Day 6

Kodachrome - Escalante

8:42:15

45.75 miles

5.3 avg speed

1881 ft ascent 2319 ft descent

My eyes have had about all the sagebrush they can take! They are always red & stinging. To top it off, my lips & face are wind burnt & rubbing my eyes hurts my skin as well as my eyes. I guess I'll start putting drops in my eyes every few hours to see if that helps.

Anyway, I'm surprised to see that there was more climbing than downhills. Rough day!

The ride across Utah was going on so we passed about 70 riders going the other direction. Talked to one of them and someone who had just finished a supported tour of monument valley & that area.

Rob Jones & Dave & I kind of rode together for a while. I met up with them at their 1st lunch stop. As I was leaving (they had already left) my sunglasses broke. I used electrical tape to hold them together & the lens from falling out. I really need to replace them. Then my front pannier's hook came loose and caught a spoke. It almost took me down but no damage was done. I got it put back together & got on my way. My pedal was tight so I went to grab my lube & it was not tighten after I sued it on day 1. Luckily, it was inside a Ziploc bag. The hills & headwind were really doing me in.

While I was resting on a guard rail, 2 fully loaded tourers came pedalling by. They are going from San Fransisco, CA to St. Simmons Island, GA. Later on, at a scenic overlook, I met the third guy in their group. I told them where we were staying since they were planning on stopping in Escalante too. He left before I did.

Down the hill was a Pueblo granary where they stored grains and seeds. Then a tailwind came. I was the only from my group to get a tailwind today.

I passed the campground to head into town and buy some dinner. A calzone & might mango juice. Last into camp as usual.

Took a shower and washed my clothes in under 8 minutes. The fatest shower I have ever taken in my life. Set up my tent. Walked around the petrified forest cove (couldn't manage the real hike) and watched the sun set.

Rob Jones let me use his moisturizer on my stinging face.

My eyes are killing me so I must shut them now. 9:00 PM. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow.

Desert autumn colors

Looks like molten lava started to dry up and shrivel before it was covered with silt and ash and became rock.

First sighing of other tourists (small one at the bottom of the hill as well)

Granary

Petrified log

Day 5

Bryce - Kodachrome Basin State Park
4:25:23
25.52 miles
5.8 avg. speed
611 ft ascent 2266 ft descent

Since it was a short day, we were all lazy about getting going. It was a very cold morning & we had a pretty big descent to go down so no one was in a rush. Chill wind would have been too severe. But as it turned out, I didn't go downhill that quickly. There was too much wonderful sceery to look at so I stopped a lot. Stopped to do a short hike to Mossy Cave & Falls. There were some hoodoos too, but not nearly as many as in Bryce.

I caught up to Dave & Rob Jones in Tropic. They had just finished their second breakfast while I was only there for water and a restroom. I did end up buying some snacks in the store though. When I got out to my bike, Cheryl was sitting there eating a Subway sandwich.. All 4 of us took off together but I soon spotted a pioneer museum and broke from the pack. Turned out it wasn't open.

It was a very nice ride. I took my time being a tourist. I found a sandal on the side of the road and thought it was Randy's so I strapped it to the bike. I took it all the way to camp but it wasn't his after all. Oh well.

Got to the turnoff for Kodachrome. The Escalante Staircase National Monument visitors' center was there. I went in but it really isn't much to look at. I took a back road and found the city hall building. It had 3 apple trees. They were dropping apples so I grabbed some for the group and threw them in my handlebar bag.

I came across Rob & Dave who wasfixing a flat. They still got to camp before me though.

I went for the nature walk, then did the Grand Parade hike as well. Dinner was another group thing. We all had to carry two items in for it. I carried a box of no bake cheesecake and a can of mixed veggies. Dinner was reay by the time I got back. Some kind of soup. It was good. Dessert was a vanilla cheesecake and a chocolate one. We ate very well tonight!

Had a shower, washed my dishes & clothes. Then it was time to head to the star show. Wegot to look at a ring nebula, Jupiter & 3 of its moons, M-82 - the cigar galaxy, and a star cluster in Hercules. The night was getting pretty chilly at that point so I left.

It's 10 now. I'm exhausted. Good nigh!


Only antelope sighting

Mossy Cave

Mossy Cave Falls

Rob Jones

Dave

Day 4

Bryce Canyon rest day
5 mile hike

Slept till 7 but went back to the sleeping bag for an hour. It was COLD! Finally got ouf bed dressed in thermals, tights, fleece jacket & hat and still chilled. But I cooked oatmeal with brown sugar, powdered milk, raisins & peanut butter & 2 cups of mint hot chocolate besides. Warmed me up enough to change into capris & t-shirt with the jacket over that.

After breakfast was cleaned up, the Robs, Dave and I boarded the shuttle into Bryce. They all had their National Parks passes so I got in for free. I only brought my biking shoes. But we went for a hike. We did the Wall Street, Queen's Garden & Sunset Point trails. A few miles long. The shoes really weren't meant for hiking and my feet are killing me today. Hope that doesn't cause problems. One other painful thing is my right ear. Right where my sunglasses rest on my ear is very tender. There is a lump there so in that regard, it's going to be a rough next few days. Anyway, it was a beautiful hike. I stopped at the visitors' center on the way back looking for something to bring home for Adam. Nothing. But outside the visitors' center, I found a payphone and called Adam. We talked for a bit. After that call, I called his Grandma Betty. I made plans to see her on Friday when I get into Boulder. By then I was awfully chilled. I took the shuttle back to the campground.

I took my bike out to check out the teepees. I met a guy who was staying in one and talked to him about it. He let me in to see what they looked like. They havea full canvas floor so you can't put a fire in it.

Too chilled to go on, I pout most of my clothes on and headed to the general store & bought postcards and stamps. Dinner was a group thing.

Now I'm camped in the Ruby's Inn lobby for warmth & light. Will be going to bed soon though.

Ground squirell that wasn't at all afraid of humans

The Robs and Dave (the guys I hiked with)

My tent and bike.