Utah Day 7: Zion N.P. back to Bryce Canyon- 58mi

One of my main regrets about visiting a place like Zion for only a few days and with limited equipment is not being able to get back into the more remote areas of the park. It's the broader problem with road touring while on a limited schedule... stuck to the roads. While I'm blown away by what I've seen here, it's been a jet-set of highlights within a dayhike of the roads. I'd love to invent a bike pannier that doubled as an overnight hiking backpack so I could drop the crowds of people who are often more interested in the tamed squirrels than the unreal geology surrounding them. But alas, with a schedule to keep and a few days of riding to get back to my start/finish point, it is sadly time to raise the anchor and set sail (literally, in a sense, as today will be my first with tailwind so far!)

I caught up with Ken & Rilla again for a final farewell, and lingered over an hour as new friends parted our ways. I took Ken up on his generous offer to lend me another spare tire (since I'd used my only one back on Day 2.) Better safe than sorry in these parts.

The road from the eastern entrance to the bottom of the canyon is being rebuilt, and I discovered after riding in that way that bikes are, in fact, prohibited in the construction zone. Which is alright I suppose, because while the descent was spectacular, the climb back out of the canyon could have taken almost half the day. So I thumbed it, and I waited... and waited, and waited a full hour as countless vehicles cruised by, either unable to fit my bike or unknowing/unwilling to lend a hand.

Eventually a nice fellow named Clarence stopped to ask my destination... of course I jumped at the opportunity. I only needed to hitch the 12mi to the east Zion park entrance, where the construction zone ended, but he decided to head all the way out to HW89 and then south. So, although I was bummed to miss some fun descents that I'd struggled up previously, after losing several hours to delays already it was wise to take the warp speed option. At HW89, I headed north with the winds, and Clarence headed south on his meandering journey. I tried to give him a few bucks for gas... he paused and said, "no, just wish me luck." 

 

Couldn't resist a pit stop at the ice cream parlor in the tiny town of Orderville...

Lots of open road, lots of sunshine. Making great time with the tailwind today. The red plateau in the distance where all the lines converge is the west side of the Bryce Canyon formation.

I got back to HW12 and headed uphill towards Bryce. Passing through Red Canyon campground about an hour before sunset, I chose to save the $15 site fee and instead just refilled my water and pushed onward up the canyon until dusk. I ended up sleeping on some BLM cow pasture a little off the main road, just a few miles before the Bryce turn-off. No glory here, just another cold night back up at 7800ft.