Todays stats;

distance - 79 miles,

elevation climb - 5,768 feet, 

duration - 7 hours and 26 minutes,

max speed - 43 mph,

number of 74 years olds, also riding coast to coast on a bicycle that overtook me - 1, 

The ride today was excellent. The main reason for this was a tailwind that persisted almost all day. 

I could have easily passed the 100 mile mark, but I had booked accommodation so had to stop. 

I'm loathe to talk about the weather as I have become quite superstitious on this journey, but it did do me a favour.   I'm almost convinced that when days go too well, or the weather is too kind, things come back to bite you very quickly. Fingers crossed for more good luck to come. 

There were 2 main climbs today, each of about 2,000 ft.  

It was on the 2nd climb that Rick rode up alongside me. We chatted briefly and he said he was 60 Years old and part of a group of 5 that were riding with a support vehicle across America. The others were a few miles back and one of those was 74 years old!

The beauty of riding supported means they could use ultra light bikes, had no heavy bags to lug around and only really needed to carry some water bottles. 

Those are my excuses for being overtaken anyway. I mean really, my underwear probably weighed more than these guys bikes. 

Seriously though, wow, I hope and wish I could be in good enough shape to attempt this when I'm 74. 

Dad, fancy riding back across country with me?

Ok admittedly this chap didn't exactly look like he was having fun  when he reached and proceeded to  breeze past me, but I'm sure he was. We exchanged hellos but there was no time for pleasantries. He was gone. I was left to reflect. 

I think his mid day nap may go on until morning, but as he gets up and rides another 50-80 miles the next day, he has my respect. 

The scenery today was mainly rolling green hills with random jagged rock faces dropped in. 

Every now and then some mountain tops would appear on the horizon, in the distance and in no particular direction. In the mean time I have been working closer to my biggest climb, Monarch Pass. 

So I managed to tear myself away from Telluride, the magical wonderland of all and any outdoor activity, great people, restaurants and places to hang out.

I left the house of the hugely hospitable Deane (thankyou Deane) and her flatmates at 7.30am and headed to find some breakfast.

First stop after food was the gondola/cable car for a ride over the ridge to 'Mountain Village' again.
There was fresh rain and snow overnight so the mountain tops looked whiter than previously. One face looked positively silver in the morning sun. There were still some low clouds too, so it was nice to glide up and into them.
From Mountain Village the brilliant start to the day continued. A fast downhill stretch that went on for about 10-15 miles.
After this there was a climb for about an hour and a half pushing back up roughly 2,000 ft to 8,900 ft.
On the climb I forgot I was riding through mountains - It became rolling green fields and tall trees.
Towards the top, on the horizon, directly ahead I saw what I thought was my next obstacle appearing - another giant snow topped mountain. As the road slowly climbed up to its max, the rolling fields either side dropped away and I was greeted by 3 or 4 even bigger peaks. Each appeared to the right of the last one, taller again, like giant stepping stones. Within about 2 minutes of climbing the horizon ahead and everything to my right had became overwhelmed by these peaks that were previously shielded by these green hill.
I had goose-bumps because it felt like they were literally rising up in minutes.

About 5 minutes later I was at this summit of this pass. From here the fastest descent I have ridden started and it seemed to go on for ages. I hit 47 mph!!! And was cruising at a minimum of 40mph for what felt like 10 minutes. There wasn't much wind whipping things up so I was confident I wouldn't get knocked off.

It was a great day in all. 70.8 miles covered in 6 hours including a quick lunch stop in Ridgeway. My legs felt pretty good at the end of it too.

I saw 2 Marmots today, in quick succession. They are like busses. Wait your whole life to see one and then 2 come along at once. Funny looking animals. I loved them. Some people hate them. ;)

Blog is updated. It's just in a weird order for some reason.

I have arrived in Dolores and instantly I like this small town.
Every shop and street seems to have a charm that appeals to me.

My first port of call is the brewery, that apparently does great food and local beers.
It's just reward for putting in an 81 mile day by 3pm. I'm writing from this location so my grammar etc may suffer.
The difference between today and my previous long days is that on those rides I had no option but go the distance if I wanted a bed. This time there were several places to stop short of 81 so I'm pleased with myself for keeping going.

I started out at 7am, riding solo again.
It's been nice to meet a few other riders and join together for a while, but equally I have been very happy to set off on my own.
It's a bit like holidaying with someone else, in that you never do exactly what you want, when you want. It may sound a bit selfish but part of the appeal of this trip is the absolute freedom to go and do as you wish.
The solitude that comes with it has its pros and cons.
I have had plenty of time to reflect, think and talk to myself. I haven't had any life changing epiphanies just yet.
My main observation after having lots of time to analyse life and the world is.........
its best not to think to much, especially if you're me.

Today's ride started out with about 20 miles uphill, but nothing too strenuous.
Soon after the climb finished I crossed the border into 'Colorful Colorado', my fifth state since starting out. It is indeed (so far) colourful. Looking to the horizon all I could see were rolling green fields. More like England. Looking up close though, the ground was still fairly dry and arid between the grass shoots.

According to the map the route after the first uphill section was pretty flat. It's true, there were no mountain passes, but it was continuous rolling hills the whole way, meaning I still climbed 4,400 ft over the 8 hour ride - So no walk in the park.

The theme for today's ride was watching some very imposing mountains in the distance get larger and larger. These I'm told, are the actual Rockies!!!
I had been under the impression that this vast mountainous area I had already been riding through were the Rockies. Apparently not!
The areas I have travelled through have indeed been very mountainous and rocky so from this point forward I will refer to them as the Rockies too.

I hit another small landmark today. I'm now onto the 4th out of 4 maps covering the first 1500 miles of the journey. 360 miles until I join another ACA bike route and hit the Great Plains of America. Can't believe I'm saying this but I already think I'm going to miss these climbs. There is always something on the way up, and the way down which requires you to stare at it in awe.
I'm worried the plains will be a bit plain.
I'm noticing a pattern of places that live up to their names in the USA;

Grand Canyon
Short canyon,
Long canyon,
Red canyon,
White canyon,
The plains (so I'm warned)
Blanding,
Color-ado,
Turkey knob (don't ask)

Milford is not on this list.

Another day, another town, this one is called Telluride.
It's surrounded by steep hilly mountains and by winter its a ski resort.
Looking along the line of Main Street, on the horizon you see a big waterfall tipping over the edge of a steep mountain face. Visible next to it is a zig zagging path which has obviously been carved out for people to hike up. It only takes an hour apparently and I'm tempted to stay a day to explore the town and the nearby off road routes.
I contacted some kind people from warm showers . Com for help with accommodation here. They work in the local bike shop and between them they are finding me a place to stay for the night.
Within 10 minutes of arriving I've spoken to 3 separate people each interested to hear how the trip has been. Everyone here is bike mad. Very cool, funky looking bikes are scattered along the high street/main street. All very expensive I'm sure and very few locked up.
It's a picturesque haven full of cool interesting, friendly, smiley, positive people too. I like. That's my first impression anyway.

Having said all that, my bike will probably get nicked now.

The ride to get here was a slow starter, but finished with a bang. It was 66 miles and the first 50 miles were a straight uphill climb to 10,222 feet.
I didn't have a great breakfast so my energy was low to begin with. I was really labouring and going slowly, but that was probably good news for my joints.
I was also far from hungover, but a couple of pale ales the day before didn't help my energy levels.
After 38 miles of climbing I stopped in Rico, at a nice cafe and had a tasty chicken sandwich and 16 cups of coffee. This was just what I needed and helped me to power to the summit in good time, compared to my pace at the start of the climb.
Once at the top the road magically became perfectly smooth and a flying decent began. The smooth surface is courtesy of an annual mountain bike race that is held here.

The mountain tops were very close by. They were the most towering, striking, atmosphere piercing mountains I had seen so far. They looked great. Flying down this decent was really exhilarating. Thankfully I have good brakes on my bike. Speeds were easily reaching 40+mph just by coasting.

The great thing about this journey, so far, is that every time you are finding things difficult, or having a below average day, something is just around the corner that lifts your spirits.
Mother Nature is really inspiring!
Equally she can be a bit of a b#*tch and slap you down just when you think everything couldn't be better. I'm trying to stop myself from feeling too elated and equally too down, so that whatever is round the corner is not so much of a shock.

Only 5 climbs (and about 300 miles) left. Three small and two big. The biggest peaks at 11,312 ft - Monarch Pass. That will be the highest I have ridden.
I'm not sure I want it to end though.

A day off, getting organised in Bland ing.

Laundry done,
relaxing swim taken,
Tan improved (only mild burning),
energy bars, beef jerkey, emergency food/sweets purchased,
tyres checked,
bike cleaned and tuned (to the best of my ability),
knees pleased,
bags re packed,
batteries charged,
Cash ready,
unnecessary items thrown in the bin.

I'm feeling ready to get moving again in the morning and I'm looking forward to it.

Utah has been the most spectacular state to ride through. Truly breathtaking every day.
Tomorrow I hit Colorado so fingers crossed it is half as good.
It's not a Mormon state so finding a beer after a hard days riding should be a bit easier.

I slept surprisingly well considering it was on a roll matt on concrete floor. No Mosquitos or scorpions as far as I'm aware.

We all set off on the 74 mile journey to Blanding at 6am.

The day was much calmer, beautiful sunshine and very little wind. What a contrast to yesterday.
The roads were really nice and quiet at that time too. We still had to ride out of Glen Canyon so the views continued and were improved by the sun rising behind the canyon walls.

Riding as a group didn't last long, again we all seemed to splinter pretty quickly.

I was riding and feeling pretty good except for a problem with food.
The only shop in Hite was closed when we arrived.
They did re open in the evening to help us out, but they could only take cash after hours and I only had card. I won't make they mistake again.
The others had next to no cash too!! Pretty poor show between 4 people. Had the shop been open as normal and accepting cards as normal we would have been able to buy dinner, breakfast and food for the journey.

This meant the 74 mile ride would need to be fuelled by a bag of trail mix and 2 slices of bread and some peanut butter. Not nearly enough calories. Doable but the last section would undoubtably be a massive drain.
I was riding and dreaming of eating a hearty meal, so after about 40 miles (of a 50 mile climb) I put my thumb out. I feel a bit bad about getting a lift and saving 30 miles of riding but in the grand scheme it's nothing.
There were some unlucky circumstances that led to going for it.
You can't ride this long without a few things going against you.

A lovely retired couple from Oklahoma picked me up. I was their first hitchhiker in 40 years. I must have looked hungry ;)
I was pleased to hear they were unaffected by the recent tornado that caused so much damage.

I'm now in a nice restaurant, washed and fresh and feeling much more human.

I'm going to give myself a day off tomorrow. I have been making really good time so can afford to slow down for a day. My knees will appreciate it too.

I'm hoping Blanding doesn't live up to its name although it is a dry town so no beer on my day off!

After arriving in Hanksville early Chris and I had most if the day to relax and recover. He went to put his tent up and I looked around for a cheap motel room.
Raechel and Owen, the 2 we left in Cedar City caught us up in the evening after putting in a 119 mile day! So again, we planned to set off together in the morning.

It ended up being one of the hardest days so far. Mentally and physically it took all I had. Yesterday 50 miles was done comfortably in 3.5 hours with time for stopping, eating and exploring. Today it took over 8 hours!!

The wind was back and it was pushing directly against us. I knew it was going to be stronger today but kept my fingers crossed it wouldn't be too bad.

As soon as we got on the Road it was tough.
For the first 10 miles or so we drafted in behind each other taking turns to go at the front. Those behind made the most of the slightly sheltered riding before stepping up and getting blasted.
After that organised start we all ended up splintering apart. We all had very different paces so it reduced to each fighting his and her own battle. Every 6-10 miles we might re group to moan and eat some food. Actually it took the others a while longer than me to start moaning. They were all surprisingly chirpy to begin with. That changed though. They became more English/British.

The wind combined with the arid and sandy environment to create a kind of torture.
It was an assault on all the senses. You couldn't look to the horizon because sand would hit your eyes even more than necessary.
You couldn't hear anyone or make conversation over the rushing air whistling part your ears.
The sand that was whipped up actually stung your arms and legs. Finally the strength of the wind meant you were always being knocked backwards, into the road or into a ditch which was a general physical strain.
It all contributed to wear you down in every way. It was probably more of a mental struggle than a physical but very tough either way.

The only consolation I thought to myself was that the scenery wasn't up to much today so I wasn't missing much by staring the 2ft of Tarmac in front of me the whole time.
That changed after the 30 mile mark when we entered Glen Canyon.
The landscape just grew around us as the road slowly dropped and zig zagged left and right and approached Hite and lake Powell. The views were quite amazing.
As we approached Lake Powell the weather created a bit of a mystical feel. The lake is a lot lower than normal and there was a lot of excess sand around. This was being whipped up to create a violent swirling mist. Great to look at from a distance but awful to be in the middle of.
We arrived in Hite 30 minutes before the only shop was meant to shut. Unfortunately their opening hours had changed so they were already closed. There was somewhere to fill up with water though and between us we hopefully have enough food to make it the 76 miles to the next town tomorrow.

Oh yeah, there was no accommodation here either so its camping under the stars tonight! I thought this may happen so lucky I bought a sleeping bag in Hankesville.

I hit a bit of a landmark today!
I passed the 1,000 mile mark, that's 25% of this bike ride complete!
I have beaten the Nevada desert, Sierra Mountains, the Wasatch Mountains and some searing temperatures in California.
I have 570 miles to go until the Rockies are behind me.
I'm currently in Hanksville, Utah, marked out by the quarter on the maps below.

Looking over the last 20 days I have to say things have in the main, gone really well. I have been quite lucky with the weather, my legs are still going and I'm mentally prepared for more! Fingers crossed it stays that way!

Today I covered 49 miles and was finished with riding by 12.00, giving good time to relax and prepare for the next step.
It was a great day and I was only pedalling for about 3.5 hours.
The weather was perfect, scenery continued to amaze (see pictures) and the altitude dropped about 2,000 ft from start to finish, without any notable uphills.
I wish every day was that easy.

I would say the last 2 days of riding have been the most spectacular I have experienced. If anyone is trying to choose a scenic a route to bike/camp/hike you really should come here if you can.

I was lacking a bit of inspiration yesterday. Maybe I was tired.
Not today - this was one of my best days of riding and it became one of the toughest.

I covered 66 miles in 8.5 hours. There was 1 big climb which peaked at 9,600 ft.
The first 42 miles was a long push to this pass. The last 22 miles were supposedly downhill to Torrey, Utah.

Things started with an 8am departure from Escalante, after breakfast of course.
Following a gentle bit of climbing we hit what I would describe as a roller coaster for bicycles. It was serious fun. The road weaved and dipped and for good periods was downhill. Of course with uphills as well which were slow.

What made today special was the scenery we passed through. It was so stunning. Big jagged rock faces, huge canyons, crevices, rivers, and smooth road cutting right through it all.
After a lot of fun things got steep and some hard climbing began. We were trying to get to Boulder where lunch was planned. Before that we had to get past some very high grade roads.

It was always encouraging to see people giving thumbs up and waving encouraging hand gestures on the way up. Stopping at any view points was also another time to receive pats on the back and words of encouragement from various people.
No one offered a lift though.

We had been warned about a section of road before Boulder with big drops on either side of the road and no barriers. Word was that it wasn't for the faint hearted.
It wasn't scary though. Traffic was minimal, the weather was perfect and the views were again, bloody unbelievable.
Chris and I continued to ride together but his pace seemed to be slower than me today. I think he had forgotten how to use his higher gears.
I was keen to make good time so didn't bother slowing for him. I knew he would catch up when eating lunch in Boulder.
Halfway through eating my lunch I got a text from him, 1 word saying 'flat'
FLAT I thought!!! That was bloody hilly. What a strange thing to say.
As I was eating my desert the cogs in my brain clicked in and I realised he meant flat - tyre. I was beginning to think even he couldn't be this slow. He texted again at that point and suggested I just carry on.
He had it under control. Who would plan to ride 4000 miles and not have a puncture repair kit and or spare tubes?

Boulder was 28 difficult but fun miles from the beginning. I would describe the next 14 miles to the pass at 9,600 ft only as difficult. It was a relentless climb that seemed to go on forever.

Leaving Boulder was brilliant though. As I was paying the bill a cowboy passed the cafe followed by hundreds of cows and calves. I realised this was going to slow me down a lot, but I was definitely going to enjoy the spectacle.

Cars were already backing up as I joined the road. I slipped alongside them all until I reached the lead car which couldn't push through the throng any faster. We were surrounded.
They were making a right racket mooing all the way through town and beyond. Shitting and pissing everywhere.
I was running the gauntlet again. Waiting to get splattered. My wingman (couple in car next to me) offered to take my picture which was nice of them.
Every now and then I would try and make a small charge to see if I could push my way through. Some scattered but there would always be a big one in the clearing that didn't understand and looked like he was going to run at me instead. So I bided my time but eventually found a gap and a way around.

The majority of cars were stuck for a long time - I was miles down the road before any passed me. Except my wingman who also found a gap fairly quickly.

It was great to finally reach the pass. The ensuing downhill was fast and views good. There were too many small climbs to make it really fun descent though. It became a bit of a struggle after so much climbing beforehand.

On the final approach to Torrey I heard a car coming from behind me and abuse being shouted out of the window. I just caught 'you British bastard, see you in the next town'' and then saw Chris smuggly hanging out the window as it disappeared into the distance.
Jammy bastard.

A slow start.
The first stop before leaving Panguitch was the bakery to buy some freshly made doughnuts for the journey. They were amazing - I must eat more of those.
2nd stop was the local diner for a large breakfast, lots of coffee and a sandwich to go, for the journey!!
3rd stop was a general food shop to buy some further things to eat - for the journey!!!
Finally at about 8.45 we (Chris and I continue to ride together) made it out of town.

It was a nice day on the road. 67 miles covered over 2 climbs, neither of which were too punishing.
It started off with yet more fantastic scenery. It just keeps on coming! An amazing red canyon appropriately named Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National monument.
All day there was something new to marvel at. It's really getting boring now ;)
Of course you can never get bored of this.
The weather was kind. Occasional head winds but generally it was behind us and cool temperatures. Much cooler than I'm used to.
The final approach into Escalante was a gentle downhill stretch lasting about 8 miles. To the left side if the road was a imposing, steep rock face that seemed to follow us forever and made for some great pictures.

My knees continue to give me grief. I'm just ploughing on without grinding them too much. Using the lowest gear possible to maintain a half decent speed. I'm really hopeful they will just re adjust and work out this is what their job is from now on. No more hiding under a desk or dashboard.
I'm sure they will get stronger if my brain sends the right messages to them. Mind over matter.

Tomorrow it's either another 60 mile day to Torrey or if things are going well we might push on for a 95 mile day ending in Cainville. A decision will be made at Torrey though.

Brief update today. Looking forward to a good sleep.

:)

I registered on couch surfers . com last week and placed an advert and a request for help with accommodation when in Cedar City.
I got In touch with super friendly and helpful Luzzy and Lena who were kind enough to offer me a bed in their spare room.
They also looked after my bike while I drove to GC and Zion which was really kind of them.
When I returned from my road trip they were hosting three more cycle tourists so they had a full house.
The other three were also riding to the East Coast, 2 to New York and 1 to Maine.
We all agreed to hit the road together this morning, leaving at 6am!!!
That was a little earlier than I was used to, but for the opportunity to ride with other people, it was worth getting up early for.

As we prepared to leave one of the other cyclists, Rachael looked unwell and was sick a few times. I think this is what happens when a vegan eats spam but thats another story.
Rachael and her companion suggested Chris and I ride ahead and they would hopefully catch up a bit later once she was feeling better.

So the two of us set off seeing as we had already made the effort to get up and ready, which wasn't easy at 5.30am.

The riding was basically split into 2 halves. 30 miles uphill and then 30 miles downhill.
It was a long day - About 9.5 hours from door to door and we covered 61.5 miles. The climb was long and slow and lasted nearly 6 hours. I went to the highest altitude i have ridden to at about 10,600 ft.

Our route was to take us very close to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Unfortunately the road to this attraction/park was still closed because of the winter weather. We checked the latest road advisory and it said it had not been plowed and was still shut.
We were prepared to take a detour which was a massive shame. At approx 9,700 ft we arrived at the entrance to the 'closed road' and should have carried on past it.
The snow was not that bad on the road we were travelling and the weather was looking pretty respectable at this point.
We also knew that the 'closed road' only climbed another 1000 ft max so couldn't see how conditions would change that much.
Anyway after deliberating for about 10 seconds we decided that there was no way this road could still be impassable so we climbed around the barrier and proceeded to Cedar Breaks National Monument with quiet confidence in our plan.

It was a master stroke and our hunch was correct.
We had the whole national park to ourselves, no cars or tourists. The music was on and the road was fine, mostly.
Ok, there were a few patches where deep snow covered the road but it was pretty easy to get over or around.
We has great viewing points with fantastic outlooks and no hustle or bustle for a good spot.
Cedar Breaks is another breathtaking natural formation on a big scale. Had I not been to GC the previous day I would have been gormlessly open mouthed again just as Chris was today. ;)

As we were coming close to the end of the so called 'closed road' the weather was closing in.
It started to sleet, literally as we approached the back of the 'road closed' sign, about 8 miles from the start of our digression.

We paused victoriously for a picture and then re joined the open, public roads. As we did this the sleet turned to heavy snow and the temperature quickly plummeted to about -2C.
This was the beginning of the descent down the mountain and it was tough going. My glasses were misting on the inside from my warm breath (diverted by my face cover) and they were getting covered in snow on the outside. Visibility was only about 30 metres anyway.

It was a pretty hairy ride until we got down to about 7000 ft where the snow disappeared, temperatures slowly climbed and the feeling came back into my fingers.

After this it was a pretty gentle ride into Panguitch, home got the night.

Tomorrow the plan is to head to Escalante. More miles to cover but less severe climbing so hopefully a slightly easier day.

Dear Americans. I have only just scratched the surface but from what I have seen so far, you are lucky to live in such a special place. I wish England had some of this.

Zion and Grand Canyon both blew me away.
With very limited time I didn't see much of either, but I'm hopeful I saw some of the best bits.
In Zion I opted for the 5 mile hike, climbing approximately 1500 Ft up a rock formation calked Angels Landing.
In equal measures I climbed with awe and fear. The pathway zigzagged steeply up a severe rock face and through an enclosed canyon type area . There were no railing or guards to protect you from a massive fall but this probably helped preserve the beauty of the place.
It was raining all the way up so things were a bit slippery.
100 feet from the top the path disappeared and occasional metal poles stuck out of the rock, joined up by metal chains. Many people stopped climbing here.
You were expected to hold on to these chains for dear life if you wanted to continue to the very top.
The chains were not a constant though. There were gaps which meant it was just you on a slippery angled rock face at times. Other people coming down needed to use the same chain and preferred footings. It got quite gridlocked. There weren't many options when choosing your next move.
I didn't make the very top. I got to a point where It dawned on me I had nightmares that sometimes started just like this - so I decided to work my way back to safety.

But wow, what an adrenaline rush while surrounded by such beautiful landscape.
I think on a dry day with good footing I would have continued that last bit.

I couldn't understand how the Grand Canyon could beat Zion but it did.
In my opinion they were both equals in for pure stunning landscape but the scale of the Grand Canyon is what sets it apart.
It could be called the Great Grandest Grand Canyon!!
Standing up on the north Rim it was hard to process what you were seeing. It looked super imposed.
If you haven't been the only good thing about that is you don't know what you're missing.

I'm half glad I saw both these places alone because I would have spent the whole time worrying my comrades had fallen off a cliff. It was bad enough with people I didn't know. Some girls I met asked me to take a picture of them on a ledge and they were nuts. They had no fear. I was like stop, don't go any further!
See the picture of me sat on a ledge looking rather scared. They decided to go the next step down and hang their legs off that.

I was sad to leave.

Back to work tomorrow with a cycle ride out of Cedar City. Not sure where I will end up yet. Big climb ahead though.

Dear Americans. I have only just scratched the surface but from what I have seen so far, you are lucky to live in such a special place. I wish England had some of this.

Zion and Grand Canyon both blew me away.
With very limited time I didn't see much of either, but I'm hopeful I saw some of the best bits.
In Zion I opted for the 5 mile hike, climbing approximately 1500 Ft up a rock formation calked Angels Landing.
In equal measures I climbed with awe and fear. The pathway zigzagged steeply up a severe rock face and through an enclosed canyon type area . There were no railing or guards to protect you from a massive fall but this probably helped preserve the beauty of the place.
It was raining all the way up so things were a bit slippery.
100 feet from the top the path disappeared and occasional metal poles stuck out of the rock, joined up by metal chains. Many people stopped climbing here.
You were expected to hold on to these chains for dear life if you wanted to continue to the very top.
The chains were not a constant though. There were gaps which meant it was just you on a slippery angled rock face at times. Other people coming down needed to use the same chain and preferred footings. It got quite gridlocked. There weren't many options when choosing your next move.
I didn't make the very top. I got to a point where It dawned on me I had nightmares that sometimes started just like this - so I decided to work my way back to safety.

But wow, what an adrenaline rush while surrounded by such beautiful landscape.
I think on a dry day with good footing I would have continued that last bit.

I couldn't understand how the Grand Canyon could beat Zion but it did.
In my opinion they were both equals in for pure stunning landscape but the scale of the Grand Canyon is what sets it apart.
It could be called the Great Grandest Grand Canyon!!
Standing up on the north Rim it was hard to process what you were seeing. It looked super imposed.
If you haven't been the only good thing about that is you don't know what you're missing.

I'm half glad I saw both these places alone because I would have spent the whole time worrying my comrades had fallen off a cliff. It was bad enough with people I didn't know. Some girls I met asked me to take a picture of them on a ledge and they were nuts. They had no fear. I was like stop, don't go any further!
See the picture of me sat on a ledge looking rather scared. They decided to go the next step down and hang their legs off that.

I was sad to leave.

Back to work tomorrow with a cycle ride out of Cedar City. Not sure where I will end up yet. Big climb ahead though.

Yesterday was very challenging but also very rewarding and left me on a high.
Today's riding has brought me back down to earth with a bump. Me and the wind have had a major falling out. We're finished.
I afforded myself a late start today, thinking to myself 'it's only 55 miles'! And yesterday was a long day so a bit of extra rest was deserved.

Departing late (at 10) was the first mistake though, especially as the wind got stronger and stronger all day.
As soon as I set off it was there, against me it seemed, no matter which direction the road twisted and turned.
It got steadily worse and worse. After 4.5 hours I made it to the first and only pass, by the skin of my teeth. It was really strong - I averaged 6mph to that point. 6mph average over 4.5 hours!!!!!!!!
Once the pass was reached i hoped things would improve but they didn't. Normally once you start going downhill you get to freewheel and rest a bit. If I tried freewheeling down this mountain I would have stopped rolling forwards and started going backwards.
The whole ride truly sucked. I gave in 10 miles before the end and hitched into Cedar in a big 4x4. I'm not ashamed. I tried my best but it beat me. Had I known how strong the wind would be today I would have stayed at home.

There will be good and bad days I suppose :)

I'm really struggling to make a decision on my next move. My ultimate route is heading east from Cedar City through Panguitch, Boulder, Grover, Hanksville, Dolores, Placerville, Pueblo etc, etc, however,

Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon are about 60 miles and 200 miles south of my current location. That's nothing in the big scheme of things but still a big detour on a bike.
Option 1 - ride the round trip to Zion, Grand Canyon then back to Cedar City. This is the most expensive option as it's a round trip of at least a week and accommodation in both Zion and GC gets very expensive.
Option 2 - drive it and get a taster of both in 2 days and 1 night - Then come back to Cedar, collect my bike and continue the journey.
Option 3 - skip it. Save money and time but I will be gutted to miss both.

It's a nice dilemma.

To add to the mix it might be stormy tomorrow - I don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere on a bike experiencing a repeat of today, but chucking in some rain and lightening.

Any opinions will be taken into account.

Only picture today is some dust being picked up by the wind in the distance. Driving through it was crazy. A compete white out for 30 seconds and the driver decided not to slow down! Scary.

Made it to Milford. Yes.

Unfortunately it turns out it got its name because of some old mills or something.

84.44 miles done in 8 hours 27 minutes. I climbed over 3 passes.

The riding started with a gentle 35/40 mile uphill stretch to the first pass. The gradient was never too steep and I managed to keep an average speed of 15mph up until the wind changed direction.
Once that happened at about 30 miles it was back to slow pedalling at 5mph until I finally hit the first downhill. Still it was a good start and I was praising and thanking the wind gods.

The pattern most days is a tough climb and fun descent followed by an incessantly boring flat, until the next climb and descent.
I touched on this before but it deserves another mention. At first glance it always looks like just a few miles. But the further into the straights you get, the more it dawns on you that the flat, boring, straight road must actually be somewhere between 20 and 6,000 miles long. It's never ending and gets plain boring (see what I did there?)
The climbs and descents are always the most spectacular. The rock faces and hills just look amazing up close.

It was after the first pass, I had done about 42 miles and was heading through the first mind/time warping flat, when I nearly went into a boredom coma. It became a mental struggle and was wondering what I was doing for a few minutes!
I had even gotten bored of talking to myself!!!
I decided it was time to get the sound system out for the first time (while riding) on the trip.
It was brilliant. I felt like one of those idiots in Big Brother when they are played music for the first time in a few weeks. I had forgotten what a stimulus some good tunes can be.
All of a sudden everything was amazing again and the straight started to tick away. Why did I wait so long?
I had avoided playing music before because some of the roads were a little busier and I wanted to be alert. There was very little traffic today so listening to my speaker was no issue at all for me.

I rode a cow and bull gauntlet today. There must have been thousands lining the road. The cows tended to look gormless, calves were just miniature gormless, but some of the bulls looked mean and just stared me down. I was just waiting for 1 to charge and was regretting wearing a red top and using red panniers.
I must have mellowed them with my calming words because none charged despite looking very stern and mean.

The motel I'm in is great. It is modern, big clean room, there is a gym with jacuzzi, laundry, and a great diner over the road that just served me a fantastic meal. I have kissed a few frogs but come good here. I would stay another day if I didn't want keep moving and get to Cedar City tomorrow.

So pleased to have this day behind me. Might treat myself to a beer.

Today I hit Utah, just!

I checked into my motel for the night and during the 20 second walk to the room I crossed the border leaving Nevada and switching into Utah.
In the process I hit my third state and 2nd timezone since my journey began.
My guess is that the establishment are making the most of their border location, taking advantage of Nevada's more relaxed gambling laws. It's full of the usual slot machines. No gambling facilities in the rooms though.

It felt good to get on the move again today.
I went back to the friendly
Pharmacy/sandwich/smoothy place first thing in the morning to buy a some food for my journey. Again they wouldn't let me pay even though I honestly wanted to. It was a really nice gesture for the 2nd time and it set me off in a good mood for the day.

The riding was pretty good today. I covered 64.5 miles in about 6 hours over 2 passes. More great scenery although other days have been more spectacular.
It did get extremely hot at mid day. My GPS said 35 C at its peak. Most of the day I was riding in the high 20's but there were a few clouds about which helped.
The best part today was that the wind was behind me most of the time. It makes everything so much more fun and less of a struggle.
And it's makes a bloody change too.
I'm praying for some good luck with wind and the weather tomorrow. It's the 84 mile day to Milford.
The day I've been dreading!!
I have kept in touch with another rider I met on a day I was resting. He was fine so carried on. Anyway, on this 84 mile day he gave in, flagged a pickup truck and hitched a lift! Said he got sick of fighting the wind. Maybe I will follow suit. We will see.

My motel room today is a beauty. Wooden cladding at its best, artex ceiling, stunning wallpaper, cooker next to the bed, manky, corduroy fabric old mans reclining chair, even a VHS machine. It's a real flashback!

I'm going back to Nevada now for some dinner, if I can stomach it ;)

A small town that seems to revolve around hotel Nevada. The only 5 storey building for miles and miles. Inside you can gamble on slot machines to your hearts content.

As I ate my breakfast a bus load of pensioners arrived on a trip to let their hair down. I guess they are here to gamble because there's not much else to do. Unless like so many others they are just passing through.

The main Street has a few other venues but nothing as 'grand' as this one.
Several motels exist. Some (motor) biker friendly, some with gambling side streams, one with a pool. All claim to have free wifi and a tv and fridge in the room. None advertise a bathtub which is always one of my considerations after a ride. I like to fill it with cold water and just sit and bring my temperature gauge down.

There is very little to do here. I could live rurally in England because numerous cities and towns are always within reach. Not here though, It's a long long way from anything.

Found a nice pharmacy shop which shares the premises with a sandwich, smoothy, ice cream place. Run by several nice ladies. They wouldn't let me pay for my food or sun block!
It's your interaction with locals that really sets your opinion on a place.
I wasn't overly warming to Ely with its slot machine culture and un-homely feel but having found these lovely interested and interesting people I will leave with good thoughts about the town.

Yee haaa.

Made it through the longest days riding so far. 77.22 miles in 8 hours, over 4 separate passes!

I'm pretty pleased with how it went especially considering it was on the back of my previous longest ride only yesterday, and a good day before that.
That's 214 miles in three days, over 9 passes, in hot and desolate Nevada.

I started the day full of fear.
My legs were tired from the previous day and I was planning on going farther again! Did I have enough water? Enough food? Was I up to it with aches and pains from the minute i set off? Would the weather kick my backside today? It was already 21C at 8 am when I set off and again cloudless. (28C by 11am!!)
I considered turning around on the climb out of Eureka in favour of another rest day.

I'm so glad I didn't. In the end it was a more comfortable days riding than yesterday.

I got three out of the four climbs done in good time. I focused on the relaxing downhills instead of the sweat drenching, dizzying climbs.

The beautiful scenery continued. I took plenty more pictures but there was no huge variation from the last 5 or so days riding. Still, it's always so interesting and striking that you have to stop and get off the bike every few miles just to look around and take it in.

When I hit 70 miles I was actually enjoying it and thought I could go even further (than 77). It helped that the last section was a long downhill of course!
The easy approach to Ely meant I checked into my motel looking fairly respectable!
Friday and Saturday my new home towns were located halfway up big climbs. I swear I have scared the lady at the check in. Red faced, holding on to the check in desk as if I'm on a fairground ride. Feeling like something out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with the walls closing in on me and everything spinning.
But not today, no, just mildly crippled, looking people in the eye and not looking on the verge of meltdown. Good end to the ride.

My next three days of riding go 63, 84 and 54 miles in that order. Because of the longer day I'm giving myself a day off to recover beforehand. I could have done the 63 tomorrow, and rested after that but the next town, Baker, seems really small, so I'm stopping in Ely instead.

Today was the first day my saddle gave me any serious discomfort. Any movement created a bit of pain. As a result, tonight I will be sleeping with the saddle stuck between my butt cheeks.
It's just easier than peeling myself off of it again.

Longest ride today. 70 miles.

It was an improvement on yesterday, my knees didn't ache as much. Probably because I was trying not to strain them. When the wind built up or the climbing got steeper I just lowered the gears instead of pushing harder. Probably the way forward with even longer days this week.

I started out at about quarter to eight with a climb out of Austin up to roughly 7,500 ft. After this there was a beautiful bit of downhill coasting that lasted about half an hour, followed by another climb.
By this point it was about 10 ish and I has done 30 odd miles.
I resisted the temptation to keep stopping for pictures because I wanted to get some good mileage done before the day got too hot.

The next stage was a roughly 40 mile, dead straight road, in blazing sun with few clouds about.
Luckily the general slope was downhill but unfortunately, not steep enough to freewheel.
It wasn't as bad as yesterday. There was a slight headwind most of the way but never too strong and the direction was not too changeable so you knew where you were with it.

It was on this straight that I notice for the first time that there were snow peaked mountains behind me and getting smaller. Beats watching them get bigger and bigger as you approach them.
Anyway, looking forwards again, some lovely big snow peaked mountains seemed to be growing in size.

The last 4 or 5 miles of the day the climbing started again for the final time. Eureka is halfway up a pass which is 7,400 ft. It was another dizzy and sweaty end to a days riding. I definitely think I had too much sun today!

I rode into Eureka (population about 600) as they were enjoying their annual car show/competition. A few old Cadillacs, monster car, mustang etc etc. in fact any classic American car you can think of was probably there.
It seemed they were just lined up along the street and people were taking their turns to rev their engines and drive up and down the high street/only street and make lots of noise.
My motel is bang on the high street looking down on the heart of the action.
This may sound like fun but the action consists of a few blokes whooping, hollering, burping and drinking beer so not super appealing. They look like they're having fun though!
I don't mean to be boring, I would quite like to try and get in the spirit and loosen up with a few beers - but I'm meant to be riding 77 miles, with 4 heavyish panniers over mountains tomorrow!
I have been hoping it might descend into violence so the sherif could make some arrests and the town could go back to normal. Im sure it is peaceful and picturesque the rest of the year.

My priority on arriving was finding some good healthy food which is proving to be more and more difficult.
The two food places in Eureka both do burgers or pizza or something that varies very little from those options! Fine dining is lettuce added to a burger - 'the burger exotica'

It has been another great day though. A real physical struggle but worth it. If I make the next town tomorrow I think I'm going to have to take another rest day. Poor old legs.

What a day!

I woke up with quite an upset stomach - too much greasy food in Middlegate!
This worried me seeing as the next bathroom was 65 miles away. I managed to find some Imodium and refuelled myself on essential salts and vitamins so it wasn't a problem in the end.

First off I had to make a decision on 2 routes;
Option 1 highway 50, more traffic, much lower passes to climb over but more drawn out uphill climbing.
Option 2 the scenic route, very few cars, much higher pass to get over to start with, 2 miles more to cover but more coasting downhill after initial climb.

I took the scenic option and certainly didn't regret it. I felt fresh early on and actually enjoyed pushing uphill. I was stopping often just to take photos which slowed me down a lot.
Fighter jets continued to randomly fly overhead which was even better when I was in the valleys. They were always too quick to get a decent video but I just caught one which is on YouTube.

The initial climb wasn't as steep as I expected and slowly creeped upwards winding through huge rocky faces, steep inclines scattered with parched looking bushes and trees all in perfect clear skies with no wind.
It was 21C by 9am so I was expecting things to get a lot hotter.
I set off at 8.30 and reached the peak/pass at about 11.30. At this point I was feeling good. I had done what I thought was the hardest part. I faced only downhills and easy flats for the rest of the day until the final climb into Austin.
I was wrong!!
The downhill was great and the beautiful landscape continued. When I reached the bottom and hit the flat, endless straights things got really hard. The 'difficult' section which ended up being enjoyable was behind me but now the 'easier' section was turning out to be anything but.

Once on the flats I was riding in a giant basin - there were mountains and hills all around a huge flat area. This had a crazy affect on the wind. One minute it was calm, next it was knocking me off sideways, then I was riding into a frickin hurricane (not literally) with horizontal rain driving into my face. It was changing every 2 minutes. I didn't know where it was all coming from.
I could find no rhythm - as soon as I picked up some speed, smack, wind and back in first gear. Very tiring.
I didn't need a visual indicator that the weather was completely schizophrenic but in the basin there were lots of wind turbines. Not one of those fffurkins was facing the same way. All completely random and all laughing at me while doing a merry dance.

On top of it all these long straight roads actually grow as you ride along them. If you take your eyes off them for a second they stretch and add a few extra miles. I put it down to seismic activity. You actually have the feeling you are going backwards. In the mountains you worry about being eaten by mountain lions, on the straights you worry you will die of old age before you get to the end.

The scenic route was less well travelled and road maintenance could have been better. It was quite a bumpy ride which probably didn't help my knees which were hurting again by the end of the day. Amazingly my backside is holding up fine to all this saddle action!
On arrival at my new town I Checked into my motel, put some wet towels in the fridge for my knees and ran a cold bath. Completely knackered again. Some food and a freshen up always makes you feel human again though.

Very hard work today but worth it (just).

Same again tomorrow! Next stop Eureka, 69 miles, three separate climbs.

Like I said. Day of chilling and recuperating today.
Sitting in my favourite chair looking out at distant passing storms, avoiding the local who makes no sense and is now starting to alarm me and watching the people in their motor homes come and go.
We have been pleased to see not too many customers arriving. Nice and quiet just the way we like it ;)

Middlegate Station really should be called Middle Artery Blocked Station. They don't do anything that isn't deep fried. I need a massive pile of serviettes every time I eat something to get rid of the grease. Looking forward to leaving in the morning and finding some half healthy food.
It has been a very relaxing day here though so I'm not complaining.

I have also been trying to avoid the temptation to have a beer to be in peak condition when I get back on the road tomorrow. So far so good but difficult when watching the barman pour himself whiskey after whiskey. Bit of a role reversal.

Tomorrow I'm heading for Austin, Nevada. 64 miles with climbing.

Highway 50, the loneliest road in America got a bit more lonely today.
It was really desolate once outside Fallon. The ride was basically all within the Great Basin. The Sierra Nevada mountains (tick) lie on the western edge and the Rockies (sh#t) lie on the Eastern edge.
Temperatures have again stayed on the cool side which has helped me. Unlike California last week which was roasting.
I cant remember any houses, shops or anything today.
I did pass fairly close to a US airbase and have seen fighter jets circling almost all day. Also had a low fly by from a US helicopter but unfortunately the jets stayed quite high despite signs warning of low flying aircraft.
The area has been used for aerial gunnery and bombing, and for nuclear tests in the past. One local told me there are several missile sights out here armed and ready to go in case they are called on!?!?

My entertainment for the day was seeing how many passing trucks I could get to beep their horns.
As they approached I would raise my hand and pretend to be pulling down and quite a lot played along and beeped their way past me. Unfortunately 1 or 2 continued to play along after I had lost interest in the game and proceeded to scare the sh&t out of me and send me wobbling all over the place. Bet they loved that.

48 miles of pretty easy riding later I arrived in Middlegate Station. This place is amazing. Run by a bunch of cowboys. Not English cowboys, real American cowboys. They didn't look too pleased to have a customer, weren't interested in small talk and probably couldn't give a toss if I'm riding coast to coast to the moon and back. I love it. I know under that moody exterior they are happy as Larry and the only thing that will ruin that good mood is inane chit chat from some hoohaa whose not from round here. Suits me.

I did speak to one local on the veranda outside though (initiated by him). Part of the conversation went a bit like this;

Local - howdy
Me - howdy
Local - whet yu drin ron ere boi
Me - err just passing though
Local - wee jes udin heep drig bee urrgg
Me - yep
Local - weeel u geet donk beer roodkeeel boi
Me - yep cheers
Local - *spits on floor

Heading back inside I ordered their famous Monster Burger which has apparently featured on Man V Food. Im yet to have this confirmed. If you finish it you go on the wall of fame and get a t shirt.
I never expected to finish it but thought I better experience this burger while I'm here. When it came out I almost cried.
It was more like a cake than a burger. There was no way I could even pick it up let Alone open my mouth wide enough. So I started cutting it like a cake with looks of disdain heading my way. One local smugly said to me 'you didn't know what you were ordering did you boy' - quite cocky for a 12 year old girl I thought to myself. (Joke)
I did manage about 2/3 of it and could have pushed on a bit from there but threw in the towel.

Both my knees have been complaining a bit recently and the next 3 or 4 days of riding are going to be really hard so tomorrow I'm planning on staying here for a rest day to fully recharge.
It's gonna be just me and the cowboys sitting in happy silence. Hopefully there aren't too many tourist passing through who want to chit chat too much.

The Rockies finally came into view today. That gave me butterflies a little!