Weekly Newsletter: May 26th-31st, 2026

This week was exciting! 🙌 Lindsey is up and walking around again 🚶‍♀️, and Keith was able to check off two of his local bucket list rides. 🚵

Check out our new posts and videos 🆕 🎥 📝

2025 Tour Divide: Racing (Day 4) - Birch Creek Recreation Area, Montana 🇺🇸 to Big Fork, Montana 🇺🇸

Day 4 was a day of firsts. 🎉 After three nights of camping, I would finally sleep in a real bed, take my first shower in four full days, and scrub four days of trail grime out of my kit.

Keith and LindseyKeith Huster

Keith's mid-week training ride to Rock Creek Canyon 🚴 🪨

The weather has been beautiful, and Keith has been taking full advantage. On Tuesday, Keith headed out on a ride to the mouth of Rock Canyon. This was somewhat of a training ride, but more of a route exploration ride.

Keith typically rides into or north of Provo Canyon. Keith really hasn't explored too much of the available bike routes in and around Provo, UT. So, he used this ride to feel out a route that takes him to the mouth of Rock Canyon. From there, he can access the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, connecting Provo, UT, to Springville, UT.

Lindsey is walking again, crutch-free! 🚫 🩼

Lindsey is recovering really well from her second round of PRP injection. She is finally able to walk around, rather steadily, without the aid of a crutch! 😄 This is great news as we have an upcoming family vacation planned and she will need to be able to walk through the airport, on the beach, etc.

Lindsey will continue to re-strengthen her leg muscles to help support her knee as the LCL tear continues to heal over the next few months. We are both so relieved that she is doing so much better this time around! 😌

Keith's gnarly American Fork Canyon loop 🚵 🌧️

On Friday, Keith took full advantage of his first half-day summer Friday perk. For the last couple of years, Keith has been eyeing a massive gravel loop that ascends up and over American Fork Canyon along a steep and rough forest service road, rather than the typical paved road climb. Finally, Keith was able to ride this challenging yet rewarding route.

Keith left our home around 11:00 AM to pedal toward the mouth of American Fork Canyon. Keith then ascended the paved road, climbing up to Tibble Fork Reservoir. From there, Keith began the arduous climb up the steep, chunky, and loose gravel road that most take 4x4 vehicles up. The climb up to the intersection of Mineral Basin Road was challenging, but all rideable.

However, the remainder of the climb after Mineral Basin Road was a whole other story. The road became significantly steeper, with some sections approaching 20% gradients, and more technically challenging due to loose, off-camber sections. Keith was forced to hike-a-bike a few short sections, but he powered through most of the climb to the summit. 😅

From there, Keith enjoyed a 10+ mile (16+ kilometer) gravel descent down the town of Midway, UT. Keith made a brief stop at Milk House at Homestead Crater for lunch before heading toward Deer Creek Reservoir for his return route home. 🥪 🌯

At this point, the weather changed dramatically... Keith knew there was a chance of storms, but they were supposed to be light, if anything. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. Keith was bombarded with 30-50 mph (48-80 kph) wind gusts and driving rain for most of the return trip. Riding through a rainstorm like this made Keith feel like he was back on the Tour Divide Route. 🌧️

The route was everything that Keith had hoped for. It was incredibly beautiful, extremely challenging, and oh-so rewarding. All in all, Keith rode 82.2 miles (132.3 kilometers) with 6,109 feet (1,862 meters) of climbing in just under 9 hours total (7.5 hours moving time).

Chinese Hot Pot at home 🍜 🥓

For date night this week, we decided to make Chinese Hot Pot at home! 🍜 🇨🇳 We had purchased all of the ingredients to make hot pot quite a while ago, but never found the right time to actually make it. So, this week, Keith ordered a new Food Party Hot Pot with Grill 2 in 1 Electric Smokeless Grill and Hot Pot Combo so that we could enjoy the real hot pot experience at home.

We prepared an assortment of fresh vegetables, fish balls, squid, barbecue meats, and noodles to be cooked in the broth and on the surrounding grill. The hot pot itself worked perfectly and made for such an enjoyable experience that we ate hot pot twice in a row! If you are looking for a fun, date-night/family-night dinner option, you should really check out Chinese Hot Pot.

Keith's epic Mount Nebo Scenic Byway loop 🏔️ 🤩

Keith must have had a lot of energy to burn this weekend... On Sunday, Keith took on another epic climbing route in the Wasatch Mountains: the Mount Nebo Scenic Byway Loop. A world-class, 21-mile (33.8-kilometer) road climb with nearly 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of vertical gain! 🏔️

This loop is all paved, so it is not nearly as intense as the American Fork Canyon climb that Keith tackled on Friday. However, this loop is incredibly challenging as it starts with a nearly 5,000-foot (1,524-meter) consistent climb to the road summit! 😅 Keith had considered riding this route from our home, but eventually decided to drive to the start of the climb in Payson, UT. Keith started the route at roughly 8:00 AM.

The first two-thirds of the climb were wonderful! It was just steep enough to make Keith work, but not so steep that it wore him down. This allowed Keith to maintain his power target while still enjoying the incredible mountain scenery around him. There were a couple of punchy climbs toward the top of this section that reached in excess of 15% in spots. 🆙

The remainder of the climb consisted of several rolling sections with very steep, punchy climbs. Keith knew these sections would be tough, so he had conserved a little energy before reaching this point. Eventually, keith finally reached the road summit where he was greeted with the most incredible views of Mount Nebo! 🤩 🏔️ Keith ended up chatting with a couple from St. George, UT, for about 20 minutes before beginning the descent down the south side toward Nephi, UT.

The upper portion of the descent was beautiful and fast! 🚀 The lower portion of the descent was a different story. Keith encountered strong upslope winds for about the last 8 miles (12.9 kilometers) of the descent into town. The winds were strong enough that Keith had to pedal downhill to maintain a consistent speed. 😓

Eventually, Keith made it to the town of Nephi, UT, where he stopped at a local gas station for a quick resupply. From there, Keith followed the old highway route north back to his starting point in Payson, UT. The old highway route started with no shoulder, which made Keith a little nervous. Keith attempted to switch to a gravel route only to find that it had been blocked by a fence and a private property marker! 😔 So, he was forced to turn around and return to the old highway route. Thankfully, the route eventually obtained a shoulder, and Keith had a safe place to ride for the remainder of the route. 🙌

The route was truly a world-class, bucket-list road climb! It was incredibly beautiful, challenging, and had the most amazing scenery. All in all, Keith rode 69.6 miles (112 kilometers) with 6,099 feet (1,859 meters) of climbing in 6 hours and 45 minutes total (just under 6 hours moving time).

Upcoming posts and videos 👷‍ 👷‍♀️️

Keith is continuing to work on posts and videos covering his 2025 Tour Divide experience. Lindsey has finished writing the post series covering her "Epic Summer Road Trip from Canada through the American West" with her mom. Subscribe to our blog so that you don't miss out.

We hope that you are enjoying our newsletters. Are you excited for the upcoming Summer weather? Do you have any exciting Summer vacation plans? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬