Weekly Newsletter: May 12th-18th, 2025

What a busy week! Lindsey got her hair colored 👱‍♀️ and she checked out a couple of local coffee/breakfast spots. ☕ Keith went on a solo, overnight bikepacking test ride in the middle of a storm! 🌧️ 🚵‍♂️

Check out our new posts and videos 🆕 🎥 📝

Part 9: Exploring Santiago de Compostela: What to See and Do

Keith and Lindsey spent time in Santiago de Compostela after completing the Camino! They did a tour of the cathedral, attended mass, and ate paella.

Keith and LindseyLindsey Huster

Lindsey got her hair colored 👱‍♀️🎨

Lindsey enjoys getting her hair colored blonde a few times a year. This week, she went to Aspen Salon in Provo, UT for the coloring. Lindsey was very happy with the results and Keith thinks her hair looks great! Lindsey said the stylist did a great job and she was pleasantly surprised that her hair was actually smooth afterwards. Sometimes, her hair ends up in lots of knots due to the harsh chemicals being used in the coloring process.

Date night at Changs 🍜🥢

For date night this week, we checked out Changs Chinese Food in Lehi, UT. This restaurant claims to be a fusion of Venezuelan and Chinese food. The restaurant is small and sort of no-frills but the food was delicious. I wouldn't say that it was anything special but it was solid Chinese takeout food.

Lindsey ordered the Changs Food Fried Rice and Keith ordered the Changs Food Chop Suey. Both meals came with a mix of proteins. Keith's entree also included a mix of cabbage, peppers and other veggies. Lindsey's entree was a massive amount of delicious fried rice. We also shared an order of potstickers as an appetizer.

Blogging at Grinders Coffee House ☕ ☺️

Keith planned an overnight bikepacking trip this weekend (more about that later) so Lindsey decided to make the most of her alone time. On Saturday, she headed to Grinders Coffee House in Orem, UT. We have driven past this little coffee house numerous times but neither of us have ever stopped in.

Lindsey was pleasantly surprised by how nice the place was. Grinders has a very comfortable and relaxing setup. She was able to enjoy her coffee and croissant breakfast sandwich as she worked on the last blog post in the Camino de Santiago series.

Reading at The Bagel Den 📖 🥯

On Sunday, Lindsey headed to The Bagel Den in Provo, UT for a relaxing session of coffee, breakfast, and reading. Lindsey enjoys a good book almost as much as she enjoys a good cup of coffee so this was a match made in heaven for her.

Keith's solo overnight ride 🚵‍♂️ ⛺

Keith knows that conditions can be both mentally and physically tough on the Tour Divide. Specifically, bad weather can pose serious challenges to forward progress, comfort, and overall health and safety. Most of Keith's training rides have been completed in Utah's relative mild weather. With some severe storms coming in this weekend, Keith knew this would be the perfect opportunity to test both his gear and his grit in some of the worst conditions that he could find.

Day 1: The headwind challenge 🌬️ 😅

Keith planned to ride from our home in Orem, UT to the Simpson Springs Campground on the Original Pony Express Route. Keith rode this route last year, in beautiful weather conditions, in preparation for the 2024 Tour Divide. This time was a significantly different experience.

Keith faced a challenging headwind, sometimes upwards of 30+mph (48+kmh) for most of the ride out through the Utah's west desert. Keith was also plagued with route finding issues as his planned route had been blocked off by a now "private" gun club. This meant that Keith had to navigate a different mountain pass, with unknown difficulty and steepness, than he had planned to ride.

The mountain pass that Keith selected was a serious challenge. Most of the pass was rideable and/or an easy hike-a-bike through loose sand. However, the final 200 yards of the pass was a nearly vertical wall. The "road" was so steep that Keith couldn't physically push his loaded bike up one section, it was dragging him back down the mountain. Keith had to unload most of the heavy bikepacking bags in order to push/carry his bike to the top. Keith then had to slide back down retrieve the bags that he had left behind. This was by far the steepest hike-a-bike he has ever encountered.

From then on, the wind became more and more of a challenge. Keith was trying to make it to the Silver Sage Emporium in Vernon, UT before it closed. This was his planned water resupply stop as there are very few other options for water out that way. The headwinds were so strong that it took Keith over 3 hours to travel less than 15 miles, and most of that was on flat ground or downhill! Thankfully, Keith made it in time to resupply water and also enjoy one of their famous burgers and fries. 🍔 🍟

At this point, Keith knew that there was no way he would make it over the next mountain pass in time to set up camp before the next major storm rolled in. So, he decided to backtrack back out into the desert to set up camp for the night so that he would be much closer to home in case the storms were worse than expected. This turned out to be a very smart move! 🧠

Day 2: Nonstop rain and peanut butter mud 🌧️ 😩

Keith slept surprisingly well considered it was very windy and raining most of the night. Keith slept from about 10:00 PM until 5:30 AM. At this point, the rain began to slow so Keith knew that he needed to act quickly to pack up and get moving.

Keith donned all of his rain gear and had his camping kit loaded back onto his bike in less than 30 minutes. Not too bad for the first time using his new tent and sleeping pad. Keith then pedaled back towards the mountain pass to make his way home. By this point, the desert sand was turning to what is known as "peanut butter mud" which effectively sticks to everything that it touches. It is also extremely slippery to walk through.

Keith was very concerned that he would not be able to safely descend the mountain pass that he had taken yesterday so he selected an alternate route about a mile further north. This pass was listed as an "Old Jeep Road" on Google maps so Keith assumed it would be a decent, walkable pass. Unfortunately, this mountain pass came with its own set of challenges including numerous 12-18 inch (30-46 centimeter) stair step obstacles that required Keith to lift his bike over. This combined with the overall steepness really pushed Keith's upper body strength limits.

Eventually, Keith made it to the top of the pass and assessed his options for getting down the other side. Thankfully, the descent was manageable albeit very slippery. Keith was even able to ride the lower section of the pass as it headed back out into the desert. From then on, it was a peanut butter mud fest for next 5 miles (8 kilometers) or so. The roads were completed unrideable due to the mud so Keith resorted to hike-a-bike. The mud was so thick and sticky that the rear tire would lock up and start sliding through the mud. Keith quickly lost track of how many times he had to clear the mud off his bike to keep it rolling. 😮‍💨

The route that Keith selected eventually led him back to the "private" gun range that Keith had ran into the day before. This time though, he was on the opposite side of an electric fence blocking access to the road that he desperately needed access to. Keith pushed his bike through the mud for another mile or so before eventually deciding that an drastic measures were necessary. Keith found a low-spot on the fence, unpacked all of his bikepacking gear, and carefully lifted his bike up and over the electric fence. 😅 Keith then had to walk to a different section to find a spot high enough for him to roll under. What a mess!

From here on, Keith just had to make his way back to the city via a seemingly endless gravel road. Thankfully, everything was rideable from this point on. Keith eventually stopped at a gas station to eat some hot food and drink some hot coffee. It had been a cold, rainy, miserable day and this was the perfect opportunity to give his body and spirit a break. Keith then headed back out into the rain to make his way home.

Lessons Learned 🗒️ 🤔

This trip was exactly what Keith was looking for, as crazy as that sounds! 🤪 Keith needed to endure a challenge such as this to find any potential issues with his gear, any areas of improvement for his packing strategy, and his own personal physical and mental limits. Keith made several notes that he needs to remember when it comes time to ride the 2025 Tour Divide.

• If it is raining hard all day and night, plan to get a hotel room if possible. It will save so much time if you don't need to dry out a bunch of wet camping gear.
• Some of the bikepacking bags allowed a small amount of water through. Anything that absolutely needs to stay dry should be kept inside a separate dry bag within the bikepacking bags.
• Peanut butter mud is no joke! Plan accordingly if heading out into the desert during a rain storm.
• The cold and rain didn't bother Keith as much as he thought it would. His rain gear did an excellent job of keeping him warm and dry.
• Don't assume that you will be able to use your phone if it is raining heavily. The moisture will eventually make it very difficult to use the touchscreen.
• Take advantage of tailwinds! Ride for as long and as far as you can when the wind is at your back. You never know when a strong headwind will bring you to a near standstill.
• If you have an opportunity to eat hot food, take it! A real meal is always more fulfilling and comforting than the pre-packaged food that Keith carries on his bike.

Upcoming posts and videos 👷‍ 👷‍♀️️

Lindsey is wrapping up her work on the post series from our three-week adventure along the Camino De Santiago, Portuguese Route! Be sure to check those posts out. We also have several prior trips that we haven't yet shared, so be sure to subscribe to our blog if you haven't done so already.

We hope that you are enjoying our newsletters. Spring is officially here, and summer is just around the corner! Do you have any summer vacation plans coming up? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬