Velowander

Day 70 (9/15) Natural Bridges Park

We had breakfast at Molly's (the ranger who took pity on Mag who got soaked during the thunderstorm. She housed us at some risk to herself were she to be found out. We were at the campground when it starting pouring down rain). We hitched with an older couple Pinkie & Joni from Elko, NV to save our strength for the ride to Lake Powell at the Hite Recreation area later that day. We saw the 3 natural bridges.

The ride was mostly downhill. Luckily my stomach doesn't hurt but I'm hungry so I don't have full strength. Fortunately we had a tailwind some of the day and hit a 10% downhill stretch where I went down with no brakes. 3 Finnish cyclists were riding from SF to NY; we encountered them on day 12. They were riding uphill with a headwind so we gave them water (Mag was worried we might not have enough water for ourselves but we were going downhill with a tailwind and I was carrying a gallon jug). We hit a crazy sidewind that was so strong Mag was nearly blown over.

(no cell service, so no photos for now. there won't be much coverage for the rest of the trip)

We didn't know if Hite recreation area had services, there was a lot of debate among passing cyclists about this. We decided to chance it and go off the main road for a mile (a big risk, when you are tired at the end of the day). There was a convenience store with posted hours 11-2 but I looked in the window and they were open to our relief after 16:00. We had some food with us but it was a relief to have access to even a convenience store with frozen burritos and the like (we each got one called "the bomb" which was good and a calzone each. Mag couldn't eat her calzone at the time but forced it down later). Mag tried to get Bill the Clerk to let us stay in doors but he refused. We ended up camping right in the ranger station in a building alcove so we had protection from the wind. There was no shower but Mag resigned herself to a so called "ghetto shower" using the sink. I had no shame; I stripped off my clothes and poured water on myself around the side of the building. There were few people present; I gather the facility is not used much as a recreation area because the level of Lake Powell is too low to launch boats.

Labels: Bike Touring

posted by David @ 6:09 PM