Just before sunrise, it was 40F in Bryce Canyon City, so we bundled up and were on our way. Coincidentally, we met up with Lisa and Jenny near the campsite exit. To our delight, we rode the first 15 miles with them, until we deviated from the route once again, this time to go to Zion National Park.
We are hoping to make it to San Francisco to see them one last time before they fly back to Norway!
The day’s ride started slowly due to a loose gravel bike path; all of our fingers and toes were very cold though, so we didn’t want to go very fast anyhow. The path soon turned to pavement and ended up being really fun as we descended westward from Bryce. At the bottom, we said our goodbyes and rode away while the temperatures were still comfortable.
It was a fast, mostly downhill ride to Orderville, where we picked up some groceries and had an early lunch. Afterwards, I discovered that my rear tire was flat again: another small piece of wire. It seems we’ve had a run of bad luck with regards to tires since Denver!
Once that issue was fixed, we were back on the road and soon climbing up Route 9. The slope was gradual, and we made it to the entrance of Zion around 2:30PM.
The park ranger at the gate said the camp sites inside were all full, so we settled for one up the hill a bit.
That evening, we were approached by Dillon and Jen, from Colorado Springs. They just did a tour in March with another couple, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, so we had fun talking about our experiences. This time around though, they are touring on a motorcycle. It was nice to meet you both, and hope you can get out for another tour soon!!
Trip stats, to date (Day 73)
Bryce Canyon City, UT to Mt. Carmel, UT
Daily mileage: 72.5mi ; Trip total to date: 4,329.6mi
Daily riding time: 5hr 21min; Trip total time: 375hr 40min
Daily ascent: 2,401ft; Trip total ascent: 217,258ft
Flat tires: Rachel – 3; Chris – 3