A Three Hour Tour- On Two Water bottles

"I'll have to skip church, but I have time to do a three hour ride beginning at 3:00", said the LT.  "That's no problem at all", I thought, as three hours in the foothills allows my favorite rides as well as the LT's.

I arrived about 5 minutes late with a freshly waxed bike, and we were able to skip what has become our routine before beginning a mountain bike ride; adjusting or replacing disc brakes on departure, so we were probably ahead of schedule.  Since the LT last week had diverted me to a bunch of soft bottomed motorcycle trails from his favorite ride, I suggested one of my favorite 3 hour rides- the Corrals & Freeway a route that wouldn't easily allow him to divert me onto those loose motorcycle trails again.  He was agreeable to that route, and we headed up Bogus Basin Road. 

Just before we reached the turn off to the Corrals trail, he suggested we ride on two more trails where he suggested a trail would take us up to Hard Guy, and from there we'd ride back down to the Corrals.  That was a surprise since I usually can't talk him into riding onto the next trail which adds a nice hill before rejoining The Corrals, but I was agreeable though totally ignorant about this 2nd trail.  My first impressions of that trail wasn't good- a 6" wide trail on the edge of a cliff which made me do some pushing while the LT rode on.

Steve after the trail widens enough for him to resume riding   Will climbing in the desert section   Will reaches the first tree  
 We started crossing the clear small stream every few hundred yards, and I drank my first water bottle wondering when we would climb out of this canyon up to Hard Guy. For the LT's "three hour tour", I had brought along 2 water bottles and had forgotten my orange- not a big deal on a "three hour tour"; that's a good after work ride near mid-summer's day.  Have I mentioned that the LT is too young to remember Gilligan's Island and its "three hour tour" that led to years of their being shipwrecked?

It was hot, so the LT suggested taking a break and cooling off in the shade. I soaked my feet and thought how much cooler and likely satisfying that water was than the hot stuff in my water bottles, but I'd just today finished reading a blog on the Great Divide  with the author taking similar action which led to 12 hours of puking. With that thought fresh in my mind, I refrained. Anyway, I was sure the LT knew what he was doing, and we'd soon be out of the canyon.

Steve at one of the many stream crossings- it was easier than it looks here  By the time we reached the first pine tree, I had drunk my last water bottle, and was thinking a lot about drinking from that cool stream. Even the LT was giving up on the idea that his route would loop back to Hard Guy. We thought we knew where this trail would come out- about 3/4's to the top of Bogus Basin Road. Neither one of us wanted to turn around- I knew I'd successfully climbed (or pushed thru) the 6" wide trail near where it left Bogus Basin Rd, and I had no interest in pushing DOWN that trail.

The LT reaches the first pine tree  Soon we were in the timber with some pleasant climbing in the shade, but the trail kept narrowing and getting steeper. We were reduced to pushing- on a trail too narrow to fit a pusher at the side of his bike. The LT's cell phone eventually regained service, so he tried mapping us. He suggested we abandon the trail- pushing our bikes through the brush up the steep mountain side in our lycra and bare lower legs! He ran out of water about this point, and I wondered if that lack of water was making him hallucinate- lycra through the brush pushing a bike up a hill nearly too steep to climb on trail?

By the time we reached the top, I was thinking about nothing but water, or a cold Coca-Cola. We were at the top of that trail- but we weren't 3/4's the way up Bogus Basin Road.  It took us a few minutes to realize we'd climbed to the top and were on the Boise Front Road that we'd ridden just a couple weeks ago although it took us a couple 100 yards to figure this out. It was 8:30; the LT's "three hour tour" should have ended 2 1/2 hours ago! We'd been hoping to turn left and descend Bogus Basin Rd, so we turned left, and started climbing to almost the peak of Deer Point. We met 2 downhillers screaming down, and suddenly the LT decided he'd like to turn around, and head for Hard Guy. Turn around? By this time I was really tired of trails and my technical skills had been pushed to their limit, so I wanted to stay on the road and zip down Bogus soon. The problem was, we had nearly 1,000 ft to climb before reaching the edge of Deer Point where we'd begin that zip down.

Once at the bottom, the first place I knew to get that Coca-Cola was the M&W Market, but to my surprise it is closed and had taken its pop machine with it. A convenience store 1/2 mile further on would have to do. It's nearly mid-summer's day which means light until 10:00 pm here on the western edge of Mountain Time, so neither one of us had headlamps, but to be seen we turned on our rear light there. We arrived back at the LT's just before 10:00 MDT. I drank 2 large glasses of water there and borrowed the LT's headlamp for the ride home. Dusk had turned to night by the time I arrived home where I drank 8 more glasses of water, and slept thru the night without getting up! Take plenty of water with you if the LT invites you on a "Three Hour Tour- a three hour tour".  LT, wha'd I ever do to you?

Total Miles: 41.7 Riding Time 5:24
Happy Cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation,


Steve

Aldape Summit to Deer Point

Weather forced us to cancel our planned Memorial Weekend ride over the mountains to Idaho City, but the rain was supposed to stop by Sunday, giving us the opportunity for a day ride  up to Aldape Summit and across the Boise front to Deer Point. A couple years ago Bicycling Magazine actually recommended the first section of this route for road bikes, but I think they're crazy unless the rider is a dedicated cycle cross rider with good cycle-cross or touring tires. Usually there's a lot of loose decomposed granite, washboards, and many sharp rocks awaiting frail road bike tires. It's definitely worth recommending as a fat tire ride, and with all the rain Friday and Saturday the decomposed granite was sticky, the washboards are not well developed this time of year, but the rocks were still sharp.


The LT climbing Rocky Canyon just outside Boise 

We took a short break on the leeward side of the pass, watched a couple of rabbits closely study us, and then began the next stage of the climb.We've long planned but never ridden the Boise ridge. From a vantage point on Shaw Mountain, we've seen a Jeep Cherokee struggle up the first section.


Like the Jeep Cherokee, the LT struggles to climb above Aldape Summit

The LT reaches a brief flat spot with the Idaho City side of the pass in the background

Notice the smile.  Does that mean the LT doesn't know what lies ahead?

Washouts were not uncommon and would pose a bit of a hazard to cyclists traveling this course in reverse

The ride is intensely green after the late spring rains we've had.  Looking back on Aldape Summit

Ever upward it seems

We'd used part of rainy Saturday for some maintenance on the LT's bike which resulted in his granny 1 shrinking to 17.5" from 19.1". You'd think a chemist working on his master's would have the gear inch math down pack and would long ago have compared his gear inches to mine, but you'd be wrong. When I talk gear inches his eyes seem to glaze over much like Corrie's do when the subject comes up!  He was, however, crowing about the advantages of 1.6" less in gear inches that I nicked named his Super Granny as the cassette seems to skip one size.


Looking back down toward Aldape Summit

< The LT captures a shot of me climbing

The weather forecast was calling for winds of 25 with gusts of 45 MPH in Boise. We think that in the shelter of the trees we missed most of the wind, but temperatures were cold hovering about 46 degrees and gusty most of the time we were on the ridge. We took a lunch break in the timber sheltered from most of the wind, but as soon as the food was consumed, we were back on the bikes to stay warm. Although the LT kept talking about the flat section at the top, I noticed that except for the short steep downhills, I was keeping my bike in  my 17.5" gear - granny 1.

We passed the turn off to 8th Street and then Hard Guy and kept climbing and descending without that promised flat spot. Just before we reached Deer Point, we met 5 downhillers who'd gotten to the top in a vehicle, asking where to find the turn off to "Hard Guy". The LT gave them his Google map. That discussion got the LT to thinking he'd rather backtrack and descend single track than descent Bogus Basin Highway, but a few minutes later on Deer Point as we finished our final snack of the day and as the LT ate some of the weekend's snow, we began to realize how cold it really was up there when not ascending in Granny 1. I also realized I was tired of pushing hard in Granny 1 with few breaks (it was too cold to enjoy a break). I had planned to try to talk the LT into descending the trails at Stacked Rock, but that has some Granny 1 climbing in it also, and he didn't like that idea. I put on the balaclava that I'd borrowed from the LT, and we began our descent to Bogus Basin Highway. By the time we reached the pavement, we were both shivering nearly uncontrollably which is dangerous on a steep fast descent (think the Old Lewiston or Old Winchester Grades). We stopped, and I put on some wind pants and found I had two plastic bread sacks to put over my gloves which weren't keeping my hands from freezing. So I was wearing tights, wind pants, a T shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, balaclava, winter gloves with plastic bags over them- an outfit (minus the plastic bags) that usually suffices for winter rides, and I was still too cold. I had extra glove liners too that I had lent to the LT.

As we descended Bogus Basin Rd, we met those gusts that might have been 40MPH. We both thought we'd be blown over as a gust caught us from the side coming around one corner- rather dangerous at high speed descents, so we slowed down even more. Then we met a widely disbursed group of road racers ascending- in only shorts and jerseys! What were they thinking? We rounded a corner and met the final racer as wet hail began pelting us. The racer below us quickly did a U turn in the middle of the road. Once the storm had us covered with a light coating of water, it died, but I'm not sure how those scantily clad road racers above us got back. Just before town, the LT insisted we take off the balaclavas as it was 64 degrees at the bottom which made us look strange though we were both still cold. No wonder those racers thought they could climb Bogus in shorts and jerseys! While changing, the pavement of Boise felt warmer on my feet than did my shoes. We were both still cold when we left the restaurant where we had out post ride meal. Finally, with valley temps up to 68 and after climbing two hills similar to Normal Hill in Lewiston I felt warm still in my tights, dry sweatpants, sweatshirt, and windbreaker!

It was a good ride. I don't have a clue how the LT's training plan of one ride a month plus a one mile daily commute on the flat had him ready for it. Next time we may do it in reverse- getting most of the climb on the pavement and most of the descent on the dirt road, but watch for unexpected wash outs if speeding down the ridge road toward Aldape Summit!

50.5 miles                7:13 Riding time                         6,075 ft elevation gain

Happy cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation

Steve

Oregon Trail to Bonneville Point

39.7 miles      4:55 riding time

My 1996 introduction to mountain biking in Boise was brief before moving to Cottonwood a couple months after getting my 1st mountain bike, but it included many rides on the south side of the Boise River up to Lucky Peak Dam. When, in the next few years, I returned to Boise for drill weekends from Cottonwood and Lewiston, new subdivisions confused the entry to the trail, and I found the foothills more challenging to my budding mountain biking skills, so I pretty much forgot about the south side of the river. Last spring the LT asked if it was possible to return to town from Lucky Peak Dam on the south side of the river. From the upriver side finding our way through the new subdivisions was easy, so we did it. We'd also been to Bonneville Point (the first point from which the pioneers could see the Boise Valley from the drier desert), and we could see trails connected Bonneville Point to those trails, so on Sunday the LT had current maps printed, and we headed to Bonneville Point.

Before departure, the LT had to inspect my yesterday's installation of new disk brake pads- and then adjust them. His map work was good and revealed the city had forced the subdivider to build some nice trails along the top of some of those basalt cliffs- actually making the ride more interesting than it was in my1996 introduction to mountain biking. Soon after crossing the Idaho City highway, the LT had a flat- from what appeared to be pinch on the sidewall. Is that possible with adequate tire inflation? Anyway, the double hole was too large for the slime to seal it, so he pulled out his spare slimed tube. I've never been able to successfully patch a slimed tube; the LT had no additional 26" spare, and my spare tube was a 29". Sometimes having inter-changeable equipment is smart on a group ride.  Luckily, he had no more flats, and my new brake pads seem to settle in and worked well, creating no further mechanical issues on this ride.




Ready to fix the flat- a flat doesn't wipe the smile off the LT's face!  The work of the change actually begins  Infrequent markers along the way show we are on the Oregon Trail  In places where jeeps haven't disturbed the old trail, the actual wagon wheel ruts are clearly visible, but the photographer failed to record those!




On the way back to town- Table Top is just above the LT's head  Notice the twisting trail on the edge of the basalt cliff- that's my favorite route to Lucky Peak Dam that we had to miss today  This route is a steady climb up to Bonneville Point and a bit more demanding than I would have thought. Note the riding time of 4:55 for a 39.7 mile trip!  A good ride, but I doubt it keeps us of out of the foothills many times a year.

Happy cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation!

Bicycling McCall to the Salmon's South Fork & Return

"I can always hitchhike", I thought when I read Scott's e-mail revising the route details to show 31,786 ft of elevation gain in 149 miles of mostly forest service roads. Foolish me, the only traffic on these roads was a few ATV's and a few hunters- not good sources to hitchhike out! Sean & Carol must have figured this out as they took in a foreign ex-change student this weekend escaping the ride, and leaving Scott, Jen, Doug and I to complete it. Fortunately, the estimate on elevation gain proved wrong, but the route would still provide plenty of climbing over four days. Another positive, the weather forecast turned out wrong! The storm that was supposed to be here 15 & 16 Sep left the roads damp and dustless, but the storm was entirely spent by the time we started riding under blue skies on 16 Sep.

16 Sep 2011
McCall to Shiefer Campground
59.2 miles, riding time 6:17, elevation gained 3,169 ft
After a big breakfast at McCall's Pancake House we dropped off the automobiles at the cabin of a friend of Jen's, and rode along Payette Lake, climbed to Upper Payette Lake, and on up to the first pass of the day on paved roads with little traffic. A rapid descent on pavement to the intersection took us within 2 miles of Burgdorff where the pavement ended and the smooth hardpan began.

Jen along Payette Lake - Photo by Doug

Reading about the 1994 fire while observing the damage from repeated fires - Photo by Doug

Over another pass and on the other side we passed through Warren, an old mining settlement surrounded with dredge tailings. The smooth hardpan had deteriorated to a more typical decomposed granite for the ride over Warren Pass followed by a rapid fall into the canyon of the Salmon River's South Fork where we'd camp at Shiefer Campgrounds. The South Fork was warm enough for a short but pleasant after ride swim.

Looking back across the bride that took us into Shiefer Campgrounds

17 Sep 2011 
Shiefer Campground to camp at edge of the road
29.0 miles, riding time 6:17, elevation gained 6,184 ft

We had all evening to stare at the steep canyon walls we'd have to climb first thing in the morning. After a short steep section we rode along a bench, saw a small cemetery, and then the climb up Elk Creek really started! I like staying in my 23" gear, but much of the hill forced me to ride in a 19" gear (my Granny-one). Doug likes a higher gear and standing, but it was too steep for that style riding. It wasn't long and Scott, Jen, and Doug were all pushing though all are stronger riders than I. My early introduction to road biking taught me to "gear down" and peddle saving energy while maintaining a slightly faster speed. The climb took most of the day. By the time we reached the top, I was still only pleasantly tired. We hoped to reach Yellow Pine, where we could eat in the cafe and snack in the grocery store.

Steve catches Scott on Elk Creek Climb - Photo by Doug

Scott and Jen enjoy their PB&J lunch

We've reached the top, or have we?

As expected we started down steeply after reaching the top, but after a mile or so of descent, we started back up! Now, you may look at the daily mileage of 29.0 and think this was an easy day, but you'd be wrong! Temps fell rapidly at the first peak from 52 to 48, and then down to 46. I was cold and ready for a 2nd lunch when I finally put on my lobster gloves and windbreaker. Somewhere along this section I abandoned my idea of riding every part of the ride, and with a slightly aching lower back began pushing my bike up the steepest section! We were now in the Middle Forks' drainage area, and Yellow Pine lay over another pass back on the South Fork, so we abandoned the plan of steak dinner with pie for dessert!

When we reached Big Creek, our 2nd choice of a "campground", we saw a campground with 1 occupied spot; the rest was under construction, no tables, no parking, no spot for tents. We considered putting up our tents in the center of the "under construction" road, but we decided to ride on. Doug's quick eyes spotted a turn off into the forest and a small clearing. As soon as the tents were up, Scott started dinner, and doubled the portions since everyone was hungry. We were all in bed by nightfall.

During the night a few big drops of rain fell, so Scott put up this cover for the breakfast cooking.  The sky cleared by the time we were back on the road

18 Sep 2011
Roadside camp to Ponderosa Campground (not the state park)
41 miles, 4:42 riding time, 2,229 ft elevation gain

Being overly tired, I slept soundly- a leg cramp in the middle of the night barely woke me long enough to stretch it out. Jen wasn't so lucky. Her's was more severe, and she was afraid she'd awoke the entire camp as she fought to get rid of it. Though we were all in our tents by nightfall, I wasn't really ready to get out of the tent 10 hours later! I awoke still tired from the prior day's ride. Immediately, we headed up another mountain and the effort brought me to full alterness. Down the other side lay Yellow Pine where the only grocery store and cafe of the trip lay. Hamburgers and fries for the entire group that's close to health nuts! Then we were off to the grocery store, but on Sundays it opens late, closes early, and closes when the employee decides it's lunch time which happened just as we finished our lunch, so we missed this restocking opportunity.

Scott had mapped two versions of the trip. The group was still a bit tired, so we switched to the shorter route as we left. The locals were amazed we were taking the washboard version when the other route was mostly paved and only 17 miles longer. Is a 17 mile shortcut on washboards worth it? The ride down the South Fork on pavement and then decomposed granite was speedy and scenic- maybe the best of the ride. Then the route turned up the Secesh River, a moderate side stream, where the washboards the locals warned us of began. Soon we were shifting from the right side of the road to the wrong side or even the middle looking for the least bounce. We were all ready for an early end of the day, so the roughly 3:00 arrival at Ponderosa Campground on the Secesh River was appreciated. I swam while the others took bird baths at the campground's faucet.

19 Sep 2011
Ponderosa Campground (not the state park by that name) to McCall, Idaho
29.3 miles, 4:06 riding time, 3249 ft elevation gain

One last pass to climb today as we crossed back into the Payette River System. The forest and the mountains were beautiful. The severe washboards continued as did our bouncing from side to side of the road trying to avoid them until we hit a few miles of construction just before the pavement. The entire time in the Salmon drainage was characterized by rapidly flowing small rivers with crystal clear water. Back in the Payette drainage they were slow moving quite waters as would be expected in mid Sep.

Scott, Jen, & Doug climbing out of the Salmon River Drainage

This was another great trip though I admit the climb on Elk Creek took a lot out of me, and despite the ideal weather, I was actually glad to be done with the ride- an unusual reaction for me. With one day back at work though, my tiredness is finally gone!

Check out Doug's Blog and photos

Happy cycling for fun, fitness, & transportation

Steve

Air Reconnaissance Leads Us Astray on Willow Creek

Willow Creek Trail 4.4 Miles Riding Time 2:11

Pilots LT Klein and Chief Winn have been flying over the motorcycle trails 15 to 20 miles east of Boise for years and wanting to ride them. The LT was supposed to invite the Chief, but he was off having a wreck elsewhere. So, on Sunday 26 Jun, the LT and I set off for Willow Creek- in the LT's pickup.

Two views of the trail that captured the Pilots' interest





The LT's plan had been to ride the Willow Creek Trail in a counter clockwise direction, but we missed the trail that left immediately up the hill from the parking lot. This had us riding up the creek, what the LT thought would be the easy section. The trail crossed the creek every 100 yards or so, and the crossings were typically 18" deep or so- too deep to ride. There were also deep holes that might be good for swimming once the snow melt is gone and creek warms up.


Steve puts his shoes back on after one of the many crossings of Willow Creek

Progress up the steam was slow, the tail was often in the creek's flood bed with large round rocks surrounded by sand which made a terrible road bed. The LT suggested we hike to the top of the canyon. The streambed being what it was, I was glad to leave it. The canyon walls were too steep to get the bikes up, but the view from the top was good. Unfortunately, we found another canyon between us and our desired location on the trail on top of the ridge, so we returned to our bikes and continued riding and pushing up the stream bed. Finally, the trail forked, and we headed to the ridge. The uphill has too steep to ride. It was generally decomposed granite- tightly compressed but with a small amount of loose decomposed granite that made it difficult to walk up without sliding down on the loose stuff.

Eventually we reached the canyon's top and then started down into another draw. The motorcycles had dug a deep rut into the hillside, that I decided I must escape. I got the front wheel out of the rut, the rear wheel didn't follow, and I did an endo. The LT said from behind it looked like I did a perfect tuck and roll. However, my right hand just barely left the handlebars, and I punched the earth breaking my 4th metatarsal before that otherwise good tuck and roll.


The LT with the best riding in the background


Will carried a good first aid kit, so Steve's broken hand was wrapped


Will enjoys the descent, but Steve is awkwardly pushing after breaking his hand


The LT always has time to climb, and Steve didn't mind this break


Nearing the bottom where Steve eagerly anticipates returning to the Pickup

So, that's how we took 2:11 to do a 4.4 mile ride! The doctor says I'll be back on the bike by the end of July!

Happy Cycling for Fun, Fitness, and Transportation

Steve

Utah Cliffs- an Early Summer Alternative

Doug, Scott, & Jen (from my former home in Lewiston) make excellent adventurous cycling companions, so when I got an invite to join them for Utah Cliffs, my only question was “may my National Guard Cycling friends also join the trip?” That was approved with the only qualification being the obvious- they must be in shape and have enough pannier space to carry their share of group gear. LT Klein did just that and joined us for the first three cycling days.

The drive from Boise to St. George is about 10 hours, but the LT and I had to divert to Duck Creek Village where he’d leave his car and ride in my car to St. George. The LT couldn’t arrange a full week off, so he’d bicycle with us to Duck Creek Village getting in nearly all the climbing and drive home on 1 June as we started sailing downhill for 3 days, or so we planned.


The group: Scott, Will the LT, Steve, Jen, & Doug

29 May 11 40.4 miles 5:05 Riding Time 5,200 ft of gain
St. George, UT to Pine Valley, UT
Temple View RV Park seems the obvious place to stay in downtown St. George, with its thick luxurious grass to sleep on, but the tent area is well lighted, and noisy kid’s sneaked into the nearly pool at 0300 hours, so not all the group was happy there. I don’t like testing out new equipment on tour, but I was trying out my Old Man Mountain Cold Springs front rack- a “high rider” rack for a road tourist who’s been a fan of “low rider” racks since they were invented. On the 2 mile trip to breakfast my bike’s front end seemed to shake all over the place, and the bike seemed difficult to move. I wondered how I’d do on tour and if this rack would work. That short two mile ride had some kind of optical illusion- though it looked flat it was actually fairly steep into a stiff headwind. During the real ride the “high rider” rack never gave me any issues. Much to my surprise I’d recommend it for off road touring. Low riders balance the weight better, but low riding panniers are an easy target for passing rocks..


The group departing St. George on its bike path


the spokes on Jen's new rear wheel begin to loosen, giving wheel builder Scott something to do besides bicycle


Doug and the LT are eager to cross this rapidly flowing creek

When we arrived at the above creek, Doug and the LT seemed eager for the challenge of crossing the fast moving water. Scott, Jen, & I weren’t so sure and nearly went back to the highway. After talking the LT into the trip, I didn’t want to be a stick-in-the-mud, so I followed, and Jen and Scott were right behind me. Doug and the LT had braved this bare footed. Jen & I needed shoes for our tender feet.

Within minutes of the stream crossing, Doug’s Shimano chain broke. He’s well prepared and had another chain with him, so we were going in a few minutes. Amazing how quickly a mechanical guy can slap on a new chain with a master link.

Pine Valley is slightly off route, but we’d planned to spend the night in its nearby campground. The temps fell rapidly as we entered town- down 4 degrees as we crossed the narrow valley. Was our 3:00 meal lunch or dinner? As we ordered one meal and planned on returning for another, unknown to us the staff was preparing for their routine Sunday afternoon shutdown though Monday’s Memorial Day. A light mist fell, with some of the biggest snowflakes I’ve ever seen. The forecast was now revised to predict a low of 20 that night. We decided to seek out shelter at the grill across the street. Management and its staff seemed caught off guard by the arrival of Memorial Day. The owner had gone to town for more supplies leaving two teenagers to run the place, and the cold weather was filling their few cabins with last minute guests. We were in luck someone had vacated a cabin that we could have, a teenage employee was assigned the job of cleaning a just vacated cabin which would be ready in about two hours. Our wet shoes made the cold seem worse.


The LT is a master of ropes- like a sailor from the days of wooden ships and iron men. He devised this shoe drying rack which worked very well. We were all glad to put dry shoes on the next morning

30 May 11 58.9 miles 6:07 Riding Time 3,576 ft of gain
Pine Valley, UT to Cedar City, UT
We were glad for our shelter the next morning as we saw the forecast was wrong. The skies hadn’t cleared and the temps hadn’t drop to 20 degrees, but we did get wet snow that then froze hard, the skies were still dark with clouds, and it was still freezing as we ate our breakfast huddled in our cabin. It was 34 by the time we rode out. The snow hadn’t stuck to the road, our route was uphill, and we all had dry shoes, so no one suffered with the cold.


Steve's snow covered bike the next morning which made the "campers" happy they'd found shelter in the cabin

I mentioned I was uncomfortable with new untested equipment on the ride. Jen was riding a brand new bike with 2 accumulated miles on it as she headed out on day one. She and Scott made a couple of small adjustments that day (if I may call tightening all 32 spokes on the rear wheel "minor"), but as we were climbing the road out of Pine Valley, her Shimano 10 speed chain broke. Unfortunately, no one was carrying a spare one of those. Scott shortened the chain by a link; we considered returning downhill to St. George but continued on toward Cedar City where Jen hoped to buy a new chain that would let her use all 30 of her gears. The mountains were beautiful, and we had a tail wind as we did the day before, and the skies were clearing.

The LT figured it was his time for mechanical issues while in the mountains. I believe the sequence of events was: he lost the left rear rack bolt which let the rack weave, causing the right rear rack boss to pop off the frame. That created such a vibration that the LT stopped to declare the  bolt was lost. Scott had several of those, but while we were examining the bike, someone noticed the boss just off the seat post was no longer attached. Scott carries lots of spare parts, and came up with the below repair which had us going as soon as we’d eaten our PB&J sandwiches.


Will's rear rack boss comes off the frame


Scott's well done repair

We dropped out of the forest and into the grass by New Harmony. Enjoying our moderate tailwind and a down hill, we made good time to a freeway convenience store. No one even noticed LT Klein was 50 to 100 feet behind us. Scott and Jen were suffering almost identical allergy symptoms swollen watery eyes. Doug was wheezing but didn’t seek out the same allergy medications that brought some relief to Scott and Jen. As we prepared to leave, the LT took off like a shot. I had to struggle to catch him, and asked why he was riding ahead of everyone. “You guys about dropped me back there, and I’m doing my best to see it doesn’t happen again” was his reply. It seems the Mike Simpson approach, “If I drop you, you can’t drop me” isn’t entirely gone! We regrouped just before the turn off that would return us to dirt roads and a 1,400 climb up above Cedar City. It turns out that the neither the allergenic group nor the LT who was concerned about being dropped had any interest in completing what I thought was the challenge of the day, so we headed into town on the freeway frontage road.

The LT and I had spotted a KOA in Cedar City as we passed through on our way to Duck Creek Village, so we headed directly there as the bike shops weren’t opened on Memorial Day. Doug, Scott, and Jen had what they described as poor pizza delivered to the KOA. The LT and I walked 1/4 mile for a Mexican dinner. Cedar City has an interesting downtown, but we stayed in the strip mall section this evening.

31 May 11 33.4 miles 4:51 Riding Time 4,450 ft of gain
Cedar City, UT to Duck Creek Village, UT
Cedar Cycle opens at 9:00 instead of 10:00, so we headed there directly after our restaurant breakfast. Brian was able to replace the chain and cannibalize one of his bikes for a 10 speed shifter that was also needed to get Jen's new bike going with all 30 gears. Still we were out of there in just over an hour. Thanks Brian & Cedar Cycles!

Scott's big smile as Brian has Jen's bike in operable condition again

The climb out of Cedar City is steep, long, and beautiful, but Highway 14 was also full of trucks of every kind but especially dump trucks which combined with the severe head wind gave the ride an unpleasant side. We struggled with strong headwinds all day. Toward the top as the winds relentlessly tossed us, Doug yelled, “I curse you, wind gods!” As we rounded the next corner which cut through the mountain's flank, Doug, Scott, Jen, and I were blown off the road! Four of us were blown onto a pull out, but Scott was blown into a ditch. After straightening his handlebars we pushed the 50 yards to the top because of the wind. The LT was ahead of us for that blast, and only joined in the pushing to be social. At the top Adventure Cycling’s route turns back onto dirt roads that were covered in 2 to 5 feet of snow, so we stayed on Highway 14. Several of the hoped for campsites were buried in the snow. The last one had mostly melted snow, but flowing water was everywhere making it equally useless. Duck Creek Village was just ahead. Maybe this would be another night inside. We rented a cabin with two upstairs bedrooms, a nice kitchen, and living area for $100. We also had the best ice cream of the trip while in Duck Creek Village.

Will near the top of Coal Creek on Hwy 14

Will, Jen, and Steve just after 4 of the 5 were blown off the highway

Lost without the LT
1 Jun 11 64.9 miles 8:21 Riding Time
Duck Creek Village, UT to campground outside of Zion National Park
The LT had ridden to the highest point of the trip thinking he’d be there for most of the adventure and miss the easy coasting back downhill to St. George. He had to leave us this morning after breakfast- leaving us four to contemplate the “Red Flag Warning” with forecast wind speeds of 60 MPH which could lead to a layover day. The cabin was great for the 5 of us, but we didn’t want to spend a day in the nearly vacant Duck Creek Village, so we headed out into the wind but down the highway. Highway 14 is too busy to really enjoy, but Adventure Cycling’s route was still snow covered, so we turned off on the first alternative, Strawberry Creek, which we hoped to follow up to the ridge line, drop off the mountain, and rejoin the route. Good plan, but the top of Strawberry Ridge was snow covered with trees down everywhere. Getting to Strawberry Ridge represented 7 miles into a stiff headwind, and then reversing course because of downed trees, mud, and snow, but at least the return had a great tail wind.


Jen and Scott toward the top of Strawberry Ridge


The tree falls and snows that forced our turn around on Strawberry Ridge

The next draw over was Swain’s Creek. We met a seasonal resident & mountain biker who highly recommended this route. Then Jen & I met the assistant County Assessor who also highly recommended the route but warned of a 100 foot mud wallow to cross. Doug then joined us and asked about downed trees and possible snow/mud as he was concerned this would be another out onto the ridge top and back. The assistant assessor agreed it was possible we'd find those things. We turned around riding back out to Highway 14 where we again met the mountain biker (in his car). He didn’t know the current condition of the road but stated a weird winter storm had taken down a lot of tress above 8,500 ft, that this route would stay below that elevation, and reiterated that this was his favorite route in this area. I asked if he were in the area only one time and had a chance to see the canyon/vista or ride county #1 which way he’d go. He diplomatically avoided that question.

Now, Scott and Doug are generally of one mind, but in this instance Doug wanted to ride down Highway 14 to the lower country route #1 and proceed into the valley avoiding any chance of ruining his sprocket on down trees and back-tracking again. Scott wanted to see the dramatic scenery of this canyon. Jen somehow stayed out of the discussion. I saw both sides of the issue- not relishing another 7 miles into the head winds just to turn around, and not wanting to miss the best scenery of the trip. Asked to cast a deciding vote, I went for Swain Creek. So, we turned around and backtracked again.

The Assistant Assessor knew more than he realized. We arrived at the mud slough, and sure enough it was 100 to 150 feet long with no way around it. Doug was the first across. Scott seemed to abandon all caution and walked through the worst section, but when we were all across he was the cleanest. Jen won the contest for dirtiest.


The 100 to 150 ft of mud the Assistant County Assessor had predicted. Doug, Steve, & Jen. Photo by Scott.

It wasn’t many feet of climbing to the ridge top, and we never reached an elevation high enough for all the down trees. Views from the top were great, but soon we were confused. There were a spider web of roads going down. We selected what seemed the road most traveled, but soon it wasn’t so well traveled. Jen prayed for signs of civilization and soon two ATV’s showed up with three pleasant but non-local riders. They recommended a route down that would end at a private fence. We found a hand painted sign that read “Zion”, but it was very steep, and we decided to follow the advice of the ATVer’s. That road may have been steeper. We had to push down parts which reminded me of Crystal Creek that leads from North of Winchester into Mission Creek; rocky with wash outs- not really suitable for loaded touring bikes, so we pushed down sections. We were almost relieved when we saw the private property sign on the dilapidated gate an old dog could have jumped. Scott’s GPS finally picked up a signal that showed we were about 4 miles off AC’s route. The road was little used but discernible though no more than a cow trail. Soon we reached another fence- no gate- and no discernible trail- not even a cow trail as we crossed it and continued down hill trying to avoid the marsh like bottom lands. This is an area Corrie would have hated, but unfortunately, he’s apparently sworn off traveling with this adventurous group! I was thinking about the tall grass and not running over rattlesnakes that I’d have never seen! The LT would have loved this day.


This is a route? Jen with Doug in the background. Photo by Scott

The marshy area to our left and the fences and hillside to our right kept us in a narrow area that soon led to an abandoned cattle camp. The hired men’s shack was obviously abandoned. The old cattleman’s house looked empty. We walked our bikes quickly pass, and within 1/4 mile heard the roar of a motor. A newer king cab pickup with Colorado plates was buried up to its frame in the mud. A pleasant young family watched as the father and a heavier man with Utah plates on his pickup worked at pulling out the larger pickup. We apologized profusely for crossing the private land. The CO couple said it was OK, but the guy with UT plates seemed grumpy about it. We took no photos and hurried off though once their ordeal was over, they might have enjoyed a photo e-mailed to them.

The road soon became solid and led to a fence- clearly marked “No trespassing” from the other side. We were relieved to be back on public roads, and soon on route. When I look at the AC maps from the comfort of my home easy chair, I think I see how we got lost! Back on route as we crossed the E fork of the Virgin River, it was 5:00 p.m. Seeing a nice patch of flat green grass near the pleasant river, where I could have swum and we could have filtered water, I asked about camping. “We have only 10 miles to reach a hot shower” was Scott’s reply. I was pleasantly tired, and 5:00 is a great time to end a day’s travel especially when going to a non-developed camp, but I was sure I could handle 10 more miles no matter how many ridges it crossed. It crossed a lot of ridges, and, Scott, it was alot farther than 10 miles! This was my day to tire out first. It seemed we’d never quit crossing ridges, up and down. At 8:15 or so Doug started talking nightfall. We’re within 3 weeks of mid-summer’s day, so we had another hour, but I was tired, and was the last member of the pack to make it up each ridge, but the others also said they were tired. Somehow, we'd forgotten to eat lunch which, doubtless, made for more tiredness. When we reached Highway 9, we were all ready to camp and hoping we wouldn’t have to set up camp, cook, and clean up in the dark! Just a couple miles down the road, there was a sign “Pizza”- not my idea of the perfect food to sleep on, but it beat cooking and clean up after dark! We’d arrived about 8:40 p.m. at an RV Park just outside the park. Dusk was ending by the time we’d eaten a great pizza (no salads or fruits available to go with it- only some high-fat cookies and candy bars that I refrained from), and the quick tent erectors had their tents up without the use of lights. A sound sleep awaited us all after a good hot shower.


2 Jun 11 46.1 miles 4:34 Riding Time
Campground outside of Zion to Hurricane, UT
I awoke still tired from the previous day’s events. The pizza parlour didn’t serve breakfast, so we had instant oatmeal. It was downhill into and through the park with some great scenery. The National Park doesn’t allow bicycles to ride through its tunnel, so we were reduced to hitch-hiking. They were painting cross walks at the tunnel’s entrance so stopped traffic which made our hitch-hiking somewhat easier with stopped vehicles to make our pleadings to. Jen soon found a ride with 3 elderly people in an SUV though she wasn’t too happy about crossing alone. That turned out to be a good choice as when we eventually found a ride from a park service truck, it barely held the other 3 of us. Having made it though the tunnel we’d met one of the ride’s non-cycling challenges.


Scott, Doug, and Jen in Zion's NP

The park offers some beautiful vistas from the seat of a bicycle. Soon we were through the park and in Rockville with a bike shop. As we started up the dirt hill out of town, Scott’s wheel wobbling became a problem. Jen threaten not to continue riding until he had taken care of it. One of his 32 spokes was pulling through the wheel. He loosened the problem spoke and tightened the adjacent spokes, gave the tent to Jen, and continued on. A new 36 spoke touring wheel is the likely fix that will be taken later. Soon we reached what the AC maps call “the worst hill you’ll ever see”. By the time Scott’s GPS showed an 18% grade we were all pushing.


With loaded touring bikes it may be the worst hill we'd ever seen

We rode by the turn off to “Gooseberry Mesa” which I had planned to visit before yesterday's travel tired me. AC’s info says of it, “In this region of striking beauty and startling contrast, you can ride world-class slickrock in places like Gooseberry Mesa”. I should have at least seen it!

The route into Hurricane is a bit odd. It looks like the county road AC's route had us on had been abandoned to a new golf course. We rode into the course, felt lost, and found highway 59 with all its truck traffic, but with a steep speedy down hill grade into Hurricane.

We arrived in Hurricane planning to camp, but found only an RV park only for RV’s and a Good Sam Campground that despite all it’s grass had no room for non-member drop-ins. They recommended a couple of campgrounds 10 miles off route, but 10 miles off route means 20 extra miles. We ended up at a Motel 8 for less than $50- an option I need to keep in mind when I’m wanting to camp and the campgrounds are either too expensive or full.

3 Jun 11 32.8 miles 3:10 Riding Time
Hurricane UT to St. George, UT
We had a quick “continental breakfast” of cereal and English muffins before leaving the hotel which was adequate for this day’s short ride through the high desert. We were in St. George by noon. Doug had pleasant memories of the “Bear Paw” café we enjoyed on the way out of town, so we returned there for the final meal of the trip.

Summary: This is a great route that Adventure Cycling recommends for the fall. Every ride works well in early summer 3 weeks from Midsummer’s Day with all this light and little heat. The heavy snows forced us to divert onto more busy highways than we would have liked and probably caused our getting lost. Our route totaled 276 miles verses AC published route of 287. Keep in mind the early summer snow pack, but otherwise the route works in early summer. Getting water for our filters would have been no problem.

Check out Doug’s blog. He’s a great photographer, and his blog takes the opposite approach of mine- it’s mostly photos with a few descriptions.