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Sandi Olson is biking from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah to New York on a memorial ride for her late husband who just passed away from pancreatic cancer (Johnson Publications Photo)

Sixty-eight year old cyclist’s journey passes through Wauneta during 2,000 mile trip

The many thunderstorms in the area have not only brought in much needed moisture, but have also caused some damage to dirt roads and, for a while, caused highway 6 to be a somewhat treacherous roadway.
    After coming upon Wauneta Crossroads sopping wet and ready for a break, cyclist Sandi Olson took a pit stop last week and warmed up.
    Olson is a 68-year-old who is cycling from Salt Lake City, Utah to New York. This trip is a memorial ride for her late husband Hardin Davis, who just recently passed away from pancreatic cancer.
    Twenty-five years ago the couple biked the same route Olson is currently following. She is using the journals both she and her husband had written during their first trip for travel references.
    “I have definitely had some teary moments on this trip, but the journals are very valuable for travel information,” said Olson.
    Olson plans on staying along Route 6 the duration of her trip and is averaging 54 miles a day.
    “But I’m not locked in on that average, I want to have fun. I am also three days ahead of schedule,” said Olson.
    Olson has also been an artist for the last 25 years, and teaches classes at senior centers in Salt Lake City. She works with watercolor and oil. During this trip she plans on visiting art galleries and wants to learn about the history of all the towns she stops in.
    While eating lunch at Wauneta Crossroads, Olson was invited to spend the night at Wauneta Care & Therapy Center by administrator Lisa Kisinger. She also spent the afternoon at the library learning the history of Wauneta.
    “This journey has multiple layers. I am looking for galleries to sell my work in, it is a memorial trip for my husband and when I get to New York I will go to my 50th high school reunion,” said Olson.
    Olson plans on shipping her bike back upon arriving in New York, and will fly back home.
    “This is not a death march. If it is miserable I can just get on the amtrack and go somewhere fun. I’m trying to appreciate, more on this trip, the beauty and the spirit of the landscape,” said Olson.

 

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