There are things in life that you only do once, just to see how they feel. Riding a bicycle 129 miles through the deserts of Utah in 110 degree heat is one of those things. Now that we know what that feels like, we will never do it again.
As we push West through some of the more desolate areas of the country, there are fewer and fewer places we can get food and water. It just so happens that the closest place to Blanding, Utah (where we started) is Hanksville, Utah (where we finished…129 miles away). We did our best to plan ahead; we bought food and water the night before and started the ride at 7 am to allow ourselves more time to finish. Each of us started the ride carrying 3-4 meals and at least 8 liters of water. 
Unfortunately, due to the scorching heat and mountainous Utah terrain, our supplies were dwindling as we approached the 75 mile mark of the trip. To our surprise we discovered a small convenience store nestled away on the shore of Lake Powell, a popular boating destination. We sat down for a bit, filled up on several more gallons of water, changed flat tires in the sun and then hit the road for the final 55 miles. As the boiling heat beat down on us we went through a brief period of uncertainty before regaining our composure and pushing on.
Eventually the heat gave way to twilight and things were beautiful for a brief period. As the sun set on the wind-shaped rock structures and vast desert, everything was illuminated in a gorgeous reddish hue. With no cars driving along our very desolate stretch of the road we were able to enjoy it on our own. This fleeting beauty didn’t last long, however, and the sun eventually set.
For two hours or so we 
used our headlamps and bike headlights to get us to Hanksville. As we pulled into town we were thrilled to see that a gas station convenience store was still open. Starving from the triple digit ride, we mauled day-old conveyor belt hot dogs and frozen burritos before retiring for the evening.
Today we will ride a manageable 55 miles in the heat. Wish us luck! Thanks for all of the support.
– XC10 Guys
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Was milk a bad choice?