Today we cycled from our dispersed campsite 30km after Blackfoot to the Mountain View RV Park in Arco. We had threatening clouds all day, got rained on for about 45 minutes in total, had again super strong winds, and a little bit of sun in the late afternoon. Except for riding into town, we only got, sometimes difficult, double-track.

Riding statistics: on Monday, June 3, 2024, day 34 on the route, it took 07:01h (06:03h moving time), between 06:36 and 13:38, to cover 82 km (51 miles), including 599 m (1965 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 14 km/h (9 mph), while reaching a maximum speed of 34 km/h (21 mph). During this ride the average temperature was 14 °C (57 °F) with a minimum of 11 °C (52 °F) and a maximum of 19 °C (66 °F).

Totals: So far, it took 8 days, 12 hours, 27 minutes, and 37 seconds of cycling time to cover 2923 km (1816 miles), including 31720 m (104073 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 14.6 km/h (9.1 mph).

I got awake around 4am. Normally, the winds start between 9 and 10 in the morning. This morning they started around 4. Not happy since it will mean a headwind from the very first minute. We quickly got the bikes ready and started today’s ride. There were dark clouds in every direction. First, we had to cycle to Southern Butte, a ‘stand-alone’ mountain in the middle of nowhere. It was a 30km ride, and about 5km to cycle around to the other side. We’ve already seen heavy rain showers around the Butte from a distance, and of course, there was another one when we arrived. Rain suit on, because it looked serious. And it was for about half an hour. Happy with my rain gear. Sorry, no picture of the full thing, because there were clouds around it.

From the Butte it was another 55km to the town of Arco. In between there is nothing besides a harsh landscape with low vegetation and lava-like rocks (be careful of the tires). And yes, cows. Cows are everywhere in this country. And at this time of the year they have many little ones. Cute.

In the afternoon we arrived at Arco and immediately stopped at the Mountain View RV Park. The ladies at the reception desk where very kind, and offered us a place on a nice patch of gras, close to the show building. I setup my tent, did laundry, and took a shower. After doing the ncessary chores, we cycled 2km to have an excellent dinner at Pickles Place.

Did you know that Arco is the first town that was powered by atomic power. It is also known for the ‘Number Hill’. There is a tradition that graduates paint their graduation year on the mountain.

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