Day 22, Boulder to Hanksville: Eye Candy Overload, Milestones and Records

August 13, 2017

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Mileage Today; 84 Total So Far; 1,030 Remaining; 566

Climbing Today; 4,643 Total So Far; 59,854 Remaining; 36,428

Max Grade Today; 8.6% Average Uphill Grade; 2.9%

Average Speed While Riding; 10.1 mph

Mechanical Issues; None

Photos Credit; Bud, unless noted otherwise

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Bud speaking;

I don’t know why, maybe it’s because we’re all getting a bit worn down, but 3:30am just seems to come early these days. After a bite to eat and some hot chocolate and fussing around getting the steel steeds all packed, we finally rolled out at 4:45am. A little later than planned, so sue us if you think we’re slow.

The morning was cool and that would have been nice but we got some stiff wind rolling down the mountain and we all were wearing rain jackets for warmth. We commenced climbing right away, and that was the story for the next 4 hours.

We Climbed For 4 Hours This Morning To Reach The Summit

In the distance, a single coyote yelped a mournful cry. Not much, and not for long, but it was good to hear anyway; I really miss the early morning coyote music that is so common in Montana, Wyoming, and northern Colorado. I’m hoping we hear it as we traverse southern Colorado, but we aren’t there yet and this day demands its own toll of sweat and labor so we need to attend to it now. Not sure about this sign; does it mean to beware of wild cattle?

So How Are We Supposed To React To This Sign?

Motorists miss much of the beauty found in these wild places as they speed by too fast to notice small waterfalls like this;

Small Waterfall Along The Way This Morning

Aspen seem to be quite abundant in these mountains. Many years ago in Geology Field Camp I sprained my ankle and my classmates fashioned me a crutch from an aspen branch with a “Y” in it. I still have that crutch. Seems as if aspen isn’t used as a building material wood, so I guess it must be too soft for commercial use?

Aspen Groves Are Abundant In The Mountains East Of Boulder

This really is open range country, and you have to be careful while hurtling downhill at breakneck speeds of 40mph+ lest you collide with this walking hamburger.

Open Range Means Cattle May Be On The Road

The view from the top was earned after 4 hours of labor with numerous short rest breaks. If everyone had to earn the view like we did, the view would be admired and appreciated for the truly magnificent scene it is.

We’ve been higher, and we’ll go even higher before we are done, but still there is no discounting the rarified and clean air at 9,600 feet.

We Paid The Price To Reach This Summit, Now We Get To Enjoy Some Downhill

This is a photo of a waterfall on Pleasant Creek as we descended towards Torrey. It was taken using “normal” settings for aperture and shutter speed, and as you can see, this is quite an energetic little waterfall.

Waterfall Shot Using Normal (Fast) Shutter Speed

This is a photo of the same waterfall using a slow shutter speed to “blur” the water. See the difference?

Waterfall Shot Using Slow Shutter Speed Gives The Silky "Flowing" Appearance

As we proceeded towards Torrey (mostly downhill; we did the hard work early today, most of the rest of the day is generally downhill, thank you) we pulled into a scenic view area and were able to see the Henry Mountains in the background.

Henry Mountains In The Background; Doc Likes This

Doc’s family name is Henry, so that’s special. And our destination for today, Hanksville, is adjacent to the Henry Mountains and serves as a base for mountain tourists.

We have been following Highway 12 since its beginning shortly before Bryce Canyon, and we have now reached its end at Torrey. Our path now follows USBR 70, also known as Highway 24, until we reach Hanksville.

We Followed Highway 12 All The Way, Time To Follow USBR 70

We stopped at Torrey and had lunch; it was good to refuel as the morning's labor had left us rather empty. Leaving Torrey we had a small climb, then a long downhill run.

So far, our route has taken us through Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and now we ride through Capitol Reef National Park.

Entering Capitol Reef National Monument; Prepare For Eye Candy

Later we will ride through parts of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Natural Bridges National Monument, and we have gone past or near other national parks such as the Great Basin National Monument and state parks such as the Anasazi State Park in Boulder, UT. While we are tourists, we are only “casual” tourists in the sense that each day’s travel has to be our primary focus and tourist activities have to take a lesser priority. It’s sort of a survival thing.

Entering Capitol Reef National Park, we enjoyed a 10-mile downhill run courtesy of the labor we did this morning.

Doc and Sis Enjoy The 10-Mile Downhill Run Through Capitol Reef

The scenery in Capitol Reef is spectacular; geologic weathering processes at work. There is so much eye candy that you can suffer a sensory overload. Here’s a few examples;

An Overload Of Amazing Scenery Exists Within Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef Scenery (Photo Credit; Doc)

Today was a milestone day for me. First, 2 miles into today my touring bike odometer reached 9,000 miles. Considering that more than half of those miles are from actual loaded touring, that’s not bad (the remainder of the miles are from training to prepare for tours). Second, today I reached 1,000 miles on this tour. That still seems (and feels) like a lot to me. Here’s a shot of me at the Capitol Reef Visitor Center after reaching 1,000 miles.

Bud Just Logged 1,000 Miles On This Journey! (Photo Credit; Doc)

The ride along the Fremont River in the canyon was really nice, and the canyon walls provided some protection from the sun.

Along The Fremont River Within Capitol Reef (Photo Credit; Doc)

While we were in the canyon, a storm was developing south of us. Memories of the cold drenching we endured recently were enough to inspire Sis to move on smartly, and we set about on a steady march hoping to avoid the storm. Here’s some scenery as we approached Caineville;

View Near Caineville (Photo Credit; Doc)

On the downhill run to the river crossing before Caineville, the grade was steep and the storm was producing a good tailwind; Doc and I both hit 46 mph on the new pavement! We stopped at a motel near Caineville and were able to get some ice from the machine outside. The cold water was fantastic! We then commenced a steady march towards Hanksville, while another storm was forming north of us. The storm clouds provided a bit of shade relief, and gave us more incentive to move along. Here’s some scenery along the way;

A Storm Is Developing (Photo Credit; Doc)

The Developing Storm Let Us Ride In Some Shade (Photo Credit; Doc)

Here’s a view of the Fremont River near Hanksville;

As we entered Hanksville, we encountered a business selling these unusual sculptures. Now where have I seen such interesting work before? Transam riders might know the answer (hint; think Wyoming).

Interesting Sculptures For Sale At A Hanksville Business

Today was a record day for Doc and Sis as they both rode further than ever before. When you consider that was done on loaded touring bikes, and the first 4 hours was nothing but climbing, that’s a meaningful accomplishment indeed.

84 Miles Is A Record Day For Doc and Sis

That’s all from me for now. Tomorrow we get a rest day; after 4 hard days, we deserve it. We are facing the biggest challenge of this tour the day(s) after tomorrow, and we will all spend tomorrow deciding how to handle it. Good night, I think we will sleep soundly tonight…

Today's ride: 84 miles (135 km)
Total: 1,029 miles (1,656 km)

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