Moab

May 29, 2017

A brief writeup today, because the wifi at our motel in Moab is excruciatingly slow. The day started out with a 12 mile stretch on another old, beaten up highway - its labeled Frontage Road on the map, but it's essentially abandoned. It looks to me like it may have been part of Old State Road 24 that we biked on coming into Green River yesterday - it feels about the same age and condition, and may have been abandoned with the completion of the freeway.

Riding it was similar too - it varies from intact but crumbling pavement and a manageable gravel-dirt mix. It's also quite beautiful, paralleling the Book Cliffs and low-profile clay hills that front them. Best of all, we saw three Antelope at fairly close range.

We left Green River the way we arrived - on a rotting, abandoned highway to avoid the shoulder of I-70. We'll be riding toward the La Sal Mountains all day, watching them grow as we close in.

Another pronghorn! This is one of a pair that were standing in the road ahead of us, and then danced off and stopped to look back froma safe distance. A bit later we spotted a third one nearby.

East of Green River, along the old Frontage Road

Another derelict corral, midway between Green River and Crescent Junction

The road ends at a freeway overpass and access ramp. Seeing no good alternative, we rode the freeway to Crescent Junction, at the intersection with Highway 191. Not too bad - good, smooth shoulder, safe, but noisy and boring. Except for a few prairie dogs we passed along the way.

Finally we can avoid I-70 no longer. We'll ride the shoulder for about 7 miles, to the exit to Highway 191 - just about at the horizon in this picture. It's not a bad ride - safe, flat - just not very interesting or aesthetic.

There is a market/gas station at Crescent Junction, and we planned to use it for our lunch break. They ordinarily stock premade sandwiches, but they were all sold out along with much of their other stock. They've been cleaned out by Memorial Day weekend travelers. We found enough to see us through though, and snacked in the shade outside - it's quite hot today - before heading on.

Highway 191 stinks. Most of the way it is a two lane highway with a too-narrow shoulder and too much traffic. Riding it is a heads down, white knuckle affair, with no slack to look around. At times it opens up, with an extra lane and a wide shoulder, but then it shrinks back again. Maybe they're upgrading it section at a time? We were very relieved when we finally arrived at the start of the bike path that runs from the Canyonlands turnoff to Moab, 12 miles away.

Southbound on Highway 191, the least pleasant part of today's ride; actually, of the entire tour.

Looks pretty inviting, don't you think? It's the end of Memorial Day weekend, and there's an almost unbroken stream of northbound traffic heading for the freeway. Good thing we're going the right way, but with that thin shoulder and the occasional giant truck or travel home it was no fun. At least it was only for seventeen miles.

Shortly before the turnoff to Canyonlands we passed a small formation of beautiful green hills. I think this a mudstone or sandstone outcrop the uranium-rich Chinle formation.

The La Sal Mountains loom ever larger ahead of us

The bike path is great. It's of course a relief to be off the highway, but it's also a highly enjoyable ride. We'll be on it again tomorrow, when we come back out for the ride to Dead Horse Point. Maybe I'll say more about it then. Or maybe you'll just have to look at the photos and use your imagination.

Finally we arrive at the junction with Highway 131 - the access road to Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point, and the beginning of the Moab Canyon Pathway, the paved bike path that will carry us the rest of the way to Moab.

I got my second flat of the trip about five miles from the hotel, which was no fun. It was over ninety degrees, there was no shade for miles, so I sat on my coat on the blistering pavement. Good times.

On the Moab Canyon Pathway, repairing the second flat of the tour so far. At least it was easy to find - a large staple still stuck in the tire. It's hot here this afternoon - in the low nineties. The pavement is hot so I'm sitting on my coat; the pump heats up enough that it burns my hands. At least I have a good excuse to fit my favorite hat into the journal (and Rachael's least favorite - it embarrasses her to be seen with it on).

Crossing the Colorado River on the Moab Canyon Pathway. We'll be back here several more times in the coming days so I'm sure we'll see it from all angles before we're done.

Tonight we're checked into a motel in Moab for four nights, for a series of day rides. We're looking forward to a few days of not packing up in the morning and not riding with all of our gear. Our first outing is to Dead Horse Point. To prepare ourselves, we went to Moab Brewery for dinner and I downed a pair of Dead Guy Ambers. I'm all set.

Elevation gain: today, 1,400'; for the tour, 34,600'.

At the Rustler's Inn, our home for the next four nights. This is as close to Delicate Arch that my bike is going to get.

Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 578 miles (930 km)

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