss the scenery and I'm not looking forward to the humidity. We're under halfway in terms of mileage, however I think we can be finished in 3 more weeks. We've heard that the hills in Kentucky and Virginia can be tough, but we're getting stronger every day and we don't have the long climbs anymore.

Day 21 (Wetmore to Sugar City)

(86.8mi,15.7mph,1766ft)
Katie had two flats at once on the way to Pueblo, so we stopped at a bike shop there for more patches. We rode easy all morning going downhill with a tailwind. We rode through a couple towns that no longer had services, but finally made it to Ordway around 1 after 80 miles and my first flat. It was 102 degrees when we pulled in, so we were ready for a break. We cooled off with ice cream and filled up our waters, expecting to push at least another 35 miles. When we arrived in Sugar City, we found a cafe with air conditioning and decided we'd had enough of the heat. We spent the afternoon in the cafe relaxing and working on some logic puzzles the owner gave us. She said we could camp in the city park, so we have another night of free camping. We officially finished the Western Express today, and I'm glad we took that route instead of the normal TransAm trail. We cut off about 500 miles and we got to see some awesome sights in the west. Should be in Kansas tomorrow.

Day 20 (Monarch Park to Wetmore)

(97mi,14.8mph,4829ft)
We started off the day with 40 miles of downhill from 10600ft to 6500ft and we were half a mile away from Cotopaxi when Katie had a flat. We had lunch in Cotopaxi and then started a gradual 40 mile uphill. Around 9200ft, we started back downhill. We stopped in Wetmore for groceries for dinner, but the clerk offered us a free place to stay on the patio, so we stopped about 25 miles short of Pueblo. Easy, uneventful day.

Day 19 (Cimarron to Monarch Park)

(89.8mi,11mph,9670ft)
Got started at 7 and arrived in Gunnison for lunch. We split 2 large pizzas between the three of us, stopped at a grocery store, and then headed east with the wind. We got to Sargents around 4 and decided to stay there for the night. We had some ice cream and sat around for a while. The tent site was going to be $30, so we asked where we could access the national forest. There was an abandoned campsite about two miles up the road, which happened to be 2 out of the 10 miles up to Monarch Pass. By the time we reached the access road, we had climbed 500 of 3000ft, so we just kept going. An hour and a half later, we were at 11,312ft and we crossed the continental divide. We descended a few miles before pulling into Monarch Park Campground. Dinner was quick and then the food went up in a bear bag. Ready for a nice long descent tomorrow and hopefully a long day to Pueblo to finish off the Western Expres

Day 18 (Telluride to Cimarron)

(77.2mi,12.8mph,8858ft)
We decided to cook pancakes for breakfast this morning. It took time, but they were filling. We had a gradual climb and then a long downhill into Montrose. After an afternoon snack, we started toward Cerro Summit. Aidan had his second flat just as we were leaving town. We made the climb and then descended into Cimarron for a water refill and gas refill (for my stove). Another few miles down the road we found a campground and stopped for the night. I wanted to get rid of some of the food I had been carrying around, so we had some dried fruit, beef jerky, and ramen for dinner. Planning to get up early to get over Monarch Pass tomorrow.

Day 17 (Mountain Biking in Telluride)

(28mi)
We arrived in Telluride around 9, and found a bike shop that could fix Aidan's bike. We stopped at a grocery store for some food and ate in the park. I had been wondering if there were downhill mountain bike trails on the ski slopes, so I asked a local rental store. We were able to rent bikes for $40 and the gondola was free. That was too good to pass up, so we decided to take the day off to ride the trails. After 4 hours of riding, we were ready for dinner and unsure of where we were staying. We grabbed pizza and then headed down the road to national forest where we can camp for free. We ended up doing only 28 miles, but Telluride was definitely worth a day off.

Day 16 (Dolores to Telluride)

(52.3mi,11mph,3931ft)
Our first climb in Colorado started off very gradually. It became a little steeper as we got near halfway, but it was easy compared to our climbs in Utah. Around 40 miles into the 50 mile climb, one of Aidan's spokes broke. He repaired it, however the wheel wasn't true, so we were in need of a bike shop. Telluride was still 25 miles away, and farther than we planned on going, so we decided to go there tomorrow. We reached Lizard Head Summit (10222ft) soon after and coasted a few miles to a campground. Our goal was to arrive at camp before 6 so that we could have a chance to relax, and we finally did. We bought firewood and had our first real fire of the trip. We roasted marshmallows and then we were able to take showers. Fairly easy day.

Day 15 (Natural Bridges, UT to Dolores, CO)

(121mi,12mph,10078ft)
Left the campground at 6:15, eager to get started before the heat. After a bigger climb to Blanding than we expected, we stopped and cooked bacon and eggs for brunch. We didn't make it to Blanding yesterday, so we wanted to make up for it and get to Dolores, CO. Riding out of Blanding was tough, I was very hot and still hungry. We stopped in Monticello to cool down and fuel up 20 miles later. After Monticello, it became a different ride. We picked up a slight crosswind that kept us cool, and we began to go over rolling hills instead of more substantial climbs. Before we knew it, we were at the Colorado border with only 40 miles to go. We rode into Dolores around 7:30 and picked up some groceries for dinner. We met a woman from England that we had heard about earlier on the trip at the campground. She flew to San Francisco, bought everything she needed, and started riding. It sounds like she has been taking quite a few days off along the way. I don't see us taking any days completely off, but I may be thinking differently in a few weeks. Good day. Glad to be done with Utah and the desert.

Day 14 (Hanksville to Natural Bridges)

(100.2mi,11.8mph,6486ft)
Got a later start than we had planned out of Hanksville, but had a good ride to Hite, on Lake Powell. It was 90 degrees when we stopped there for lunch, and we were in need of shade. We met a German cyclist there who was headed the other direction. He told us about a campsite that was 40 miles away, which sounded better than our 75 mile plan. When we were about to leave, a park ranger caught a rattlesnake from behind the Pepsi machine by the front door of the store. That's been the only live snake we've seen so far. We left Hite and made a slow climb up 3000ft to Natural Bridges National Monument and arrived at the campsite around 7:30. It was full, but a couple from Holland in an RV let us use their tent spot. Exhausted after a long day in the desert.

Day 13 (Calf Creek to Hanksville)

(98mi,11.8mph,7177ft)
Climbed up the 14% grade in the morning and up onto "The Hog's Back," a section with drop offs on each side without any guard rails. We arrived in Boulder, UT, and grabbed brunch before our big climb for the day. We would climb from 6000ft to 9600ft in about 15 miles. Thankfully this was much more gradual than our other big climbs in Utah. About 2 hours later we made it to the top and started making our way toward Torrey for groceries. On the way there, Aidan's front rack broke, but was still functional. In Torrey, we picked up food for dinner and a hose clamp for Aidan's rack. We decided to ride 45 more miles to Hanksville for the night, and found a campground with showers there. We went 3 nights without showers before tonight, so they were a welcome sight. Planning on 125 miles tomorrow. 50 miles, then 75 miles, each without any services in between. The elevation profile looks gradual though, so it shouldn't be too bad. We should be in Colorado the day after tomorrow. Well, I'm up too late again. Early morning tomorrow.

Day 12 (Bryce Canyon to Calf Creek)

(67.5mi,13.6mph,5450ft)
Didn't quite make the sunrise, but we went on a hike in the morning down into the canyon. Bryce Canyon has to be one of the coolest places I've ever been; it was great to be able to relax and take the morning off. We cooked burgers for lunch, then started toward Escalante. We made the climb without any problems and descended into Escalante around 6:30. Cereal sounded good, so we bought some and ate outside the gas station before biking the last 15 miles to our campground. We climbed a little, then rode through a bright red canyon with a river at the bottom. We paid $7 to camp in our most scenic campsite yet, probably the best site of the trip. We can see the climb out of the canyon from the campground, and it looks tough. Hopefully we wake up feeling rested.

Day 11 (Panguitch Lake to Bryce Canyon)

(43mi,13mph,2865ft)
I woke up less sore than I expected to be, I guess our bodies are getting used to the abuse. We took our time cooking breakfast and packing up, knowing that we were only going to Bryce Canyon. We had lunch in Panguitch after a quick 20 mile descent, then got on hwy 89 for a few miles into a strong headwind. After turning onto hwy 12, we rode through Red Canyon and stopped at the visitor center for information on where to camp close to Bryce Canyon. 3 miles from the national park and campground, Aidan had a flat tire and broke a spoke. He swapped the tube and spoke, and we arrived at the north campground soon after. We took a quick walk to the rim trail before dinner (ramen and chips) and planned out our hike for tomorrow morning. The plan is to be at sunrise point at sunrise. We'll see if that actually happens.

Day 10 (Cedar City to Panguitch Lake)

(54.8mi,9.3mph,6746ft)
Slept in until the bike shop opened and then picked up Katie's clips. Then we set off on a detour because highway 14 is closed for construction. Once we got to Parowan (6000ft), we started a 12 mile climb. The first 6 miles were fairly easy, we climbed around 1200ft, which was about the grade of the climbs in Nevada. After that, it became much more steep. The sign at the beginning of the climb said 13%, and I think we had that grade for at least 3 miles. Around 9500ft, we reached Brian Head. We split a tub of ice cream between the three of us and rested our legs before the last 1000ft. We finally reached the summit about 4 hours after we started and were immediately rewarded with a view of Cedar Breaks National Monument. This was our steepest and toughest climb yet, but after looking at the maps, it may be the worst of the trip. We descended around 2000ft to Panguitch Lake and found a general store and campsite. After roasting hot dogs, we tried to sleep as we listened to a pack of cub scouts yell and run around.

Day 9 (Baker, NV to Cedar City, UT)

(138mi,13.2mph,7233ft)
Got on the road around 7:30 and entered Utah 6 miles later. 40 miles in, we reached Wah Wah Summit, our toughest climb of the day. But we made it to Milford at 3:30 and decided to push to Cedar City for the night. 55 miles later, we arrived in Cedar City with pretty good sunburns. Through warmshowers.com, Aidan was able to find us a place to stay for the night. We'll be stopping by a bike shop in the morning to get Katie some replacement clips, then continue on. Solid day.

Elevation data

I realized after the first few days, posting the starting and ending elevation didn't tell much, so here is the total ascent for each day. That's what I'll be including from now on.
Day 2: 5863ft
Day 3: 9864ft
Day 4: 4182ft
Day 5: 4535ft
Day 6: 6022ft
Day 7: 8796ft

Day 8 (Ely to Baker)

(63.5mi,12.4mph,3226ft)
Slept in and made oatmeal for breakfast. Around 40 degrees when we woke up. There are no services for 63 miles from Ely to Baker, and no services for 84 miles from Baker to Milford, UT. We decided to make it an easier day and just do 63 miles instead of 147. We stayed for lunch in Ely and then got started on our shorter route with two summits. The climbs were steeper than most of what we've been through in NV. It stayed in the 60's all day, which was nice on climbs, but cool on descents. At 5:30 we arrived in Baker and had pizza at a local restaurant. We met another cyclist who is doing our same route in the other direction, 45 days in. He said he battled headwinds in KS and CO that made for 70 mile days at 8 mph. Hopefully we can avoid some of those by going west to east. Going to sleep early for a full day tomorrow.

Day 7 (Austin to Ely)

(144mi,13.4mph,7200-6400)
It was 34 degrees when we woke up, with a light dusting of snow. We hurried to get everything together so we could warm up on the bikes. Unfortunately, we had a 1200ft descent right away. After the descent, we struggled to get warm because of the wind. This was the case all day. With temperatures in the 50's and 15mph winds, we switched layers depending on whether we were climbing or descending. Eastern Nevada turned out to be a little more scenic than western Nevada; we encountered pine trees and canyons. When we reached Eureka, we decided to continue on to Ely; a 78 mile stretch with no services. We made it to Ely around 7 and found a campsite. Record lows tonight, 26 degrees. We probably won't be up early to ride through that.

Day 6 (Cold Springs to Austin)

(55mi,12mph,5600-7200)
Started just after dawn at Cold Springs, and enjoyed a break from the heat. We had an easy ride to Austin, NV, but the climbs into town and out of town were more difficult. We ate brunch in Austin and left around 11:30, but encountered 20-30mph crosswinds as we left town. We stopped at a small campground at Bob Scott Summit early in the afternoon to avoid the wind. We had beef jerky, granola bars, and oreos for dinner. It was windy all afternoon and into the night, and it cooled down quickly. Going to sleep early for an early morning.

Day 5 (Fallon to Cold Springs)

(62mi,14mph,4900-5600ft)

Got a late start in Fallon. Rode through the desert all day. Any climbs were gradual, but long. Made it to Middlegate at 2. Sage's mom met us there with lunch. Decided to stop at Cold Springs for the night instead of pushing to Austin. Relaxed in the shade and showered before dinner. Going to sleep early to get started before the heat tomorrow.

Day 4 (Kirkwood to Fallon)

(115mi,16mph,7800-4900ft)
Made it up to Carson pass in good time and had a long downhill. Rode through some foothills and into genoa. Stopped in Carson City for In-N-Out and Walmart. Bought strawberries and nectarines. The ride from Carson city to Fallon was great. Downhill for the most part, with a tailwind. We went 65 miles in 3 hours. Stopped at Walmart for dinner and stayed at the fairgrounds. Long day, but we made up some miles by getting to Fallon.

Day 3 (Fairplay to Kirkwood)

(50mi,7.5mph,2500-7800ft)
Started out climbing and felt much better than yesterday on bucks bar road. Made it up 2500ft in 2:30 to cooks station (5000ft) for a big brunch. Continued climbing up to 7950ft before going down to 7300ft at silver lake. Stopped at the convenience store for some eggs and a pear. Packed up and climbed 3 miles up to kirkwood (7800ft) before a 2 mile descent. Ate burgers at the kirkwood inn and found a place to camp down the road. Sore, but not too bad.

Day 2 (Sacramento to Fairplay)

(62 mi,10.5mph,250-2500ft)
Woke up at 7, on the trail by 8. Katie's rack was broken sometime during day 1, so we stopped in Folsom for breakfast and a new rack. I upgraded my gloves. First 20 miles to Folsom were easy, then we started climbing. We took a wrong turn and ended up in diamond springs instead of Placerville, and went up bucks bar road to Somerset. The last 2 miles on bucks bar road were very steep. I am not sure about how the rest of the trip will go with my double crank (46/38). We stopped in Somerset for some hot dogs and met murph and ginger who invited us to stay on their property just beyond Fairplay, CA. Probably climbed 3500ft in total elevation. Very tired.