We have a long day ahead of us so we get an early start, showing up for breakfast at Escalante Outfitters just after it opened at seven. We're second in line. It's a good thing we arrived early - there's only a single woman staffing the cafe at first, and within a few minutes the line is backed up to the door. She's cute - lithe, looking a bit hippyish in her long skirt and shoulderless blouse - but harried by trying to take and prepare orders for the crowd.
She looses track of my bagel order, and is apologetic when she brings it, well browned, to our table awhile later. Thinking to avoid time in the line, I ask if we can just drop off a buck on the counter when I come up for a refill. Flashing a flirty smile, she tells me the first refill is free but I can still drop off a buck.
Escalante is peppered with historic brick homes built by the town's early settlers. This one, on Main Street, was built in the late 1890's.
Another of Escalante's historic brick homes, also on Main Street. With more time, I'd have enjoyed walking through more of the town and looking for others.
Today figures to be the hardest day of the tour, with the possible exception of our earlier climb to Cedar Breaks. A fellow diner last night looked like he thought we were nuts to be trying to bike to Torrey in one day. After that we considered breaking it up with an overnight in Boulder, but it's the start of Memorial Day weekend and everything is booked. The good news is that we're getting the best break we could hope for - good weather, and a strong tailwind that should take the sting out of some of the climbs instead of flattening us.
The ride begins easily enough, with a flattish five mile ride through the cultivated valley below town. When we reach the end of a long ridge we turn north and begin dropping to the Escalante River, through a slickrock sandstone landscape different than any other we've seen on this tour. It's a thrilling ride swooping down through these rocks through a giant horseshoe bend that ends at the low point of today's ride - the Escalante River.
Today's ride begins by following the valley southeast of Escalante for about five miles. The far side of the valley is rimmed by this beautiful, long ridge. Behind us is a smaller ridge that separates us from the Escalante River.
Once we pass the end of the ridge we bend to the north and start dropping to the Escalante River. We enter a remarkable landscape of scarred slickrock sandstone.
Overlooking our route, from a roadside viewpoint. That's our road down there, doubling back under us after a long, sweeping downhill bend. Overlooking our route, from a roadside viewpoint. That's our road down there, doubling back under us after a long, sweeping downhill bend.
At another overlook, we were approached by a youngish (younger than us, anyway) couple from California, who wanted to take our photo, discuss our tour with us, and of course check out our funny-looking bikes.
Crossing the river, we of course immediately start climbing, up Calf Creek Canyon. We're on the Million Dollar Road, built as a depression era CCC project to create a year-round road between Escalante and Boulder. Before that, Boulder was largely isolated, reachable by a higher, even more tortuous road - Hells Backbone - that was closed due to snow during winter months. Prior to completion of the new road, Boulder still received its mail by mile train.
The climb begins with a gorgeous (exactly the right adjective for this narrow route through the gorge) ascent through the same slickrock formation we dropped through on the other side. The climb alternates between manageable stretches and short, steep pitches of about 12 percent. After climbing about a thousand feet we top out and continue cycling uphill across a broad white sandstone plateau. A few miles further on, we drop again to tiny Boulder and have our lunch in the shade outside the Trading Post.
Leaving the Escalante River, beginning a long uphill slog. We'll be climbing for most of the next thirty miles. For the first few miles we're climbing, steeply at times, away from Calf Creek to the plateau above.
Leaving the Escalante River, beginning a long uphill slog. We'll be climbing for most of the next thirty miles. For the first few miles we're climbing, steeply at times, away from Calf Creek to the plateau above.
Enjoying ice tea and a delicious piece of coffee cake, at the Trading Post in Boulder. I like the outfit - we're sitting outside in the shade and it's windy and a bit cold, so Rachael borrowed my rain jacket for an extra layer.
Leaving Boulder a bit after one in the afternoon, we begin the hardest climb of our long day - a three thousand foot ascent over the next thirteen miles to a summit that tops ninety five hundred feet. There is nothing terribly steep along the way, but the miles start taking their toll. A few miles from the summit Rachael pulls ahead and I labor my way on at my own pace, stopping a few times to recover what little strength remains. We're damn lucky to have had a tailwind today, or we'd have had a different outcome.
It's another three thousand foot climb from Boulder to the summit. The first miles are gradual and go down easy, with the help of a stiff tail wind.
Finally nearing the summit, we passed through a broad zone aspen forest. They're quite beautiful now, and I keep thinking as I bike along of how stunning this must be in the fall when they turn.
At No Name No. 5, preparing for what we're sure will be a cold descent. It's very windy up here, thankfully in our favor. I imagine this ride would have been out of the question for us if it were blowing this strong in the other direction.
We don't hang around the summit long. It's much too cold and windy for that, and besides it's getting late in the day. It's about four o'clock, we still have about twenty five miles to go, and we're getting anxious to see a restaurant. We drop off the top into a beautiful, miles-long aspen forest, happily anticipating a twenty five mile coast to the finish.
It's nothing like that though. It's quite a frustrating descent, actually. Steep, super fast downhill stretches are broken by brief upturns that are just long enough to make your legs burn. I've about had it with climbing today, if you want to know the truth. I get through these stretches by reminding myself that Rachael promised this evening's restaurant serves beer (no guarantee in this semi-dry state). Food will be great too - I'm starting to feel pangs in my stomach - but a nice cold beer comes to the top of my mind and stays there.
That vision holds me through the next six or seven rises. Finally we descend in earnest, and soon enough we see the ridges north of Torrey just ahead. We'll coast right into town, it looks like. Or not. Suddenly the road makes a ninety degree bend to the left, turns a bit uphill, and into a twenty five mile headwind. Agony!
Beer! Beer!! Beer!!!
Finally, we drag in just past six. Just in time for dinner at the nearby Broken Spur. Rachael enjoyed the pistachio crusted salmon she's been dreaming about for the last two days, and I enjoyed a delicious pork loin. And a beverage of some sort.
Elevation gain: today, 6,700'; for the tour, 30,000'.
Dropping off the north side of the summit, we reenter the aspen zone. We'll be coating through them for the next five miles before they start thinning out.
Still weaving through the aspens. I became a bit obsessed and mesmerized by them - the're beautiful, in such a different way than the geology has been.
Finally dropping into Torrey. We thought we were done working for the day, but just ahead of here we turn sharply left and uphill, and into a fierce headwind for the last few miles to town. Agony.
