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!
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!
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