It was a tortuous hot day in Southern Utah. Andrew, Rebekah and I stayed at Bryce Canyon and headed to Torrey, Utah where we spent the night. That drive along Highway 12 is a "Scenic Byway" and for good reason is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. It is stunningly beautiful with a wide range of desert, color and even lush green areas. It has some world class climbs and descents and the Hell's Backbone portion is a remarkable engineering feat.
When we got some miles outside of Escalante I decided to brave the heat in the mid nineties and pull the "Red Rocket" (my bike and most prized material possession) off the bike rack and hit the road. Rebekah agreed to drive and be the photographer on this adventure. She would drive a few miles up the road, take some photos, see if I was suffering a heat stroke and then repeat this ordeal. Andrew was patient and served as a photographer as well. They were an excellent support team.
The ride between Escalante and Boulder was hot and tough at times but truly gorgeous. This part of Escalante -- Grand Staircase has lots of color, deep valleys, high vistas and the road is in good shape with very few cars. The rolling hills and dramatic descents make for a bicyclist's dream. The kids captured the beauty of the route well in the photos below.
After an outstanding ride on the Burr Trail road (see accompanying blog entry) I had planned to make the 2,500 foot climb from Boulder to the summit of Boulder Mountain but with temperatures almost breaking the century mark I let Rebekah drive me to within four miles of the summit where the temperature was a much nicer 78 degrees. The ride to the summit was a bit taxing as that altitude (9,200 feet) gets to a sea level dweller. The terrain changed completely from the desert conditions near Escalante as a verdant green forest covers most of Boulder Mountain.
Near the summit the view of the surrounding terrain -- Capitol Reef National Park, The Henry Mountains, Escalante -- Grand Staircase... are all in view and very impressive. The photo above gives a feel for the view.
The 2,400 foot descent into Torrey was thrilling as numerous steep grades made for a rapid ride. I even pushed the Red Rocket faster than I ever have (46 MPH). This was out of character as I have become a cautious rider in my advancing years.
It was an unforgettable day -- one of the best the Red Rocket and I have ever had. Thanks to my traveling companions who made it possible and The Good Lord for creating wonders beyond imagination in Southern Utah.
2 comments:
This trip looks beautiful, but could you have picked a hotter time to visit Southern Utah? I want to go in the Spring or Fall, even Winter maybe.
I'm proud of you and Red Rocket though. Great ride.
Looks amazing dad - next time you can pull Joyce along in her new bike seat. She keeps begging to go on bike rides since we biked all over Indy on Tuesday. We ended up riding over 17 miles and both of the girls did really well. Grace got grouchy at the end, but we made it.
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