Gravel Climbs, Family Reunions, and One Final National Park Detour

What an incredible week of contrasts to wrap up our epic four-week, nearly 8,000-mile road trip! We kicked off the week tackling rugged gravel climbs in Park City before trading the high altitudes of the Rockies for the rolling highways of the Midwest. Transitioning from crisp mountain air to 105° humid Kansas heat was a sharp reminder of just how much ground we were covering, but every single mile delivered its own reward.

As the journey shifted toward home, the focus turned to treasured traditions, favorite routines, and spontaneous detours. Between early-morning workouts, a wonderful reunion with family in Illinois, and a surprise bonus stop at our eighth national park (this trip), this week was the ultimate mix of fitness, nostalgia, and open-road adventure.

 

Overview of the Week

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Road trip: Day 22: Park City, Utah

Cycling: 30.22 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 11.1 MPH
• Surface: paved and gravel
• Elevation gain: 1,457 feet
• Start time: 8:31 AM
• Location: Park City, Utah
• Weather: 71° and partly cloudy with low humidity, climbing to 80°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Walking: 3.06 mile
• Average pace: 16:19 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 89 feet
• Start time: 1:54 AM
• Location: Park City, Utah
• Weather: 80° and cloudy with low humidity, climbing to 83°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Rolling Stones Post-Ride Stretch with Leanne Hainsby-Alldis

Our local Salt Lake City friends planned the most amazing ride, incorporating plenty of gravel and climbing into the route. After starting on busier paved trails, we eventually made our way farther out of town into the countryside. We stuck first to a delightful smooth gravel road before moving on to the rugged gravel jeep trails, passing plenty of mountain bike spur trails along the way—though mountain biking is definitely way above my skill level!

Our group had a fun mix of gear: one friend was on his mountain bike, another on her road bike, and my husband and I were on our gravel bikes. Once our road bike friend got us settled onto the gravel trails, she took the direct route home. By the time we finished, my husband and I declared it the absolute best ride of the trip!

After refueling with smoothies at our friends’ house, we returned to our Airbnb, and I immediately headed out for a walk to score a cardio twofer for the day. Despite the day’s heavy cardio load, Garmin even rewarded the extra effort with a Productive training status!

After my walk, it was rush, rush, rush to shower and get ready for an early dinner with our friends at a rustic farm-to-table gem of a restaurant—and the meal was beyond amazing! If you ever find yourself in Heber City, Utah, we highly recommend checking it out!

 

Monday

Road trip: Day 23: Park City, Utah

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 4.10 miles
• Average pace: 16:30 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 99 feet
• Start time: 9:50 AM
• Location: Park City, Utah
• Weather: 74° and sunny with low humidity, climbing to 81°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Core: Peloton: 5-Minute Barre: Core with Ally Love

My husband was all in for repeating our ride from Sunday, but this time leaving directly from our Airbnb—which added another 12 miles to his route. I opted to stay local instead, starting with a strength workout in the basement followed by a walk. It was a delightfully chill day, even with squeezing in a couple of loads of laundry to prep for our upcoming departure and getting back on the road after a week in Utah.

 

Tuesday

Road trip: Day 24: Drive from Park City, Utah to Grand Lake, Colorado

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch with Joslyn Thompson Rule

We were back on the road after a wonderful week of staying put in just two spots! We took our time traveling, making several great stops along the way, including the town of Vernal (Utah’s Dinosaur Land) and Dinosaur National Monument.

When we reached Grand Lake, Colorado, we immediately stopped for dinner at an outdoor table along the quaint main street, soaking in the view of the Rocky Mountains. By the time we arrived at our rustic lodge overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park—exhausted but happy—it was nearly 8 PM.

 

Wednesday

Road trip: Day 25: Drive from Grand Lake, Colorado to Salina, Kansas

Strength: Peloton 10-Minute Pilates: Lower Body with Emma Lovewell

There was no getting up early to hit the gym, as we learned upon check-in the night before that there wasn’t one—despite what Expedia claimed! I still woke up early, though, and opted for a quick lower-body Pilates session instead. It was also a rude awakening weather-wise: we started the morning at a chilly 47° in Grand Lake and ended up sweltering in 105° heat soon after we reached Kansas!

Unfortunately, the altitude started catching up with me. I had noticed some shortness of breath the night before when we arrived in Grand Lake (sitting at 8,428 feet, compared to our Park City Airbnb’s 7,168 feet). By morning it was worse, so after a heart-to-heart discussion with Dr. Google about driving up to 12,000 feet, we decided to visit the park but skip any strenuous hiking. As we climbed higher, my breathing became a little more difficult and I felt a touch of nausea, though it never felt dangerous. I drank water like a boss to stay hydrated and flush out the altitude effects, and as soon as we started our descent, I felt better and better with every mile down.

It was another long day of driving, and we were both exhausted by the time we checked into our hotel in Kansas. I had been 100% committed to lifting weights once we arrived, but with our 9 PM arrival, it was simply too late to hit the gym and getting some sleep won out.

 

Thursday

Road trip: Day 26: Drive from Salina, Kansas through Missouri to Millstadt, Illinois

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Cycling: 2.25 miles
• Bike: Peloton
• Average speed: 12.8 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 5:56 AM
• Location: Salina, Kansas
• Weather: 77° in the hotel gym, 87° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts and tank top

Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 15:33 minute/mile
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:07 AM
• Location: Salina, Kansas
• Weather: 77° in the hotel gym, 87° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts and tank top

Determined to make up for the previous day’s missed strength workout, I set my alarm and hit the hotel gym before 4:30 AM. Call me dedicated, stubborn, or a little of both, but I feel strength training is far too important to skip. After lifting, I hopped on the Peloton bike—just because it was there—and was pleasantly surprised to learn that quick spin was officially my 50th Peloton ride! To round out the morning, I walked two miles on the treadmill, knowing I’d be spending a lot of time sitting in the car as we made our way to visit family in the St. Louis suburbs.

By the way, this turned out to be the best hotel gym of our entire trip! It was super well-appointed with a wide variety of equipment, even if it was a bit warm at 77° (despite the thermostat being set to 72° – which IMHO should have been set to 68° or lower).

Once we arrived in Millstadt, it was non-stop, wonderful quality time with my aunt and cousins. Stopping to see them has been a cherished tradition on our cross-country trips all the way back since 1981, building over four decades of incredible road trip memories! After days filled with early alarms, long highway stretches, and changing time zones, there’s truly nothing better than slowing down to laugh, catch up, and recharge with family.

 

Friday

Road trip: Day 27: Millstadt, Illinois

Walking: 3.25 miles
• Average pace: 19:49 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 191 feet
• Start time: 11:28 AM
• Location: National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, Illinois
• Weather: 87°, partly cloudy, and humid, climbing to 92°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Full Body Stretch with Logan Aldridge

Most of the day was spent enjoying quality time with family, but my husband and I made sure to get outside for a slow, reflective walk through the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows and its 200 beautifully landscaped acres. We definitely had to brave the heat and humidity—it’s amazing how quickly we had lost our humidity tolerance after spending time in the dry air out west!

 

Saturday

Road trip: Day 28: Drive from Millstadt, Illinois through Indiana and Kentucky to Huntington, West Virginia

Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

With a goal of hitting seven national parks on our four-week trip, we managed to squeeze in a bonus park right at the finish line! Looking at our route home, we realized Mammoth Cave National Park was just a 91-mile detour. When driving nearly 7,000 miles, what’s an extra 91? One epic road trip – eight national parks – done and dusted!

We chose the shorter self-guided tour, which turned out to be a great pick. We ended up having a long, fascinating conversation with a park ranger at the turnaround point, learning all about this incredible 426-mile system—the longest known cave system in the world!

 

Garmin Badges Earned

Three Garmin badges made their way to me this week…

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • What is the biggest temperature swing you’ve ever experienced in a single day? ~ Unless there’s been a greater difference when we’ve flown somewhere (Virginia to Miami in the winter, maybe?), our 47° upon wake up in Grand Lake, CO followed by 105° while driving through Kansas that same afternoon is probably our greatest temperature change in a single day.
  • • Do you have any long-standing travel traditions with family or friends? ~ my favorite is stopping in to see my aunt and cousins in the St. Louis area whenever we drive across the country
  • • How was your week in fitness? ~ great

 

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!

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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!

 

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