Day #5—Cycle Monticello, UT to Moab, UT--May 27, 2011

54 miles by bike 

What a day! I was so tired when I arrived at the Moab Valley Inn that I left the bike in my room, and—unwashed and sweaty—immediately walked across the street to the Moab Brewery and had an icy draw at their bar. Moab is all about bikes—mountain bikes. And those that ride them are generally muscled, tattooed, young guys and gals. A greyhair on a road bike drinking beer at the local brewery drew some looks. I was hot and didn’t care a whit that I fit in like a square peg in a round hole. 

After my cooling brewski, I headed for the grocery, but got diverted by Gearheads Outdoor Store where I bought myself six additional tent pegs and a reading glasses lanyard. I remembered this store from when Jess and I were here in April of 2009 before we canoed the Green River. I even remembered that they had my kind of tent stakes. Right next door was the grocery, so I ducked in there and bought myself a tub of chicken salad at the deli and fixed myself a great spinach salad at the salad bar. Finally, I had all I needed, so headed back to the motel, but again got diverted at Moab Bicycles where I bought a lock for my bike. I’d forgotten the combination for my old one so it was useless. 

Back at the room I went through the ritual of all touring cyclists: eating, showering and washing out my bike clothes. Then what? I had no other clothes (duh!) so had to devise a sarong from the second bed sheet. Decked out like Caesar, I wolfed down my salads, called Jeff, and then took a long nap . . . so was up half the night writing these notes, watching inane things on TV, and thinking about tomorrow’s return ride. Felt fortunate that there was no fire drill or reason to leave the room before my clothes dried. 

Now, a little more about today’s ride: I left the Rodeway at about 7 AM, leaving my car with all my gear in it locked in the back parking lot. I wore my bike clothes, gloves, and helmet, of course, and also a fanny pack. I took my Specialized bike, which is equipped only with handlebar and underseat bags, thus spare tube etc were in the underseat bag, my lunch in the handlebar bag, and my wallet, phone, camera, etc. in the fanny pack. 

It was chilly—in the low 50s—when I left into a mild southwest tailwind. The tailwind died and the temp gradually rose into the high 70s by ride’s end. This doesn’t sound hot, but there is no shade or shelter anywhere. 

UT-191 into Moab is two-lane, switching to three lanes on the upside of hills, and there ARE hills—big ones! Yes, I know, I’m whining. I also know that hills usually have two sides, one up and the other down, but UT-191 was a lot hillier and a lot steeper than Google terrain had led me to believe. I figure that tomorrow I will have to climb two long sections (4 miles) of truck-on-a-cheese, twisty 6% downhill that I rode down today. Of course to get to the downhills I first had to climb. The first of these most exhausting climbs came after Church Rock, a huge sandstone gumdrop that sits all by itself in the sagebrush. The second was a twisting uphill just before and after Hole in the Rock (more on that later). This last one was shorter (only about a mile) and once I’d climbed it, I had a gentle roll the last 9 miles into Moab through Spanish Valley. 

Church Rock

The landscape in this area is stunning. Huge rock formations, sage-dotted mesas, and the snow covered La Sal peaks always in the distance, as well as wildflowers at roadside. There was little traffic going north, so I did not have to contend with traffic when pedaling uphill and the shoulder disappeared to make a slow-vehicle lane. The road was rough paved blacktop with large stones, so I didn’t win any speed records going up or down, and generally those were my only choices. 

Clockwise: Lupine, Goldeneye, Blue Phacelia (Scorpion Weed) , Double Bladderpod

Wild Blue Flax (camera did not capture the blue color), Globe mallow, Utah Thistle?, Prickly Pear 

La Sal Mountains

Closer view of the LaSal Mountains and roadside flora

Right out of the motel parking lot, I had a short downhill and then a long uphill. Just when I was questioning my sanity, the road flattened out a bit and I began to enjoy the scenery. I stopped often to take pix and to catch my breath, and pushed my bike up a couple of steep spots. I liked to divert myself from climbing by finding shapes in the rock formations. I imagined giant crouching lizards, reclining dwarves, tall people wearing blankets (these lined the cliffs to the left as I entered Moab), humpbacked bison, and many parts of both the male and female anatomy. . . or I should say many representations of the same parts of the male and female anatomy. 

About 20 miles after Church Rock, I came to a turnout at the foot of a cliff that had a large arched “window” in it, reminiscent of those in Arches National Monument. I got off the bike and climbed up to take a photo. It was not easy going in bike shoes on the slick rock and sand.

Seeing nothing of civilization for 30 miles or so, I was delighted to come upon an alpaca farm, and then several miles further on, a touristy place called Hole in the Rock. I took a photo at the entrance to Hole in the Rock but did not go into the souvenir shop, because I saw a sign further up the hill that said “Rest Area 500 feet.” Yes! 

The rest area was fantastic. Huge cottonwoods, lush green grass, picnic tables, drink vending machines, and SHADE! I fixed myself slices of hard-boiled egg and cheese on Triscuits, bought 2 bottles of cold water and a can of lemonade, and sat at a picnic table cooling down for at least an hour, probably more. I figured that I was only about a dozen miles out of Moab, but I had no way of keeping track of my miles because the bottle cap I’d taped over my FlightDeck handlebar button had fallen off at mile 14-something at Church Rock. Without the bottle cap, I grip the handlebars to climb and inadvertently press the button and turn off the computer. 

After HITR, I had a climb and then the long gradual roll into Moab. Though I rode only 54 miles, it was a tough 54 miles, and I was exhausted when I finally arrived about 4 PM. I had been the whole day on my bike! I forgot to look at my average but it couldn’t have been much over 8 or 9 mph. Tomorrow I repeat the performance in the opposite direction. More tomorrow evening when I get back to my computer. 

I’ve not met anyone to really talk to all day, and it feels strange to be so estranged.