roadkill – One Wheel Man

Alright. Time to keep going! I’ve learned in order to recover appropriately and quickly, you need some proper sleep. We were staying a ways away from where I ended yesterday in Malad City, Idaho, that I got a little bit of a later start, but not too much. 7:50am and super cold at 55°F.

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I thought it’d warm up fast…but it was no more than 65°F the whole day. And windy too. Bugs kept hitting me (face, legs, jersey, etc) like roadkill. Dragonflies, flies, beetles, butterflies, you name it. But I have to admit that the ride, though hilly, was very pretty. Great scenery.

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Sadly, Uni started giving out again and made it difficult to ride. Luckily I made it to Pocatello, Idaho by 3:45pm after 52 miles. We stayed nearby at a good friend’s house. They were so awesome (just like all the others we’ve stayed with thus far) and gave great hospitality. You rock Halls!

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We tried to put our new frame on…but soon came to realize it was the wrong size. Dang it! The frame was too wide to fit onto the wheel bearings, and also the seat post has a bigger diameter on the new frame. Things weren’t looking so good. We might have to overnight ship a new unicycle altogether. But we’re going to keep going!

Day 4 Stats:

Started at 7:50am in Malad City, ID

Ended at 3:35pm in Pocatello, ID

6.25 hours of riding

52 miles

Random Fact:

The One Wheel Man started riding a 20-inch unicycle at the age of 15. He wanted to be a clown since he’d been doing so well at pantomiming.

Days after rain are very pretty, right? I started the day off in West Valley City, UT at about 7:30am. I wanted to get a head start before my new frame arrived. I wanted to go as far as I could. Somehow, it never gave me any problems! Talk about miracles! I just kept going and going.

Day 2 rack

I drank so much water, I had to find restrooms three times in the first hour! Then my Gatorade spilled all over my bag…guess I’ll need to use a different bottle for that.

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In most of the cities, it was nice to use a trail. However, once I got north of Ogden, I had to share the road. There wasn’t much of a shoulder, so it could be pretty scary at times! I’m pretty sure I saw every type of roadkill…deer, skunk, falcon, pigeon, etc. Boy, do they stink! Makes me pedal faster for sure!

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A lot of people passed me, in cars and on bikes. I got lots of thumbs up and waves. Some people would pass me, pull over, and take pictures or videos as I passed them! Hope they tag #theonewheelman! I also passed a summer camp with tons of kids. They were all waving excitedly. That’s one good way to encourage and motivate. I’ve got a good crowd of cheerleaders!

It was such a beautiful day! Cloudy with a mild breeze, but all below 80°F. So nice! I thought my frame would give out, but it never did. The frame did arrive about 3 hours in, but I haven’t changed it yet.

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I finally made it to Brigham City, UT at 3:45pm, stopping at the Brigham City LDS temple. That was my Personal Record of miles in one day! 63 miles, wow! I sure was tired. But so great! What a great day to be a unicyclist!

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For dinner, we ate at a buffet with my hard-of-hearing brother-in-law and his family and a deaf friend and his family. It felt so good to finally be full after practically snacking all day!

Day 2 Stats:

Started 7:30am in WVC, UT

Ended 3:45pm in Brigham City, UT

7 hours of riding

63 miles

Random Fact:

Unicycles do not have gears like a bicycle does. You can change the length of the crank shafts, but you have to use tools to carefully change them.