Three time NBG Mayors' Ride relay rider, Skot Paschal, 250
miles into his ride, called me from a pay phone in Brigham
City, Utah to get me up to date on his travels. And his run
from Boise to Salt Lake City has been one fun adventure
after another that, I will offer, he earned with weeks of
research before he even left. In fact, I can't wait until he
returns with pictures and the route so we can get a lot of
people out on this relay leg next year and the year after,
etc. Thank U Skot.
He bubbled with excitement as he described how his days have
been. In bearable 90 degree heat, Skot told me there have
been few cars and the quiet has been deafening. Despite the
fact that his route has placed him in the middle of nowhere
he still has been able to locate a store or restaurant every
50 miles or so.
And through Skot's eyes, I was able to see a desert that
would be true a joy to behold. He says he regularly sees the
biggest animal of the desert, the graceful antelope. While
the day before yesterday in the City of Rocks, after being
cooled off by a hailstorm that lasted 10 minutes, he laid
his eyes on a double rainbow that filled the sky for half an
hour. It was so stunning, it moved him to tears.
And the people, just like Unicycle Patrick was telling me
last nite from the Nevada desert, have been a tremendous
boost to his faith in the genuine kindness of the human
spirit. Even Stinky Hot Springs was made fun by the people
with whom he shared it. Announced by a sign at the edge of
the road, he and several other would be bathers laughed and
joked as they cleared away the debris covered pools just so
they could sit in its tepid waters. For Skot, the soak was a
welcome treat!
And then there was the highlight of his tour to date. Late
in the afternoon, as he was pedaling out in the middle of
desolate nothingness, a chubby, cheerful man in his 60's
called out to him from the side of the road. Skot stopped
and soon Malcolm the Monk was inviting Skot to come and see
his spread which he claimed also included one of the
largest, little known wonders of the Great West. Always up
for new adventure, Skot left the main road and following the
mystery man's directions ended up at a farm filled with
livestock, including a three legged cow, and row after row
of newly planted fruit trees; a true desert oasis.
Malcolm, a Viet Nam vet living on disability led Skot to the
back of the large compound to a massive structure, a good
number of stories tall. What lay behind the doors took Skots
breath away. It was a massive Buddha made of concrete so
spectacular that monks from all over the world come to
Malcom's farm to bask in its splendor. Soon the blessings
continued as Skot was not only offered a night's stay but
Malcom even fed him a wonderful dinner.
When we spoke, Skot was located pretty close to the shores
of the Great Salt Lake and was headed next for a campsite at
Willard Bay,. He can feel civilization pressing in on him as
he gets closer to Salt Lake City. Not only have the cars
returned but so have the stop lights and he says that it
looks like it is going to be one big strip mall all the way
into Salt Lake City. And yet his adventure is far from over.
He plans to camp on an island in the middle of the immense
Salt Lake before he rejoins humanity for the rest of his
ride to Utah's biggest city.
I can't wait to hear what he discovers next. Or as Skot
said, "it's
amazing what kind of adventure can be had when U just get
off the couch!"
- Our 3-rd Annual Mayors' Ride can be found at
bikeroute.comNationalMayorsRide2004Open ↗
- Bios for Skot and all of our riders can be found at http:-
//www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Events/Mayors_Ride/bios
- You can follow our TransAm unicyclist or Don Loomis or
our East Coast riders and Rowbikers when they come on
line at nationalbicyclegreenway.comMayorsOpen ↗
_Ride/reports.php