Got a bit of a delayed departure from Denver by way of goofing off and taking care of some last minute stuff. But I still should have plenty of time for my loose itinerary of biking solo, unsupported, from Torrey, UT (just west of Capitol Reef Natl Park) south to Bryce Canyon, then to Zion, and back around to my rendezvous point. Should be roughly 450mi, and take 8-10 days. I'm carrying all my gear, which weighs in at around 60lbs including the panniers.
Drove out last night, met a nice couple who invited me to park my car on their property in Bicknell (just west of Torrey/Capitol Reef) and shoved off this morning into 30mph headwinds for a 3300ft climb up and over the 9,600ft summit of Boulder Mountain. 10-12% grades at points of that grueling climb. What a way to bust out of the gates.
 |
| leaving my car behind for the next 9 days |
 |
| "Pedal Faster" road tag taunting me up a 10% grade |
 |
| Boulder Mountain summit - 9600ft |
After the summit, the winds were so strong on the southern face that I still had to pedal hard while going downhill. Seems like I can't win today, but it's great to be chugging along on two wheels. The road drops 3000ft down to the town of Boulder before jamming right back up the hogback ridge separating it from the Escalante River valley. Once up top, it's a marvelous view into the Escalante Staircase and a sweet, steep ridgeline descent down to the valley floor.
 |
| descending into Escalante River valley |
I met this great Wisconsin couple a few different times along on the road today. Ken rides his Lemond road bike between campgrounds and Rilla drives ahead with all their camping gear- this year's journey takes them all the way from Fruita, CO to the Grand Canyon! Ken passed me up the Boulder Mt climb, then again up to the Escalante ridge (he'd stopped for lunch in town, lucky guy.) I found them again at the top of the ridge, where they gave me a freshly picked pear and graciously invited me to share their campsite that night. These here are some really wonderful folks.
 |
| Calf Creek Campground w/ Ken & Rilla |
No comments:
Post a Comment