Sunday, July 15, 2007

To be continued... Day 12

As of today, Matt is at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. He decided to head to the Sawtooth mountains.

I'll be leaving Tucson tomorrow morning and joining him there on Monday. Check back in next weekend for more trip stories and photos!

Update from Matt!
Day 12 – Garden City to Lava
Hot Springs, ID
86 miles, 6:33, 13.1 avg

New state! Pretty good day of riding with a couple of tough spots. Tried to leave GC a little early keeping hopes alive that I could make it all the way to Pocatello. Early on I could tell it wasn’t going to happen. No downhills anywhere and wind seemed to start early. Cool farmland right after Idaho border. With hazy/smoky skies it almost felt like a fall morning. Took a quick tour of the Paris Tabernacle at the urging of the nice people there. It was well worth the 10 minutes! The builders quarried and stored stones for 20 years before they started construction!

parisout
Paris Tabernacle

parisin
Fancy woodwork!

Quick stop in Montpelier. Had to nap in Georgetown. Got real painful before lunch in Soda Springs. Rejuvenated, I just happened to catch the eruption of the Geyser, the only “manmade” one in the world. It was a fairly easy ride west along the Cal/Ore Trail to base of last climb before Lava. Not too bad, and great descent right into the campground! Toured town a bit to check out the river scene. Lots of rafters and tubers! Have to go back cuz no phone here at the campground. There’s even Thai food!

sodasprings
Looks real, doesn't it?

Day 11 - Bear Lake

Quote of the Day: "The first time on the trip [he] felt horrible."

Calling from Laketown, Utah, Matt had just completed a hard climb over the mountains and down to the lake. He'd been battling afternoon headwinds, and they were wiping him out. He had a daily dilemma -- should he stop in the early afternoon after lunch and make do with wherever he was for the rest of the day? The sites were not inspiring. Or should he press on and risk another killer headwind?

At Bear Lake State Park, Matt observed lots of people sitting in their trucks and idling their engines. There was plenty of diesel.

After spending the night in Evanston, he declared that it was "not that bad" there after all. His lonely neighbor Leroy at the RV park come over to Matt's site and offered him some cantaloupe. They hung out for a quite a while talking. Larry was in the area for his work, installing vinyl siding. He had a wife back home in Denver, but he only saw her when he went home in between jobs.

Another neighbor at the next site sat in a chair all day drinking sodas. He didn't have a vehicle and may have been homeless, but he was quiet and caused no trouble.

On the bright side of the bike touring routine, Matt has got his down pat. He knows where everything is in his panniers at all times, and grocery shopping only takes 10 minutes.

Matt's not sure where he should go next. To the Sawtooths in Idaho, or maybe up toward Missoula? Then again, the Tetons are only 150 miles away...

Update!
Day 11 – Evanston to Garden City, UT
68.1 miles, 4:48, 14.2 avg

OK, another RV park. The State Park was a bust. Only 2 tent sites left (out of 100s!) and they were sad. Thought I’d take my chances in Garden City. Pretty mellow so far, not much shade. Ride was OK today, not too hard. Lots of asphalting going on outside Evanston. Slow grind climb over pass right before Laketown. Good downhill there. Bike path into GC.

Last night wasn’t so bad after Don Pedro’s (food not so special, but got stuffed). Freaky guy next door turned out to be OK. Other neighbor, Leroy, came over with cantaloupe and we chatted for a while. Seems he was lonely too. He’s from near Denver and installs vinyl siding all over the west. Must be tough to be away from his wife so often.

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Lonely horse on the way to Bear lake

Day 9 & 10 - Hayden Pass to Evanston, Wyoming

Quote of the Day: "I'm in Wyoming. There's sagebrush and cowboy hats everywhere."

wy
Matt spent the night of July 9 in the Uinta Mountains. He camped next to a creek, and enjoyed seeing red squirrels and even marmots! It was an idyllic mountain paradise.

Evanston, a "party town" according to one Utah local, was not as impressive. His camp site was at a "crappy" RV park with no shade, situated next to a warehouse and car wrecking yard. Getting to Evanston wasn't easy either. The headwind was so strong, he felt like he could barely move the pedals for the last 10 miles.

Making the best of it, Matt enjoyed a "very so so" meal at Don Pedro's Mexican Food restaurant. At least the chips and salsa were pretty good!

Update!
Day 9 – Heber to Cobblerest campground on Mirror Lake Scenic Hwy
42.0 miles, 3:35, 11.7 avg

Feeling no power today after yesterday’s efforts. People at ACE set me up to fix rack. Wasted time going backward to Ranger Station (one in Kamas much better). Climb up to top of dam was short and brutal, took a lot out of me. Little climb up to Francis really brutal (>10%). Kamas was cool little town, had lunch at local deli/cafĂ© where the cool kids work. Lots of kids in these small towns are “punk”. Dyed hair, piercings and cool clothes all the way. And they’re only like 14, or at least they look 14. Is that legal in Utah?

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Heading up Hwy 150 (click for larger version)

So, headed out Hwy 150, and it’s not so bad. Ups and downs with a tailwind even. But just not feeling it today. Struggling. Amazing scenery though. Big peaks, big valleys, running water everywhere. I actually rode with someone for about 6 miles! This took my mind off the pain and actually picked my pace up a bit. Dave from SLC is up for a few days of relaxing (by riding to the top of the pass!). We had a good talk about touring, le Tour, etc. He was buff, so I let him take off as I stopped at Cobblerest, cuz the next campground is 7 miles and 1000ft higher. So, I guess I’m half way up. Right in the middle of 4000ft of climbing in about 35 miles. No water here, but the really nice hosts went down to the last campground and brought me up 5 gallons! I guess I'm too lazy to use that water filter, but 5 gallons! I didn't have the strength to pump that! Awesome. Scenery supposed to get really good tomorrow.

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"My" creek at Cobblerest camp

cobblerest
My life spread over the Cobblerest site (click for magnified view of my junk)

Day 10 – Cobblerest to Evanston, WY
63.2 miles, 4:47, 12.7 avg

Very strange right now in the Evanston RV park. Sketchy people, ugly place. Kinda wished I stayed in a motel. I miss Utah already! Had a really fun day in the mountains, though. The higher I went, the big peaks came into view. Bald Mtn pass wasn’t as hard as I expected for 10,700 ft, and scenery was awe inspiring. The other side was awesome, opening to a big view of the Mirror Lake basin and the 13,000 ft peaks surrounding it. Looked like Glacier NP. Spent some time around Mirror Lake, taking pictures and had lunch. Went down about 3000 ft, and it wasn’t enough! Headwind got to me about 15 miles from E town. Pain. Hot spots on my feet really hurting me. Anyway, I’m waiting for it to cool down enough to go eat at Pedro’s. Got to get out of here early tomorrow.

suffer
What wimp wrote this?

baldpano
View into Mirror Lake basin from Bald Mtn Pass

baldmtn
The parting of the waters

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Probably my best lunch spot of the tour, Mirror Lake Scenic Hwy

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Alpine splendor!

Day 8 - Provo and Heber City

Villain of the Day: "The RV Park Nazi"

Banana with fly
RV park maggot

Matt came out of the mountains on the Nebo Loop road today. He said that the climbs on the loop road were brutal, but that the descent was fun and windy. He declared the mountains themselves to be "awesome." There was some smoke in the air from the large fire to the southwest. Interstate 15 had been closed for a 100-mile stretch because of the smoke.

Approaching Provo, Matt could tell he was nearing a larger city, as the foothills were covered with houses. He found no one around the streets of Provo on a Sunday morning, but the Albertsons was open, so he was able to do some grocery shopping.

kitty
New friend in Provo

Heading towards the next mountain area on the tour, Matt passed through a narrow canyon with a river running through it. Lots of Sunday revelers were tubing down the river. The canyon was so narrow that Matt sheared of a bolt on one of his racks against a rock wall (not quite, -Matt). A zip tie saved the day!

Matt planned to camp at an RV park near Jordanelle State Park, and rode 7 miles into a headwind out of Heber City to get there. But when he arrived he encountered the RV Park Nazi. Although AAA listed the park as having tent sites, and there was an area on the map at the front desk labeled "Tents," the RV park owners were insistent that they did not allow tenters. The tent areas were for RV'ers only, including the grassy patches next to the RV sites
where some RV'ers had tents pitched. Despite Matt's plea for them to take pity on him, they would not rent him a site. Exhausted and trying to decide what his next move would be, he paused to watch news about the big fire on the television in the park's store/lounge. But the park owner asked him to leave again, and when Matt politely asked if he could watch the news on the fire for a few minutes, the RV Park Nazi switched the TV off, and then threatened to call the cops.

Angry and defeated, Matt headed back toward Heber City, where he found the relative sanctuary of the Swiss Alps Inn. The proprietor looked to be about 80 years old and declared that Lance Armstrong was his hero. He even broke the motel's rules and gave Matt a special deal on the room.

What goes around comes around in bike touring karma. I'm sure the RV Park Nazi will get his soon enough.

Back home in Tucson, we finally had a bit of rain with the start of the monsoon. Even Gila got to enjoy it, if only briefly.
Gila in monsoon 2007

Update!
Day 8 – Payson Lakes to Heber City
77.7 miles, 5:17, 14.7 avg

Another epic. Great downhill from Nebo, twisty and no traffic. Lunch in Provo, pretty neat old downtown, BYU and “ethnic food”! Strangely quiet on this Sunday. Things turned ugly in Provo Canyon. Very beautiful steep walls, waterfalls and river with many tubers. Had a rack bolt shear off from the bumpy construction zone, fixed with zip ties. Too much lake traffic and road construction made for a stressful ride. Headwind took over near the reservoir and Heber was a bust for RV parks (never thought I’d be sad about that statement), so decided to try RV park at Jordanelle Dam. 7 miles into headwind and RV nazi would not let me stay there, so back to town and the Swiss Alps Inn! Owner gave me the Lance Armstrong discount! I’ll go to hardware store tomorrow. Granny’s Drive In was a good burger tonight.

provofalls
Bridalveil Falls in Provo Canyon

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Day 6 and 7 - Manti to Nebo Loop

Quote of the Day: "There's some kind of voodoo going on here."

Day 6 was the start of Matt's first real adventure. He planned to head over the mountainous, scenic byway called the "Nebo Loop." A highlight would be viewing the Devil's Kitchen Geologic Interest Area, with red rock spires similar to Bryce Canyon.

Matt passed through the very Utah-sounding town of Moroni (more-own-eye), and declared that "Manti [(man-tie)] kicks the crap out of Moroni."

He stopped at the ranger station in Fountain Green to inquire about camping options and other sights along the Nebo Loop. They failed to tell him about the recent closing of campgrounds due to bear activity, but fortunately the campgrounds were back open by the time Matt would reach them. From his telephone dispatch out of Fountain Green, he declared that "Mt. Nebo is in sight!"

nebo
Mt Nebo

In other wildlife news, Matt noticed that there were lots of snakes on the side of the road. Looking at them more closely, he saw that they were all missing their heads. Apparently it's a popular, local sport is to go cruising the roads at night in search of snakes, and then beheading them. What were they doing with the heads? Some kind of voodoo?

With his panniers filled up with groceries from the Wal-Mart in Ephraim, he headed into the mountains.

Not far up the road, he met Pat and Larry from Orem, Utah. He spent most of the day with them at their RV. They enjoyed much fun conversation and were generous with the Miller Lites. They even gave him a couple to pack in his saddlebags for the road.

Matt said that the mountains in the area were "awesome" and there were lots of creeks and waterfalls everywhere. He planned to take a rest day while in the mountains.

Update!
Day 6 – Manti to Ponderosa Campground on Nebo Scenic Hwy
41.8 miles, 3:10, 13.1 avg

A shorter day than expected. Last night in Manti was interesting. After the swim, went looking for Fred Sports bar, turned out to be Sports Grill, old fashioned burger joint, like so many others in these small towns. Chain fast food places can’t seem to get a foothold in these towns. Bars either! So went to Miller’s burger joint and enjoyed the food, big Mormon family ordering food and the huge wind storm (but no rain).

Back at the RV park I lucked out in that I could just switch off the huge florescent light perched right over my camp spot, and I enjoyed the wind and conversation with a few people who were interested in my trip. About to doze off, a late-comer RV, 3rd wheel proceeded to take 45 minutes of maneuvering into a spot a mere 10ft from my tent! I now had a perfect view of what I guess was their bathroom window.

Said goodbye to my envious bike racer buddy and motored on to Ephraim. Got good info from ranger station for Nebo and shopped at Walmart. Moroni was a letdown, he deserves a better town named after him. Way down hill to turnoff and a short 6 miles to camp right next to shady Salt Creek. Good, cuz it’s hot. Plan to ride slowly uphill tomorrow, sightseeing, possibly camp at Payson Lakes.

ponderosa
Ponderosa camp site before the raccoons, Nebo Loop

Day 7 – Ponderosa to Payson Lakes on Nebo Scenic Hwy
24.2 miles, 2:48, 8.7 avg

What a day! Still on the Nebo Loop, saw some great scenery and spent the day with Larry and Pat!

So, last night was a bit crazy. A microburst came through camp, so I set the tent up in a panic during a light rain. The ranger/host came by to check on me and said a tree had fallen in site 11. It was windy/sprinkly on and off till bedtime, so not very relaxing. Listened to some good country radio music. Oh yeah, the microburst sounded like a train coming down the canyon. Very scary.

So, woke up to find my bags raided and bananas and bagels gone. Raccoons. There goes breakfast! Unfortunately I needed it today more than any other, as the road exploded at a 10% grade for miles on end. (3.5 mph most of the time!) Finally some rest at the first overlook. Skies were very smoky all morning from a fire that no one seemed to know about.

brutal
What 3.5 mph looks and feels like

patlarry
My hosts for a day, Pat and Larry

Went to Devil’s Kitchen and luckily, by the time I made it to the Nebo overlook, skies had cleared enough to actually see the peaks. This is where I met Pat and Larry, the wrinkled smoker and the shirtless tire salesman. We talked about various subjects, notably, le Tour (which started today in London). They let me know I was near the top of the highway and that I had come up the much steeper side. Their camp was nearby and they said I should stop by for some cold water. So I did and ended up spending the next 3 to 4 hours with them, drinking watered down Utah beer and watching snippets from an elk hunting DVD. Larry regaled us with stories about the family history of this campsite, his legendary dirtbike handling skills and, oddly enough, his passion for model trains. We had a great time, and then I realized it was getting late and it was raining lightly. Larry assured me it was all downhill to the lakes. We took some photos and they loaded me up (down?) with cold Buds from their RV that Larry was very proud of. Now at the Lakes I’ll hang my food and maybe have time to actually go down and see the lake.

dkitchen
Devil's Kitchen

lookout
At the Kitchen

stare
Nebo from overlook

thumbsup
Nebo Loop summit

Route Map for Day 6 and 7

Day 5 - Koosharem to Manti

Matt found Manti to be a charming town without a chain store in sight. Once again the locals were friendly. Hanging out at a cafe, he had the opportunity to ask several different people about the road conditions for his upcoming planned route, including the scenic Nebo Loop road.

Ready to go

Update!
Day 5 – Koosharem to Manti
69.4 miles, 4:43, 14.7 avg

Flying in the heat! After a quiet night in Koosharem (“concert” was anything but, Mercantile closed early) I jammed all the way down to Sigurd. Good thing I didn’t shoot for this town last night. Not much there. Oh, there were fireworks last night, unofficial I guess, but still pretty good. Also, I think I saw a golden eagle yesterday after the reservoir.

Back to today: Salina seemed like another cool Mormon town, almost stopped for a burger. Had a fun lunch in Gunnison with a family on way to Fishlake. Made new friends, Matthew and Adelia. Easily made it to Manti, a seemingly very historic Mormon town founded by Brigham Young. Very nice, big brick houses on crazy tree-lined streets, and the first big temple I’ve seen on this trip. Went swimming and will ride back to town for a burger (and beer?). Very hot (104?) and good clouds building.

lunch
Matthew and Adelia in Gunnison, UT

manti
Temple in Manti, before the wind storm

meeting
More Manti statuary

temple
Touring Manti during "magic hour"

Map of Day 5 Route

Day 3 and 4 - Glendale to Circleville, Circleville to Koosharem

Happy Birthday, America!

Quote of the Day: "Don't ever spend the night in Circleville."

On 4th of July eve, Matt was lulled to sleep, and then gently awakened the next morning by the soothing sounds of "M-1,000,000's," or whatever type of novelty explosives the locals like to celebrate Independence Day with. They stopped about 11 p.m. the night before and started up again at 5:00 a.m. He likened their sound to "a house exploding."

Other patriotic local activities included riding ATV's. All the kids had them, some with smaller kids riding on the back, and no helmets in sight. The kids in Circleville ride their ATV's rather than bikes.
Buckle up

Despite these annoyances, locals and tourists continued to be friendly and curious.

Riding to Koosharem was a shorter day ending just after 2:00 p.m. Tonight's RV park had a pool!

Update!
Day 3 – Glendale to Circleville
70.2 miles, 6:03, 11.6 avg

Well, I made it to Circleville, although not sure why or how. At least I have the “nicest site” at the RV park. Nice view. A should’ve been easy day turned relatively hard because of strong headwind all day. I guess the whole tour will be like this. Lunch in Panguitch at court house, went through cool volcanic canyon outside CV. I’ll check out the 4th of July Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast tomorrow. PB&J is getting old.

cville
The view from my site in Circleville

The roadkill scene is getting more interesting. Nighthawk, barn swallow, badger, skunk, deer, raven, magpie. Who’s shooting ravens? Saw some magpies today, maybe new species for me. I started doing traffic surveys today – counting cars. No fun but made the miles pass.

Day 4 – CV to Koosharem
44.6 miles, 4:02, 11.0 avg

Guess I’ll have to learn how to pronounce that name now! Another “normal” day made very hard by vicious headwind and slow uphill grind. Very hard to decide, “should I stay or should I go on?” Decided to stay and enjoy the “heart of Utah” on this 4th of July. Already made lots of friends at the town BBQ lunch and at the mercantile. I’ll check out the concert tonight.

Night and day compared to Circleville! The kids (and adults) there all seem to get around on some sort of motorized contraption. In a small town perfect for walking and biking, this is sad. This is ATV heaven, I’ve learned. Two main trails (300 miles worth) and lots of side trails (2300 miles). Everyone ATVs. So, the kids were loud and stayed up late, even lighting fireworks in the RV park. Things quieted down until about 5 am when roughly 75 percussion bombs went off in various parts of town for about the next hour. These were loud. The Firemen’s breakfast was very lackluster. Good food but no friends made. Within minutes of arriving here in Koosharem, I had talked to many people. Referring to the legality of fireworks in Circleville, a new friend said, “There are many things you can do in Circleville that you ought not do”. This must be a good Mormon town.

greenwich
One room schoolhouse in Greenwich, UT

sheep
My neighbors at the Koosharem RV park

sharem
Koosharem RV park


Day 3-4 Route Map

Day 2 - Jacob Lake to Glendale, Utah

Quote of the Day: "I'm the King of the RV Parks on this tour."

Day 2 was much easier than the first day. Towns on route included Fredonia, Arizona and Orderville, Utah. The promised land of Utah offered a tailwind and an RV park full of friendly travelers out for the long holiday week. Matt's route for the next few days will take him through the farmlands of central southern Utah.

Still having fun

Map of Day 2 route.

Update!
Day 2 – Jacob Lake to Glendale, UT
65.2 miles, 4:49, 13.5 avg

A perfect day on tour! I am now in heaven, a place called Bauer’s RV Park, Glendale. Napping and lounging in the shady orchard with the stray cats and Western Bluebirds. Free shower and a shave! Jim Morrison would call this a day of living (for the living). I am alive. I have experienced the low dread of yesterday to reach the high of life today. Amazing descent from the North Rim to a cruise along the Virgin.

jacob Historic Jacob Lake ranger station

utah
Utah! from the North Rim - Click for much better version

kanab
Kanab's finest!

glendale
A little slice of Heaven in Glendale, UT


Saturday, July 7, 2007

Day 1 - Bitter Spring, AZ to Jacob Lake, AZ

Quote of the Day: "I'm getting too old for this!"

July 1 was 55 miles from the drop off point up to Jacob Lake. Representing with his Arizona socks, Matt reported that the first 14 miles down into Marble Canyon at the Colorado River were a blast.
Arizona pride

Next, he rode by the Vermilion Cliffs where there was no shade to rest in. Running out of water, he finally found a sign casting some shade where he could pause for a bit. Luckily, some friendly RV'ers stopped nearby and replenished his water supply.

Vermillion Cliffs in the distance
Vermilion Cliffs in background. Please click for larger, uncropped versions of any photos in this blog.


After that he continued over the brutal rollers leading to the plateau. The final climb was 14 miles and took about 2-1/2 hours! At the "Jacob Lake .5 miles" sign, Matt had to take another rest. Not having eaten enough, and suffering with a pinky toe that "felt like it had been hit with a hammer" had caught up to him.

He finally made it to Jacob Lake and rolled up to a cafe. When he inquired if there was any place else to eat nearby, Matt was told that there was another restaurant only 30 miles away back down off the plateau! Hungry and tired, Matt set up camp at a nearby RV park and made his own meal. Why carry all that food if you're not going to eat it?

Tomorrow -- Utah!

Update! Matt's journal and photos

Day 1 – July 1 Bitter Springs to Jacob Lake 57.5 miles, 5:31, 10.4 avg

Elizabeth left me to fry in the desert heat, no shade. Not in shape, running (ran) out of H2O. RVers spared some H2O for climb that didn’t end soon enough. Where’s the lake? RV park down dirt road, where else? First night in tent, very nice. Shower. People from Texas.

nbridge
Navajo Bridge
(Please click any photo to see a larger version)



despair Hiding behind the infamous shade sign


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Marble Canyon- Click for uncropped version

Satellite map of July 1 route

Friday, July 6, 2007

Staging on the Navajo Nation - Utah Tour

Matt started his bike tour on Sunday, July 1 at Bitter Spring in northern Arizona. Follow along here for daily updates on his progress through Utah and points beyond. Will he make it all the way to Washington?

Pre-Ride Preparations

We had a relaxing night before the tour started, camping among the cinders at Sunset Crater just north of Flagstaff.
Sunset Crater camping

Matt fueled up on pasta, pesto sausage, and giant zucchini (!).
Mmm, dinner

And yes, the crater really is lit up by the sunset.
Sunset Crater

The next morning we headed up to Bitter Spring, just past The Gap (the town, not the mall store), at the junction of highways 89 and 89A. We found a nice shady spot to stage Matt's bike loading at an empty jewelry stand.
89A staging spot

This is last time for a while the bike can be picked up easily.
Unloaded bike, easy to pick up!

Fully loaded, it weighs about 90 pounds.
Fully loaded

After he was all ready, laden with food (except the Nectar bars he forgot), water (not enough!), and all his gear, Matt headed out to drop down to the Colorado River. His destination was Jacob Lake near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, up on the Kaibab Plateau.
Heading out

Here's a link to a map of map's progress for the first week. Zoom in to view the towns he has stayed in along the way. I'll be updating the map daily over the next week.
Route Map July 1 - 6
Down to the river

Please check out my personal website, Tour Tales, for more bike touring fun.