Day 19: Hanksville to Thompson Springs, UT

An 84 mile day and it was 100 deg. this afternoon when we finished!!  We left Hanksville before sun rise at 5:30 (it was already 62 deg.) and arrived in Thompson Springs shortly after 3.  A hard day but the alternative was to ride only 55 miles into Green River and then only ride another 29 miles the next day into Thompson Springs so we could make a reasonable 75 mile ride to Fruita, CO doable.  

We had some interesting geology to admire in the morning   

Flowers blooming in the desert. 

And we had 15 or 20 miles of chip/sealing activity to contend with. Luckily the light wind blew most of the dust away from our breathing holes. 

After 42 miles on UT24 we jump on I-70 East bound to Colorado!

12 miles on the interstate took us to the Green River’s Arby’s at the Loves Truck Stop for lunch just before 11.  After some food and hydration, not to mention air conditioning, we headed east on 70.  Unfortunately Len’s rear tire picked up a tiny steel wire from a car/truck blown tire and he had to replace the tube.  

About 3 miles from my destination this man had pulled off on a side road to wait for me inso he could offer me an ice cold beverage.  I thanked him profusely but told him I was so close I just wanted to get there.   With in a minute I realized that the kinder thing to do would have been to stop for his troubles and take a drink.  Sorry and thanks dude!

At the end of the ride we stop at the 7-11 to get a little food and drink into us before going to our AirBnB.  We probably sat on that curb for 45 minutes we were so tuckered and hot.  

The charming Desert Moon AirBnB.  It’s said it used to be a bordello back in the gold rush days.   

As you can see Len is testing out his rooms bed early to make sure there are no issues with sleeping later. 

After showers we rode back to the 7-11 for “dinner”.  Sitting on the curb to eat our dinner  Len expressed his concerns about continuing the trip.  He doesn’t feel like he’s getting stronger, possibly feeling less strong.  Because of the more hard days ahead of us he’s decided to end his trip here and have his wife, Chris, come pick him up tomorrow.  It’s been an adventure Len, this last 3 weeks together and I’m glad you got to experience your dream of cross country cycling. The three states we crossed together were all challenging and probably the last two states are the hardest to get across in the whole US!

Here’s to you Len!!

Day 18: Torrey to Hanksville, UT

Easy, peasy 44 mile ride downhill to Hanksville today.  Left at 6:30 and we were eating breakfast in Hanksville at 10.  It would have been nice to push on another 55 miles to Green River for the night but it was going to get into the 90’s today and Len wasn’t confident he could make it.  

It was a gorgeous ride with great roadway through the canyon outside of Torrey and then along the Fremont River today. 

Len had some pep in his step today and led much of the way.  

Around 8:15, after a fast 32 miles, we stopped in the almost ghost town of Caineville for our first rest off of the bike and a little snack.  All quiet near the Caineville Cemetary!

Breakfast at Dukes Slick Rock Grill was excellent.  The witch at the hotel Len reserved wouldn’t talk to us about getting into our room any earlier than 3pm even though I’m pretty sure she had a room available so our waiter, Brent, let me hang out for the better part of the day at Dukes. Some people are very kind and considerate.  We’ll be back for dinner. 

I mentioned in a previous post that we’re having to veer of the Western Express route and hack our way on a northerly route.  In theory, tomorrow we would have ridden 44 miles south to Hite Marina and Camp for a night and then cruised into Blanding, another 78 miles the next day.  Unfortunately due to draught, global warming and/or just over use of the Colorado River by AZ and CA there is no more Lake Powell at the marina, and it’s closed, so no services for 122 miles if we follow the WXP. With the growing heat and lack of services it could be risky, challenging at the least.  So instead we’re heading north to Green River and we’ll ride into Colorado on a combination of Interstate 70 and old highway or access roads that still might be rideable into Fruita, CO. This route will also eliminate a possible very long reroute around portion of US50 between Montrose and Gunnison, CO on our way back home if we had stayed on the WXP. 

Original route on the left: (A) is Hite, (B) is Blanding and the stop is Delores, CO.  The route we’ll now ride on the right: is to (A) Green River, a short ride the next day into (B) Thompson Springs and then a 75 mile ride into Fruita, CO. 

I met a very nice couple from Durango in the room below ours. Candice and Pete spend a lot of time coming to Utah to hike and knew very well the towns we’ve been riding through. They met teaching elementary school in the Navajo reservation, then taught Eskimo children in Alaska.  Pete landed an Ast. Principal job in Durango and that’s where they raised their 3 kids. They even offered to let us have their room because of our bikes and our upstairs room.  So sweet and kind.  Compare that to the manager that wouldn’t let us check until 3. A little after Len checked us in I asked her why she couldn’t find a room on the ground floor to help with our bikes and she said the computer system wouldn’t let her.  Hmmmmm.  I know I’m a dog with a bone on this subject and I’ll let it go soon, but after all the nice people I’ve come across on this trip my expectations are just a little higher.  

Boulder to E. Torrey, UT

Only a 40 mile day but it wasn’t a cake walk.  Starting off right with a 14 mile climb up to 9,500’ and an unfortunate headwind on the way down, added with warming temps, I was glad the day was over around 12:30. 

The morning climb was very steady around 3% as we left around 7 with temps in the high 50’s and they barely got to low 60’s as I summitted shortly after 10.  

Mike, heading back to Grand Junction after a camping trip near Boulder, picked up Len shortly after Len left this morning.  Even with the reduced weight Len’s still having troubles.  Mark gave Len a lift to Torrey where he waited for me to finish. 

Some of the last straight road before I leave the valley and enter the switchbacks and steeper grades of the mountain range.  

I reached the summit at 10:20 and was looking forward to gliding 20 miles down to Torrey but the terrain and the wind had different thoughts.  

The flora was Alpine and reminded me of being back home in Frisco.  Bit by bit I’m getting closer to home.  

I start getting some benefit of the steep grades going down now but they inevitably were short lived, like this one, only 1.5 miles and I was met with another climb into the wind.  Kind of like a roller coaster. Kinda not as easy as I had hoped.  

Crossing the Fremont River bottom before I make the left turn back up into the wind for the 4 miles into Torrey. The road and traffic were very nice today, smooth, often with a nice shoulder, and no rumble strips.  

We’ve been very fortunate with wind on our trip but today our northern course, especially after the morning climb, has been into strong winds as you can see by the flag.  

Spacious Cabin #6 at the Rim Rock Motel and cabins. We had pizza for dinner with pieces left over for breakfast since we’re planning on leaving before breakfast is served at 7. 

We also took a mile or so walk to the Kwiky Mart for snacks for the road tomorrow and one before bed!

These goats had a strong affinity for Len. Could be they know about his goat/bike incident and how he got the nick name Goat Man.  

Good night bike.