Today we left Zion National Park. We couldn’t go the way we wanted to because the road was blocked, so some folks decided they would just take a van all the way to the destination. But if you know me, you know I chose the option to take the 3 hour van ride to where we could pick up the route and ride on! And I was glad I did, because the views coming out of the park to the East were amazing. Sandstone cliffs, tunnels, beautiful colors, and a lonely park road made even more lonely by the fact that nobody could get through.
One particularly cool spot along that stretch was a thing called Checkerboard Mesa which was exactly what it sounds like; a square pattern on a huge rock wall. Picture below.
The only flaw in today was that I was still having some trouble with my rear tire. However, I think we’ve got it sorted now, and it didn’t keep me from riding. It did keep me somewhat from truly letting go into the ride because it kept going flat over and over.
I ended up going into Jake’s Bike Shop and the guy was super nice, we had a long conversation about bikes and I got to meet his super cute dogs, Coco and Ruby. Then we headed to a local mexican joint and I had some fish and beans and rice, it was very tasty. I’ve made a bit of a commitment to drink less (alcohol I mean), and it’s made it much easier to sleep.
Tomorrow will be our first truly killer ride - 78 miles! Looking forward to it, but it will be a test for sure.
