A Spontaneous Moab Century

Our last day of riding started out like every day before it: breakfast with the "Breakfast Club" (those of us who opted for more food from a local diner than the hotel serve at its continental breakfast), the collection of various sundries we would need for the day (water, snacks, tubes, etc.) and, an exit out of the parking lot by 8:15 a.m.  It was a cool clear morning, and, at least for five of us, the plan was to ride the whole 67 miles planned for the day.  We were heading into Canyonlands National Park, and we were all pumped.

By the time we reached the end of the park road--where we were turning around to head back down into Moab--we were all still feeling strong, and eager.  Several of us had heard about Dead Horse Point (I know, that's a terrible name), the place where Thelma and Louise drove their car over a cliff.  I really wanted to see that (I know, that's a weird desire).  So, our guides, Cy and Patty explained that we could easily do that by pedaling an extra 6 miles out to Dead Horse State Park.  Out and back would add 12 additional miles to our trip, which thrilled most of us at the time.

By the time we were heading to DHP two people in our group decided that they'd had enough, and chose to head back into Moab, leaving (L-R) me, Susan and Laura to trek out to DHP.  DHP was really pretty stunning.  And, strangely, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the mesa off in the distance, the one across which Thelma and Louise barreled their Thunderbird in the last moments of that harrowing film.

After imbibing in smoothies and taking our final gander at the stunning landscape that is Canyonlands, we hopped on our bikes and took off for Moab.  Once we were back on the main road, our trip was a 15 mile cruise down hill, and Laura and I LOVED that.  At the bottom, we had a ten mile pedal into town...and, this is where Laura and I realized that we had an opportunity.  Dinner was about an hour and half away, so we had some time.  At first we wanted to just even out our mileage, get that 80 miles in with a quick ride up the road that leads to Arches.  Of course, that quick ride put us over 80 miles.  "You know, we only have about 15 miles to go before we reach a century," Laura shouted.  And, I responded simply, "Let's GO!"  So, off we went, backtracking a bit up the bike trail and onto the road leading into Canyonlands.

We ended up being only 30 minutes late to dinner (we HAD to shower, otherwise we may have only missed about 15 minutes), and found when we arrived at the restaurant that dinner hadn't yet been ordered.    It was a pretty amazing way to end our trip, and in spite of the LONG two days of traveling home (Saturday and Sunday) I'm still feeling pretty energized by our spontaneity.  I'm also feeling pretty darn good about my riding.  As you'll recall, I was kind of nervous about this trip.  And, ultimately, WHEW, it was just amazing!

Oh, by the way, I did find another wonderful coffee shop and delicious cappuccino at Mars Cafe in Des Moines, Iowa.  Thanks again, Ann!

And, thanks to all of you for your support and enthusiasm!  Until next time: Pedal on!

A River Raft Runs Down It

Thursday we floated down the Colorado River.  This was a challenge for me.  As many of you know, I spent a significant portion of my earlier life living in the outdoors, teaching and facilitating outdoor education courses that included rock climbing, backpacking, sea kayaking and rafting.  On one of those earlier rafting trips I was thrown from the raft and got my foot caught between two rocks under water.  Clearly I'm still here to talk about it, but...rafting in any shape or form since then has been something I have avoided.  Interestingly, while waiting for our river guide to bring us our PFDs, I overheard a few people talking about how people "panic when they fall out of the boat" and "it's the weak swimmers who get themselves stuck."  Well friends, I'm a fairly strong swimmer, and I wasn't panicking when I was thrown out of that boat 20+ years ago..well, not until my foot got stuck.  But, I was fairly nervous about floating down the river with people who seemed to have relatively narrow views about river rafting.  Fortunately, I wasn't in the same boat with those individuals.  I was in a boat with people who were calm and supportive; who "got" my trepidation and were willing to do whatever I needed to get through the ride.

It turned out to be a stupendous opportunity!  No, I'm not now in love with river rafting (truth is, I never was).  But, I now know that my lack of enthusiasm is more about my general dislike of river rafting, and not about fear.  Sure, we didn't really raft through anything more than Class 2 waters.  But, the experience was poignant.  

The rest of Thursday was an "off-the-bike" day, and I reveled in resting.  Along with two friends, I walked the streets of Moab in search of good coffee and a good bookstore.  Good coffee seemed to elude me in Moab, but, Back of Beyond Books was pure heaven!  As soon as Icrossed the threshold I knew I was in for a treat.  Of course, as expected, there were bookshelves loaded with books written by Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner.  And, to my delight, I found a section devoted to my favorite writer, Terry Tempest Williams.  My enthusiasm for Williams' writing must have been clear to the owner of the shop who offered to show me some out-of-print material he had in the back of the store. He also told me about Terry's "new book coming out in december" and invited me back to the store for her book signing.  With clear disappointment in my voice, I told him, "I live in New York," to which he spritely responding, "You could fly back."

In the end I pre-ordered her book from him, and he graciously offered to have it inscribed and signed.  I'm still floating by the thought!

Arches by Bike

"A man [or, woman] on foot, on horseback, or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists will in a hundred."  (Edward Abbey)

This was surely our experience today.  Four of us left from the hotel to ride out to the end of Arches National Park.  Without taking some of the detours, specifically to Delicate Arch (which is amazing, but none of us wanted to hike 3 hours in the middle of our ride), our ride actually ended up being just over 50 miles. And it was wondrous.  As you'll see below, we had some major hillage today, unlike the last two days.  Well, yesterday's climb was a short, 10 percent grade.  Today...well, you'll see some elevation below.  There are 5 National parks in this area, and all of them are very different.  We saw a lot more sand in Arches, large swaths of sand fields, really.  Which is from the arches and cliff erosion over time.  I'd say more about that, but I actually fell asleep in the 15 minute film about the history of Arches in the visitors center on our way back to town.

By the way, temps have been hovering between 45 degrees in the morning and 70 by afternoon.  Really wonderful weather!

  The sand was a bit of a souvenir from short hike into Sand Dune Arch.

Tomorrow we float down a bit of the Colorado River.  Until then....

Castles in the Air

Today as we pedaled into Castle Valley, I was reminded of Terry Tempest William's book, RED, a book of essays, many of which are about the Castle Rock area.

This land in southern Utah is vast; it's a wild tapestry of stunning red cliffs and spires, winding canyons, natural bridges and arches.  The Colorado River meanders through it, in some places seeming to flow peacefully, and in others with wild abandon.  I'm told that there is an astonishing array of plant and animal life, some I've seen, like the juniper, blue bird, and raven, and others that have eluded me.  Of course, I am pedaling along, keeping a pace that doesn't afford me the opportunity to see the minute details coloring and inhabiting this place.  Still, I'm enjoying a certain solace knowing that so much exists in this area.

The desert is a terrain I've had an ambivalent relationship with, having spent three weeks backpacking through the Chihuahuan Desert many years ago, and hiking in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, struggling with the heat and starkness.  But this desert is like nothing I've experienced.  It's alive in a way that feels both soothing and energizing.  There's no getting bored as the landscape just keeps getting more and more stunning.  Williams writes in RED, "These wild lands are alive.  When one of us says, 'Look, there's nothing out there,' what we are really saying is, 'I cannot see.'"

I see; I see this wilderness that both Williams and Abbey have passionately written about as vast, enlivening and comforting.  I don't know that I'll be back soon, or later, or ever.  But thus far, I have been touched and moved.

MOAB

Edward Abbey wrote of this area in DESERT SOLITAIRE, "Not the work of a cosmic hand, nor sculptured by sand-bearing winds...the arches came into being and continue to come into being through the modest waging action of rainwater, melting snow, frost and ice, aided by gravity.  In color they shade from off-white through, buff, pink, brown and red, tones which also change with the time of day and the moods of the light, the weather, the sky."  This place is awe-inspiring and breathtaking and, in the presence of these arches, spires, the landscape enveloping me, I am humbled.

Our group is 16 stong, women from all over the country, and one woman from Canada (Wellington actually, through which we pedaled last summer on our journey around Lake Ontario).  My anxiety about my ability to pedal this terrain was quelled today.  I felt good, and strong.  We pedaled 42 miles, with a mid-day hike to some of the arches after lunch.  Then it got quite hot, and truthfully, I
do start to wilt a bit with the higher temperatures.

I had my first bad cappuccino of the trip today.  But somehow, that really didn't seem to matter in the larger scheme of things.  Tomorrow we have some major hillage, so perhaps it's time for sleep right now. Thanks friends. Pedal on!

Oh, Colorado

The drive from KC to Denver was just plain wild.  Flat as all get out.  At one point, as some of you read on FB, I was wishing for a hot air balloon to rescue me.  As I also shared there, clicking my Keen sandal heels through Kansas produced nothing.  FYI make sure to add ruby red slippers to your packing list.  One visual reprieve about midway through Kansas was a wind farm that stretched across the land for about 10-15 miles.

Crossing into Colorado, well, within about the first 20 miles, the terrain began to change, and I was just so delighted when I caught my first glimpse of the Rockies, WAY off in the distance.  I loved Denver, drooling over the bike paths, and easy walking around parts of the city.  Took my Colnago out for a short morning ride on Friday, and...well, I have an ode to write about that ride.  That'll be coming soon.

Saw the phenomenal Patty Griffin in concert Friday night at The Oriental Theater.  Not much more to say about that.  She is wonderful.
Coffee shops?  Well, I visited two (and, walked out of 2 without ordering--one in which I didn't feel quite hip enough, and the other wherein my presence in line was seemingly being interpreted as a distraction to a rather intense conversation between the barista and another customer about school reform).  Black Eye Coffee and Metropolis ended up being lovely places to sip, write and take in some of the local culture.

  

After imbibing in two morning caps I took off for Glenwood Springs.  Oh my goodness, what a treat. The mountains...breath-taking and awe-inspiring. (insert pics I'll have to upload later)

In Glenwood Springs I've been staying at a quaint, lesbian-owned B&B, Canyon Dreams, and last night enjoyed a wonderful Ghost Tour through the town's oldest cemetery.  Doc Holliday of OK Corral fame is a permanent resident there, and had quite a story to share about himself.
Today I'm off to Moab.  Yahoooooo!  I'm thrilled to see Cy again, and to meet more amazing cycling women.  I'm also pretty nervous about my riding stamina, having been rather lackadaisical about my road riding during the last month.
Anyway, more when I get to Moab!

tubsumpin'

So, I went out of my way a bit when I got to St Louis.  Frustrated with my VW's nav system, I almost bailed on trying Sump Coffee Bar.  Boy, am I glad I stuck it out.  Lots like Joe Beans in Roc.  Sparsely, and tastefully decorated and focused solely on "purity."  I enjoyed a mid-journey cap, and was thrilled to find that the shop uses local milk, and deep, dark beans.  Yum!

On my way out of SL I couldn't help myself.  Believe me when I say that I was going quite slowly when I snapped this pic.  We were in the midst of construction, so "slow" was the name of the road game.  I also crossed the mighty Missouri River, and geez, I almost turned around when I saw a sign for The Katy Trail.  But then I realized that if I did I would be adding 2 1/2 hours to tomorrow's 8 hour day.  Better planning I should have done (says Yoda).  Anyone up for coming back to Missouri with me and riding the Katy Trail?

Wow, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana are FLAT!  And, how nice it was to see some rolling hills, and strata on the side of the Missouri highway.  Nice day of driving, and now it's time for rest.  Tomorrow, DENVER!