Saturday, July 9th.
Up and out early to beat the heat. Today I rode north out of Page to Zion National Park. The ride there was through the part of the country I love the most, the arid wide open spaces of Utah and Arizona. I think that the whole area is beautiful enough to be a national park, but when you get to a place like Zion, then you realize how truly special it is. I have been here three times and it never fails to amaze. I rode from the east entrance to the west. It is about 13 miles and includes two tunnels, one of which is over a mile long. The views are stunning and the pictures don’t really do it justice. At the western end I took the shuttle bus up to the end of the canyon, because they don’t let cars drive up there as it gets too congested. I went for a short walk along the river at the end stop. On the way back I asked the female driver to point out which mountain was Angel’s Landing. This was one of my favourite memories from my year long trip in 2010. I remember how hard it was but also how much fun as I climbed 400 metres up to the top with two other men I met that morning. Then I turned around and rode back out again. I was going to stay in Kanab, Utah, and then go to Bryce tomorrow from there, but I changed my mind and rode 60 km to be just outside Bryce. I found a little place called Mountain Ridge Cabins and got myself a second ‘Coop’. Nice room with a Cafe Country Store across the street where I had an elk burger for dinner and bought some supplies for the morning. I rode 295 kms today.
Great country . Love the Coop !
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