During my 2019 trip across the US (most of it, anyway), I came upon two French sisters having early morning coffee in Boulder Utah. They had just climbed through Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument (with it's 14% grade and sheer dropoffs). All smiles. They made it from San Francisco to NYC with nothing but praise for the experience. Today they released a movie of their trip. They did a modified Western Express then across Kansas to the Katy Trail. In the east they rode the GAP and C&O.  Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNQEtkHdp2A&t=95s

Thanks John - thoroughly enjoyable.  And I'm getting to practice my French comprehension!

Thanks for posting this, John, I enjoyed it very much.

This was great!  I recognized much of the scenery from my 2017 Western Express tour.  Thanks for sharing it. 

Buddy Hall

Is this the same trip where we should have seen each other in Boulder? I didn't see the sisters either!

Yes. They headed to Moab after that. Outside the cafe I met an Englishman who was on his way to Philadelphia. They weren’t riding together.

I didn't see him either. I was either totally fatigued and consumed by brain fog, or??? However, neither Oren or Jacinto saw them either. Odd.

I too went to Magnolia's for late lunch after touring the Anasazi site. I checked out the motel you stayed in but decided to go to the Boulder Mountain Lodge with the fancy restaurant, mostly to use wifi. (I wasn't able to use cell service in Boulder for some reason.)

I had a nice room and a much needed dip in a hot tub. Then I ate dinner at the restaurant. Expensive but very, very good. 

You left the next morning at 7:30 heading north on 12. I was a half mile to your south on 12. I went to grab breakfast at the cafe next to the restaurant but it wasn't open yet so I had an expensive (and tasty) breakfast at the restaurant. (I spent more on food than on my room, even with a generous room discount, as I recall.) Then I headed west on 12 toward Escalante.

It was only after I had checked out that I met the French sisters in the cafe. They probably camped the night before so maybe you passed them coming from Escalante. 

I too went to Magnolia's for late lunch after touring the Anasazi site. I checked out the motel you stayed in but decided to go to the Boulder Mountain Lodge with the fancy restaurant, mostly to use wifi. (I wasn't able to use cell service in Boulder for some reason.)

I had a nice room and a much needed dip in a hot tub. Then I ate dinner at the restaurant. Expensive but very, very good. 

You left the next morning at 7:30 heading north on 12. I was a half mile to your south on 12. I went to grab breakfast at the cafe next to the restaurant but it wasn't open yet so I had an expensive (and tasty) breakfast at the restaurant. (I spent more on food than on my room, even with a generous room discount, as I recall.) Then I headed west on 12 toward Escalante.

It was only after I had checked out that I met the French sisters in the cafe. They probably camped the night before so maybe you passed them coming from Escalante.