Everyone has a model of a perfect vacation in their mind. What actually occurs is often very different than what you had planned. I have found that reality often exceeds your "perfect trip".
I left Pasadena at 9 p.m. on Saturday, having to be in Cedar City by 8 a.m. Sunday morning. The drive was long and I managed to grab an hour of sleep at a rest stop near the Nevada border. (I really need to leave more time to get where I'm supposed to be.) But the sunrise outside of St. George was nice and I had the joy of watching Mercury in the morning sky before the sunrise. I arrived in time to pack my gear and get my bike ready to join the ride.
I had signed up for the Bonneville Touring Club's Southern Utah Parks ride. I would spend the next week riding and hiking through Zion, Bryce and the surrounding area. It was a well run trip and I enjoyed having the time to hike in the parks.
The first day's ride to Zion was tame. I was tired and dehydrated from my all night adventure, so I was glad the distance was reasonable and the terrain flat. Before we even got out of Cedar City, Bill Boyd and I stopped for breakfast. Good thing as I hadn't eaten much during my drive and I was in need of coffee and water. As we enjoyed the pancakes and coffee, we watched the other riders heading out of town. Oh well, we have all day to get to Springdale.
Bill and I rode along the route, occasionally meeting other riders who had stopped for various reasons - flats, check out of motels, make phone calls, etc. We stopped to read the Historical Markers since this was Bill's first visit to this area and I hadn't been to Utah in nearly 20 years. At one point as we rode along, Bill just missed riding over a rather large rattlesnake that was lying on the roadway!
Our route took us along I-15 for a while. I was retracing my morning drive! It was more difficult on a bicycle but the traffic was fairly friendly and gave us room along the shoulder.
Instead of eating at a gas station convenience store, Bill and I rode to Hurricane where we stopped for lunch at Grandma's Kitchen. The food was fine and the locals seemed to hang-out there. We listened to a long discourse on a goose that climbed up the hill to reach someone's yard. The logic went something like "if a goose can find its way up then it can find its way down". All said with a slow-drawl. I admit that I had never before thought about the ability of a domestic goose to blaze trails.
After lunch we headed up the road - our longest climb of the day. It was very hot, surprisingly so. But the view when you got up was worth it. I love this part of the country and don't spend enough time there. We dropped down a gentle grade along the Virgin River. The river was running enough to canoe because of thundershowers. I'd like to return and canoe the river. Another thing to add to the long list of adventures I want to experience.
We rode parallel to the river for some distance. As I stopped to adjust my pannier I noticed that a spoke had broken on my rear wheel. The wheel seemed true, so I continued on to Springdale. Upon entering Springdale, I noticed a large group of our cyclists at a fruit stand - so Bill and I pulled in to join them.
This store sold organic fruit that was raised in the orchards adjacent to the store. They sold "Birch Beer" so I decided to give it a try. It tasted like root beer except it had a strong aftertaste. I went outside to sit down and rest and joined in a conversation with some foreign tourists about Clinton. One of the cyclists enjoyed asking other tourists their opinion of our political situation. It became a harmless joke with the group when we saw Chaz talking to people.
Finished with the soft drink and conversation, we finally headed into town. At the far end of Springdale we found the evening's campsite. Just in time as I was totally worn out! Pitch the tent and grab a soft drink. I talked with other riders for a while, trying to learn everyone's name since there were only 47 riders on this trip.
Bill and I walked across the street to a outdoor cafe for dinner. The coffee was good, the service was slow and I was attacked by large beetles after the sun went down. It was quite amusing for the other diners, but being hit by 2 inch long beetles isn't my idea of a fine dining experience. My seat was near a flood light that seemed to attract the stupid bugs. And I admit that I'm uncomfortable around hard-shelled insects. After one beetle dive-bombed the table, it crawled along the floor and tried to climb in a purse that was on the ground. Surprise!
An early night as I was quite tired. We were planning a long hike the next morning - to Angel's Landing. I had absolutely no trouble falling asleep that evening.
Breakfast was bagels, cream cheese, coffee and fruit. Enough to get us going and on the road. I talked with George from Phoenix. He said he worked for the government but didn't elaborate on his work. I met a few of the other riders I hadn't spoken with the night before.
A vanfull of us went into Zion and drove to the trail head. We started out as a group, which soon dissolved into a string. I was hiking with Chaz, a fellow I had met at the Fruit stand. He was very entertaining - a quick wit and a sharp mind. He loved to talk to foreign tourists and it became quite a joke on the trip to try and warn tourists when Chaz started talking.
The hike was quite steep in the beginning and it was hot. My legs weren't used to the work and I stopped to give them a rest and enjoy the scenery. We had all day, so there wasn't really a rush. I wanted to experience the park. The view was lovely and the climb steep.
At the top you have the choice of crossing a narrow ridge to reach the peak, or following the rim. Many people took one look at the narrow ridge and stopped. There were an amazing number of Europeans in the park. I think they outnumbered the Americans 5-1. It's nice that people from other countries are enjoying our National Parks, but I began to wonder if the real reason there were so few Americans on the trail is because most of them were viewing the park from their vehicles. It would be an interesting survey to undertake.
I returned to the parking lot fully expecting the van to be gone. But Jon was there with a few others. We loaded up and drove over to the Lodge for lunch. By now it was close to 2 p.m. and I was starved. We ate in the restaurant upstairs since the menu looked much better and the take-out place was mobbed. I had chili and an incredible piece of peanut butter pie. The pie alone could have sustained me for several days! It must have had 6000 calories in it, but it sure was good. :)
I got dropped off at the visitor's center to get some information about Kolob Canyon and look at books. I wanted to relearn the geology of the area, having studied it many years before when I was interested in geology. I picked up some pamphlets that told about flowers and animals in the park. These became very valuable as the flora and fauna didn't change much throughout southern Utah and the other parks didn't have handouts available. I carried these on all my hikes and we learned quite a few flowers, birds and trees.
I looked through the museum and bought a book about Utah's history. I know very little about the history of Utah and wanted to learn more. Bicycle trips offer the opportunity because you move slowly though the region and you can stop and read markers.
I walked back to camp, stopping to pick up some roadside trash and watching an IMAX film. The film had nice scenery but the plot was boring. (And you needed earplugs to compensate for the incredibly LOUD audio!)
I walked into camp as Bill was eating dinner so I joined some cyclists for a cup of coffee. It was a good day and I had walked quite a bit, which I would pay for in the days to come.
Up early to make certain that everyone gets through the tunnel. I was packing when I remembered that the spoke was still broken on my wheel. Oh no. But SAG Bill came to my rescue by taking my bicycle to the mechanic while I finished packing. The support on this ride was wonderful. The SAG drivers paid attention to who was lagging behind and were always ready with supplies and a smile. I appreciated their assistance and pleasant outlook. It made the ride enjoyable even when things were difficult.
Bill, George and I headed out and started the climb up to the tunnel. We had been warned that the grade was difficult but the view was inspiring and the grade fairly consistent. We talked, stopped for photos and easily reached the tunnel in time to be ferried through. On the north side of the tunnel we were unloaded from the vehicles. Detour, we decided to take a short hike. Chaz, Ralph, ?? and I spent far longer than we had planned looking at the scenery, reading the trail guide and talking to other tourists. The one mile hike took us 1.5 hours! But we sure had fun. Bill was waiting by the bicycles for us when we returned and I was surprised he'd waited so long. We had originally thought that the hike would take about 30 minutes!
The ride out of the park was very nice. The scenery changed from red to white back to red rock. Birds were crying, flowers blooming and the rock formations were captivating. Except for the odd road-hogging RV, this was a perfect place to tour by bicycle. Which would explain all the bicycle tours we met along the way - Backroads, Cycle America and some private trips were touring the same areas.
We left the park and then started the long downhill to Mt. Carmel Junction. It was a well deserved descent after the climbing we had done. Though I felt sorry for the cyclists who were climbing up the grade. Lunch was at a cafe in Mt. Carmel Junction after which Chaz and I joined two other riders to look for fossils. We climbed all over the hillside causing small avalanches but I never found anything that looked like a fossil. No problem, we'll just stop at one of the numerous rock stores along the route. (The only problem with shopping on a bicycle tour is that you have to carry whatever you buy until you reach camp. Buy small things.)
The rock store was interesting, lots of fossils for sale though most came from out of state. We looked at plaster casts of skulls (relatives, Chaz??) and dug through boxes of minerals. I bought some Moqui marbles, which seemed to be popular in the area. What are they? Well, the jury seems to be out on that. They are round ferrous objects that some people think are the effect of weathering and others think they are actually fossils. For me, they are a souvenir.
We rode on through some small towns. At a little store we stopped for drinks. Someone discovered home-made beef jerky and soon we all had our own bags of jerky. Every trip has some defining aspect and on this trip it was the search for beef jerky. I bought some teriyaki jerky and it was very good. Chaz treated us all to a popsicle (at $.25 each he could afford it) which was fun.
Just as we arrived at camp, dinner was being served. Forget changing clothes, I'll sit downwind. I was tired, hungry and not moving for some time. It would be colder tonight as we had climbed most of the day. I debated putting up my tent but after talking to the lady who ran the campground and discovering how cold it had been the night before, I decided to set it up. Brrrr.
One of our support people offered to give me a leg massage as I could barely walk thanks to all the hiking the previous day! I gratefully accepted. It made a world of difference the next day as the tight muscles were relaxed some.
It was quite chilly in the morning and we were overdressed for the climb out. So as layers were peeled off and tucked away we found excuses to stop. Someone had run over the tail of a snake and the poor little thing was still alive and on the road. I stopped to pick it up and move it. It wasn't poisonous but it was hurt and wanted to bite. I caught it behind the head and tossed it into the grass. Perhaps it wouldn't recover but at least it wouldn't be run over again. The worst thing about bicycling for me is that you see all the dead animals along the road. Little did I know that this trip would provide far more than I had ever seen.
Further along I saw a dead bat on the road. It was 4-5 inches long and I could see its teeth. Little Brown bat? Big Brown bat? I don't know. I usually give bats a wide berth only because they carry rabies. However, when I was in Australia years ago, I had the opportunity to view bats up close. Rabies was not documented in Australia and therefore when I happened upon a clump (Group? Flock?) of bats sleeping in a cave, I did spend sometime watching them. They were rather small and formed a little fuzzy brown rosette as they slept. Quite cute.
The road climbed gradually and then dropped into a long valley. At Hatch we stopped to eat at Escobar's - a mexican restaurant that had good food (for Utah). I made a quick stop at the tourist center to pick up maps and brochures which I brought to lunch to read.
A gang of cyclists were already in the dining area. I joined them, about 12 of us in all which tested the ability of the waitress and cook(s). The food was good, the conversation fragmented and the company - entertaining. While I was telling about my bout of giardia and its cure, George made a comment that stopped me. "Are you a doctor?", I asked him. "Yes" came his reply. What?!? He had said he worked for the V.A. but never mentioned what he did. I was quite surprised that he hadn't offered more information at the time we had talked about his occupation. Later he explained that he figured it would come out at some point. Still, I was surprised. Probably because I would have been proud to tell people of my occupation if I was doctor.
We ate, refilled water bottles and headed back onto the road. Soon the riders spread out, not too much but enough to keep from having a conversation. When we turned on 89 to head towards Bryce, we noticed some very dark clouds on the horizon. I had just read a long thread about being hit by lightning while riding a motorcycle and didn't see much difference at this point between a bicycle and a motorcycle. I was a bit concerned as the clouds were moving our way. I decided to stop and go hiking rather than chance being on a bicycle if it started to rain.
Red Canyon was marked on the route sheet. Several of us stopped to hike while the others decided to go on. We made the best decision (I thought) after we discovered that the riders who continued got rained on. The canyon is very beautiful and the hiking was easy and entertaining. Chaz and I looked at the plants, hiked some trails and just enjoyed the small portion of the park near the road.
Another day off the bicycles. I had stayed up late talking and looking for satellites and meant to ask someone to wake me in the morning to watch the sunrise. (I had forgotten to bring a watch with me, I was on vacation.) For some reason I happened to wake up a few minutes before the van was leaving to watch the sunrise. I grabbed some warm clothes and joined the small group. While it was warm in my tent when the breeze hit you it was cold. Jon found some gloves in his van which we gratefully borrowed. Brrr.
Back in camp for breakfast and then plan the day's hike. A large group of people decided to walk Navajo trail and we piled back into the van for a shuttle to the trail. We made arrangements to be picked up at 1:00 p.m. and headed off on our little adventure. The hike was nice, though crowded. The unfortunate part of the popularity of the parks in Utah is that they are crowded. In my opinion, there are far too many cars. I think there should be a policy of parking outside the parks and then utilizing shuttles - especially in parks like Zion and Arches where the roads are basically one in-and-out road.
Chaz and I hiked around and looked at stuff. We took a few pictures. Then we climbed back to the rim and had a little picnic. Chaz had scouted out a nice bakery on the way into Bryce and picked up some fresh bread, fruit and cheese. He shared his food with me under the pines in the picnic area. While we were eating a group of old Bentley's drove in. These cars were in beautiful shape and many of the drivers were in period costume. We looked at the cars and picked out our favorite color scheme.
A great day to start, downhill, retracing our steps. Fresh hot bread for breakfast. Another quick stop at Red Canyon (my favorite place of the tour) and then at the junction of 19 we turned into a headwind.
Bill and I stopped at Escobar's for lunch. This looks familiar. On into the wind which would stop you in your tracks if you stopped pedaling. We've all seen the signs along the road with a picture of a deer or moose or some other animal. After this ride, I shall respect those signs more. I gave up counting how many dead deer littered the shoulder of the road. You could smell some of them and you saw the bones and bloated bodies of others. There were 30 or so along this 15 mile stretch. It was horrible! All these beautiful animals splattered along the road. Just wasted, lying there rotting in the grass. The signs should be amended with the number of deer killed that year. And the cars still zipped past well over the speed limit. I didn't want to become a deer that day.
Bill and I met up with other cyclists at Long Valley Junction. I was tired from fighting the wind and was glad to have company and a chance to stop. I ate a popsicle and talked for a while before a large group of us headed off towards the evening's camp. The ride up the mountains was really nice. We were climbing into fir/aspen out of the pinyon/juniper region. It was too early for the aspen to be turning but the trees were a nice change from shrubs.
We stopped for milkshakes at Falcon's Nest. Even though it was just a mile or two to the campground, we decided to snack. It worked out fine because there wasn't much to do at camp that evening and it was cold! My wet laundry froze solid during the evening, brrr.
Everything was covered in frost when I finally poked my head out of the tent in the morning. An early riser had made a campfire and I stood by it and drank a lot of coffee to try and warm up. I packed up my damp gear and Bill and I headed out. There were several stops I wanted to make this morning - some overlooks and a visit to some Bristlecone pines.
The overlooks were great, even if I couldn't take a decent picture. Bill, George and I walked out to the Bristlecones. I didn't realize they grew anywhere besides the White Mountains. You followed a trail to an overlook that ended on a wooden platform. Incredibly, when they built the wooden platform they cut off some limbs of a bristlecone pine growing nearby! I couldn't believe it. What idiot decided to do that???? This is what happens when people blindly follow directions and forget what the goal was in the first place.
We then had a steep downhill ride. I don't like going real fast on downhills and so I would slow down and let cars pass when I saw them in my mirror. It was a fast descent through some great geology that finally brought us into Cedar City (or Senior City as I kept referring to it). Before we realized it, the trip was over and people were heading home. While it was the end of the Parks ride, it was the beginning of my next adventure...
Exploring Utah Part 2.