Today I dedicate my ride to LCPL Matias Ferreira. Please take a moment and be inspired by his story. Thank you Matias for your service and sacrifice for our freedom. You are a hero an inspiration to many!
What a great day of soaking in absolute desert beauty. I was in awe of the vast, rugged landscape that Hwy 95 had to offer me. Wind and water are powerful elements that can carve amazing canyons over time. We stayed at Whispering Sands Motel again last night. (Thank you Gerry and Melissa Crook for your personal donation!). I started around 5:30am and was greeted with a vey beautiful sunrise. The subtle color changes that happened over the course of an hour had me smiling from ear to ear. The different color tones went from the cool blues to the very warm yellows and oranges. My crappy iPhone photos don’t do it justice.
The morning temperature was a refreshing 64° which almost felt chilly especially with all the wind. I welcomed it because I knew the heat was quickly coming. It was 72° in a matter of 30 minutes, and by 7:30 it was 90°. It soon reached 104° as a high according to my Garmin which calculates the heat radiating from the asphalt. It was HOT! I was melting by 10am. Kelly came around 11 with lunch and cold Powerades and ask what was all over my skin. I looked down and I had a layer of white crusted salt that was accumulating. I use to think dry heat was better than the humid heat we get back in South Carolina, however having my fair share of riding in dry heat now, I have come to the conclusion that heat = heat. Both are HOT!
From my ACA map I knew the first 20 miles I was going to be climbing mostly and the next 20 would be a decent. I was looking forward to that. The climbs didn’t look all that bad with grades between 1-5.5%, however, with strong headwinds and gust up to 28mph the first few hours of riding were slower than I had hoped for. What time I lost climbing I thought I would quickly make up with 20 wonderful miles of downhill. WRONG! The headwinds and strong sidewinds made me struggle. Everyone knows that downhill riding is your reward for climbing, you get to go fast! Well not today. My downhill experience was met with 15-28 mph headwinds and cross winds that battered me from side-to-side. Coasting downhill wasn’t an option for me as I was forced to pedal just to maintain a speed of about 12mph on a hill that I should have been coasting on at 20 mph+. This wasn’t fun at all. In addition, the temperature had quickly risen to 104°, adding to the difficulty of the day. This was only the first half of my day, the easy part! I knew I had mostly uphill climbing the rest of the day. It got discouraging rather quickly.
Around mile 38 there was a wonderful surprise area that had a picnic area and a bathroom. Praise God for this place! I stretched my legs, used the facilities and sat down to have a snack and fill up on Powerade. I geared myself up for the remainder of the day. BTW this was the only time I had to pee! I drank so much today you would have thought I would be stopping ever 5 miles. Nope. It did worry me but I never got dizzy today so I kept going.
Did I say I had strong headwinds? Oh the wind… ALL DAY LONG! Felt like I was on a stationary bike at some points. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It helped cool me off, yet I had to work twice as hard to get anywhere.The only time I got a reprieve from both sun and wind was when I was climbing in the shadows of the amazing rock formations. However, I quickly realized that where there was shade there were horse flies. I had to be moving more than 6mph to keep these flies from hell from bitting me. That was nearly impossible for me climbing uphill. I couldn’t get away from them. They were my constant companions until I got back into the sun and wind. I was screaming at them by mile 65, screaming!
I made it to Lake Powell mid-afternoon. What a beautiful site. I met a couple up there and they said they had saw me climbing up to the outlook and felt sorry for me because of how hot it was. They gave me a cold bottle of water which I gladly drank while talking with them. They gave me another one to fill up my empty bottle. Great people from Nebraska. I got back on my bike and crossed the Dirty Devil River Yep it’s dirty alright. The bridge that crosses the Colorado River was an impressive sight. I just can’t imagine what the men building this must have gone through working in this heat and wind. This area is where three cannons join: the Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon and the Dirty Devil River. It was the lowest point of the day’s journey. I of course stopped and took pictures, and rested for the next big climb.
The ACA map indicated a steep climb out of the river canyon and bridge, but steep doesn’t adequately describe the ascent. It was at least 8%, perhaps 9% in some areas, for a mile and a half. With the heat, flies, and the grade, it was difficult, to say the least, but I did it!
Kelly met me up at the top and gave me a cold cloth to wipe off all the layers of salt off my face, arms and legs. It was refreshing. I ate a bit and replenished my water bottles. I was at mile 50 at this point. I was looking forward to the downhill, but again, was greeted with wind and her big gusts. For the next 30 miles I struggled mentally to keep going. I had a total of 6 cars pass me all day. One truck passed me and I saw that he had pulled off the side. I suddenly got nervous and scared not knowing what he was doing and wondered if I should take a break where I was at until he got back in his car and left. I was in the middle of an incline so I really didn’t want to stop. He quickly got back in his car and was on his way. I arrived at the spot he had stop to find a cold Gatorade waiting for me on the side of the road with a note saying “you got this”. I just wanted to cry. What a blessing. Thank you Mr Nice Guy!
I saw Kelly off-roading and I was a tad jealous. She had been in the AC and shielded from the wind and the flies all day. I was glad she was enjoying herself. In some weird sense I was also enjoying myself too even though I was suffering and getting batted around by the wind, poisoned by the sun and eaten alive by the flies. My whole body ached especially my hands from white knuckling my handlebars trying to keep the bike from falling with these gusts. It was quit a day. I didn’t meet my original goal of riding 100 miles. I was 14 shy of it. 86 miles isn’t to shabby in these conditions and I will take it as a win for me. The ride was grueling. I am proud of myself for not quitting back in Fry Canyon, mile 72, when my mind was going into dark places.
It was a hard day, but thankfully I had so much beauty to look at as I was suffering. I would definitely ride this route again. It is absolutely breathtaking. HWY 95 doesn’t disappoint with it’s vast, rugged landscape of water- and wind-carved canyons, buttes, mesas, rivers, and green vegetation near it’s springs. Every turn is an opportunity for a photograph and exploration. I would love to also visit the slot canyons, go 4wheeling, see places in Glen Canyon, visit the natural brides monument, see House on Fire at sunrise, visit Factory Butte, I could go on and on and on… Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante, there is so much to see and do here. Utah is a wonderland from another planet.
I am currently writing this as Kelly drives us to Moab for the night. We stopped in Blanding for dinner at the Patio Diner, cute place and great hamburgers! (Thanks Eric and Emily Estep for your personal donation). I was able to make reservations at Super 8 in Moab. (Thanks Peter and Schea Freimanis for helping us out on a hotel tonight!) So many places are already full, something that I wasn’t counting on. Tomorrow will be a fun day exploring Arch Canyon National Park. Thanks R2Fit for the recovery drink which is going to replenish my electrolytes. It is desperately needed today with the mound of salt that is on my body instead of inside it.
Thanks again for all who have supported us through your prayers, encouraging texts, and your donations throughout our journey. You’re the best! We appreciate you so much! Thank you also to those who have supported HFOT. Your donations to them help disabled Veterans, like LCPL Matias Ferreira, get a chance at reclaiming some of their personal freedoms in a new home. Many thanks! Enjoy the photos. Kelly got some really good ones on which I will post on a separate blog. These below are from my crappy iPhone.
Night and be blessed, Kristy
