In lieu of my original vacation plans to cycle the length of the State of Utah this summer with my wife Kim accompanying me as my support vehicle and companion, I opted to participate in Planet Ultra's Tour of Southern Utah when a change in Kim's schedule no longer permitted her to accompany me. Planet Ultra is a long distance bicycle ride and race organizing company run by Brian and Deborah Bowling. This was a week long (June 17-23) tour that included cycling 500 miles and more than 30,000 feet of elevation gain. Here is the Planet Ultra Tour of Southern Utah webpage: http://planetultra.com/Utah/index.htm I wasn't sure I could afford the cost of the trip until I noticed that they were looking for several people to work part time during the trip providing support to the other cyclists in exchange for a 50% discount. I jumped at the opportunity. Aside from the Bowlings, the other cyclists were: Randy Archuleta, Barbara Barrett, Terri Boykins, Jenny & John Carothers, Isabelle Drake, Andrew Gustafson (Andrew's wife Judith also came and drove one of the support vans), Ken Isaak, Mary Kelly, Emmy Klassen, Paul Kopit, Paul Kramer, Bart Lantz, Frank Lobre, Mel Matsuda, Mike Moseley, Dick Parker, Joe Pulliam, Arnold Schmidt, Steve Towner and Susan Tudor.
I rode up to St. George, Utah on Friday, June 15th with Ken Isaak, another cyclist who lives near me and who I met and biked with once prior to the trip. His full size van was one of the two vans used to provide support to cyclists during the trip. Ken is an experienced cyclist who has led Santiago Cycling group rides. Ken is two inches taller than I am, so it was unusual for a change to not be the tallest person in the group. He, too, works in the computer industry. He's a programmer. He and I have a lot in common. Ken and I were roommates throughout the trip and traded off driving one of the support vans throughout the trip. We were able to establish what I hope to be a lasting friendship during this trip.
I stayed Friday night with Dave and Colleen Wilburn and their family in Hurricane. It turns out that Ken had previously met them as Dave (who is a professional bicycle painter) had once painted one of Ken's bikes following some repair work when the Wilburns still lived in Orange. After it cooled down Friday evening, Dave took me on a delightful warm-up ride to see the sights around Hurricane. The Wilburn's hospitality was very appreciated.
On Saturday, Ken and I drove up to Zions National Park and hiked part of the Virgin River Canyon Narrows. Not being familiar with “The Narrows”, at first thought I thought that we might only be walking in the water a short while, so I tried walking barefoot through the water while carrying my shoes. Ken soon persuaded me to wear my running shoes, which I had never before gotten totally wet. Even though the water was relatively low, we had to cross or walk in the river during most of the three hour hike. Even with the added protection for my feet, it was necessary to take care to not slip or trip on the rocks while walking in water that at times was as mid-thigh deep in the shallowest area. My goal was to have fun, to NOT sustain an injury that could potentially ruin the upcoming week of cycling, and to NOT get the camera wet. I managed to accomplish all three goals. The scenery was spectacular and I had a fun time with Ken.
Ken and I returned to the St. George hotel where he'd been staying in time for a Saturday evening orientation meeting with those going on the Planet Ultra Tour. On the first day, I opted to drive the support vehicle and provide SAG (Support and Gear) support for the cyclists rather than ride myself. The course for the first day was to ride from the Best Western Hotel on Bluff Street through St. George, Hurricane, La Verkin, Springdale, and into Zion. The morning temperatures were very warm until we got up into the canyon. I set up a rest stop at the top of the hill above La Verkin and then we had lunch at a roadside park just before entering Zion National Park itself. After giving the group an opportunity to ride the valley floor roads inside Zion and see some of the sites, the group proceeded up the somewhat steep switchbacks leading to the 1-mile long tunnel, through which all of the cyclists were shuttled. The ride continued uphill for a while on the other side of the tunnel, with one section in particular being very steep. After reaching the summit, the riders enjoyed the mostly downhill trip into Mount Carmel Junction, where we stayed the night at the Thunderbird Inn. This first day consisted of 80 miles of cycling with more than 5,300 feet of elevation gain. Besides providing rest stops stocked with ice, water, other drinks, energy bars, bicycle tire pumps, etc, another of the responsibilities of the support crew was to transport the rider's luggage to the next hotel, check-in at the hotel and obtain their room keys, and then sort and distribute their luggage so that it would be waiting for them in their rooms by the time they arrived. This was almost always a challenge to accomplish by the time the fast riders arrived.
On Monday morning, I took my first turn riding with the other cyclists from Mount Carmel Junction to Bryce Canyon. The scenery was beautiful. Much of it looks like Lake Powell without the lake. Upon reaching the entrance to Red Canyon where we enjoyed lunch, we followed a bike trail that paralleled the road 50-100 yards away, which was close enough to still sometimes see cars but far enough away as to usually not hear them loudly. It felt so nice to be cycling on a smooth blacktop bike trail seemingly all by myself through the middle of this beautiful alpine forest and red rock formations. The bike trail was so smooth that it almost felt like I was slowly flying through the forest at low altitude. This day of cycling consisted of a relatively short 60 miles and 3,700 feet of elevation gain. That evening, part of the group ate dinner together at Rubys Inn Restaurant while engaging in a lively political discussion.
The next morning (Tuesday), many of the cyclists, including Ken and myself, opted to ride the bonus miles from the hotel to Rainbow Point at the south end of Bryce Canyon. It was about a 40 mile round trip ride with approximately 3,000 feet of climbing, with the midpoint of the ride being the 9,100 foot elevation Rainbow Point overview of Bryce Canyon at the end of the road. This ride was one that I will long remember and cherish. Even though I've been to Bryce Canyon before, it was totally different on a bike. Rather than just driving effortlessly down the road in a car and catching a glimpse of the beautiful scenery, traveling by bicycle reminded me of John Denver's song lyrics about how a night in the forest filled up his senses. We could not only see the stunning scenery at a slower pace, but also could hear the sounds of the forest and of the air rushing by. We could smell the pine and other alpine scents in the crisp and clean morning air. We could hear the sounds of insects and stirring critters in the bushes alongside the road. We could feel the cool air and wind on our skin. Since there were very few cars going to/from Rainbow Point that time of day, we had the road mostly to ourselves and therefore got to see animals near to or crossing the roadway. We gained an appreciation for the altitude and elevation rise and descents as we labored up the hills in the thinning air and sped down the descending sections. The satisfaction at having achieved our destination under our own power made the view at Rainbow Point seem even more spectacular. Some of the wildlife I observed during the ride included rabbits, squirrels, various birds, deer, and pronghorn antelope.
I drove the van and provided support the rest of the day while the others cycled from the hotel at Bryce to Escalante, a ride of about 50 miles with a moderate elevation gain of 1,800 feet. It was very warm in Escalante, but not as hot as it had been in St. George. Escalante is a small town. I was able to walk the length of the main street and explore the businesses and old buildings and take some photographs. An informational sign stated that the Escalante River was the last major river to be discovered in the continental United States. I'm not sure how they define “major”, but it was obvious during our ride the following day that the river had played a major role in shaping the geology of the area over the eons.
I rode my bike on Wednesday for the approximately 65 mile journey from Escalante northeast to Torrey. Early during this ride we passed a guy whose touring cycle was loaded down with gear as he was cycling solo across the country! Wow! Kinda makes our 500 mile week long trip seem rather tame. The ride to Torrey was not the longest of the trip, but it did have the largest elevation gain of 6,100 feet due to the road going up and over Boulder Mountain. The peak of the mountain is 11,317 feet high, but the main road over the mountain tops out at 9,600 feet elevation, which was plenty high. Fortunately the weather was moderate and warm, so all we had to deal with was the thin air. We enjoyed lunch and a spectacular view near the top. It was a perfect vantage point to view the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which stretches all the way to Lake Powell on the south and back to Mt. Carmel Junction to the west. Since the air was clear, we could easily see all the way to Navajo Mountain south of Lake Powell. The ride down from the top to Torrey was a rush, literally. This was the last of the large descents of the trip during which we did not have a head wind to slow us down. With a tailwind and some long, relatively steep descents, a couple of us were able to reach speeds of nearly 60 miles per hour! I was sure hoping and praying that I didn't have a blowout while going that fast. With the aid of the tailwind and our downhill momentum, by pedaling furiously we were sometimes able to maintain speeds of 30-40 mph even while cresting the top of some uphill sections. What a ride! Unforgettable!
Once we checked into the hotel in Torrey, some of us opted to ride the additional 40 or so bonus miles down into and back out of the Capitol Reef National Monument Scenic Drive. The scenery was fabulous, but much of the ride was difficult due to already being fatigued and the long uphill sections into a stiff head wind. The last few miles back up to the hotel were the most difficult miles of the entire trip for me. I was very grateful when the support van came by bringing ice and cold water to revive this weary cyclist. I got to experience first hand the powerful, reviving effect of such aid, for which assistance several of the cyclists had expressed profound appreciation.
I had anticipated not riding the approximately 106 mile leg (the longest segment of the trip) from Torrey to Panguitch on Thursday, thinking that it was Ken's turn to ride. By the time I realized that he was not planning to ride, all the other riders had already left, so I rode along with Ken in the van until we passed all the riders and reached Loa, about 16 miles into the ride. I changed my clothes in a gas station restroom, and then Ken had to rescue me when I could not open the jammed door from the inside by myself. The summary statement for this ride mentioned that this part of Utah can be windy and it sure was. We fought substantial headwinds most of the way. This made a long ride seem even longer. We were all glad to finally arrive in Panguitch in late afternoon. Even though the population is only 2,000, it was by far the largest town we'd been in since St. George. That evening the power went out about bedtime. The electricity eventually came back on during the night, enabling us to enjoy the air conditioning again.
On Friday, Ken joined the other cyclists in completing the substantial climb from Panguitch up to the 10,500 foot elevation of Cedar Breaks National Monument, where we enjoyed the red rock formations, the view, and lunch. This part of the ride contained almost all of the 5,300 feet of elevation gain of the 57 mile ride to Cedar City. Ken insisted that I ride the downhill stretch into Cedar City. It was fun, but our speeds were considerably reduced by a very strong up-canyon headwind that made it necessary to pedal hard most of the way down the canyon just to keep from slowing to a crawl. There was also considerably more traffic than we had grown accustomed to. It was also much warmer in Cedar City than it had been up at Cedar Breaks. It was only a foretaste of the next and last day of our tour. Ken and I enjoyed walking around town to see the sights. We even found and checked out a bike shop, the first one available since leaving St. George.
The 83 mile ride on Saturday from Cedar City to St. George was the second longest ride of the week. The thing that made it hard was not the relatively low elevation gain of 2,500 feet, but rather the heat once we descended down into the St. George area, where it was 106 degrees in the shade. Even though almost all of the cycling in the hot weather was downhill, the constant headwind now felt like a giant hair blower blasting hot air to impede forward progress. One of the noteworthy things that happened on this ride was that we shared the road during the early part of the ride with a bicycle road race. Some of us were able to keep up with and even pass some of the racers for a time, which boosted our egos. Some of the group got together that night to eat dinner together at a good-value Mexican restaurant. That evening, I was able to enjoy some time in the LDS St. George Temple. I'd been inside before for marriage sealings, but this was my first Endowment Session in this temple.
Susan Tudor and Barbara Barrett gratuitously offered to allow me to ride home with them, since Ken was staying an extra day to visit some friends. We left early enough Sunday morning to successfully avoid the heavy traffic returning from Vegas and enjoyed an uneventful ride home mixed with some delightful conversation that enabled us to get to know each other better.
Even though there were a few things that could have been better, overall the trip was a wonderful success and, for me, was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. Since I had anticipated riding only about ½ the time and therefore about ½ of the 500 miles, I was pleased that between taking advantage of optional bonus mile rides and Ken giving me more than my fair share of riding time, I was able to accumulate 410 miles by the end of the week. I was also pleasantly surprised that the preparation I had done for the three double centuries I rode earlier this year, combined with the extra mileage and hills I tackled in preparation for this ride, enabled me to be one of the top three or four riders in the group, even though my bike was one of the heaviest and least expensive. I wish it were possible to pursue everything which I enjoy or find interesting without sacrificing any other priorities or commitments in my life, but I know that life doesn't work this way. So for me, this was probably a zenith of my cycling career. I plan to continue to commute to work by bike and take occasional Saturday trips. Whether I will ever have the opportunity or the conditioning to take another multi-day trip of this magnitude is unknown at this time, and somewhat unlikely.
One other thing I wanted to mention is that the vast majority of the drivers we encountered during our trip were very courteous and often crossed part or all the way over to the other side of the road (when traffic permitted) to give cyclists a wide buffer when passing on mostly empty back roads. This was such a welcome change from how cyclists are often treated in California. The only vehicles that sometimes buzzed us were the large Highway Department trucks.
I have taken some photographs which will help remind me of this trip and have posted them on the Internet so that others can also view or copy them. Double click on any thumbnail image to view a larger photo. If anyone wants full size copies of any of the photos, just ask.
http://picasaweb.google.com/CameronHess/CyclingTourOfSouthernUtahJune2007
