Day one is mostly paved uphill riding with the exception of a nine mile stretch on dirt trail along side of the the reservoir. There is a paved bike trail along side of the Provo river that has an amazing beauty with it's fall colors and the sound of the moving water of the river. The dirt trail starts near the Dam and follows the Heber Creeper on the north side of the reservoir. This trail prohibits all motorized vehicles and the closest road for automobiles is on the other side of the reservoir. This gives this trail an amazing natural silence resembling an earlier America before the invention of the automobile. Perfect for a mountain bike or any bike without a skinny tire.
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The most dangerous part of the trip is the section of hwy 40 heading up Daniel's Canyon. The cars travel that road at high speeds. There are many blind curves and no room for a bicycles in some sections. The sides of the highway are littered with bones and road kill. Apparently there is no room for wild animals either. Not biker friendly!
The rain began to pick up as I road further and further up to Daniel's summit. It was more than likely a hidden blessing because I was forced to put on my rain poncho which is bright yellow and hopefully easy for traffic to see even in the rain.
Joyfully reaching Daniel's summit after relentless rain and non ending uphill I stopped at the general store for a coke and a smile. The store manager was there and I asked him for a good map of the trails near Strawberry reservoir. He had the best map I had ever seen. Even better than the one I forgot in my rush to get out the door. I asked him if I could purchase his map and he just gave it to me. Yeehah! That map proved to be very valuable because nothing is marked very well in the Unitas.
Passing the 8200 ft summit the rain and wind became too much to handle. My body shivering violently and uncontrollably I decided to pull over and set up a tent. I put an extra tarp over my tent to prevent any leaking problems then crawled into my sleeping bag and was toasty in no time at all.
What a day! I slept well with the pitter patter of rain drops hitting my tent with an occasional wake up from the sound of distant thunder.
Day 2
Although lacking in distance the rain made this day one of the most difficult days of the trip. Much of the dirt trails in this section were made of clay. The clay was so saturated with rain that in many places is was like riding on a slip-n-slide. This made some of the hills near impossible to climb and nothing short of a prayer and some miracles got me through this section. This would have been much more fun if it was not saturated with moisture. Covered with mud and feeling weary from my beating my achy bones and I reached the final destination of the day as the sun dropped below the mountain. The smell of the sulfurous steam spewing from the stream I had been following was more a sense of relief than an unpleasant odor. What a beautiful sight to see as I entered the hot springs area from the east. The western approach is much more common for day hikers. With the overabundance of precipitation acting as a repellent to the fair weather outdoors-man the experience became a secluded paradise preserving the silence of nature. There wasn't a soul to be found, making the hot springs a delightful sanctuary of peacefulness.
Day 3
No rain that evening. Yeehah! I awoke early the next day and put everything out to dry wile I cleaned and repaired my bicycle and even had some time to soak my bones in the hot springs. Without a soul in site it was quite a relaxing event before heading down the rest of the mountain terrain into Spanish Fork. Just pass the wind farm there is a quaint little burger joint called "The Little Acorn" Where I enjoyed some deliciously warm food and a friendly smile before entering Spanish Fork.
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