3/4 Through the W. Express and Loving It...

Well, we finally got back to a place with phone service and internet so here I go with a recap since my last post.... We had kind of a slow start on the 26th because we were really dreading climbing Cedar Mountain, but eventually, after eating a breakfast/lunch, we got on the road and started up the mountain at around 12. The climb was really hard and took over 4 hours to rise from about 6500ft to over 10,000ft in elevation (only 26 miles). Once we got to the summit however we had a nice relaxing joy ride down the other side of the mountain and made it another 30 miles in 2 1/2 hours to our final resting place for the night in Panguitch. Once in Panguitch we stopped to eat at an Arby's and then started looking for a place to sleep for the night. We called the sheriff who told us that there was a restaurant/motel that let peole stay behind it for free (he failed to mention the name and we failed to ask what the name was) After looking for this phantom establishment for about 15 minutes and coming up with empty pockets we decided to call back and get the name. Unfortunately, when we called back there had just been a shift change and the new sheriff that we talked to had no idea what we were talking about. We hung up and decided to go looking for somewhere to stay on our own. We first checked out a church, but those damn sprinklers were everywhere. We then went to a hospital and Danny used his suave moves to finagle our way into being able to sleep on some grass behind the hospital for the night. While setting up the tent we found some sprinklers and got a little disheartened, but then we made a miraculous finding. We found the underground sprinkler regulator that controlled all of the sprinklers and were able to turn it off. Finally we had outsmarted the sprinklers!

The next morning we woke up to Danny yelling at us to come outside the tent. J, Kara, and I had slept passed the alarm and thought that Danny was going to give us a little treat for us being so lazy, but we were happily surprised as we emerged from our lair to see tons of hot air balloons taking off and landing all around us in the sorrounding fields. After watching the balloons for a bit we packed up and began riding by around 9. We rode until 12 and stopped in Cannonville for lunhc (36 miles). There was no restaurant but there was a market with a microwave and we got excited (especially J). So we all got a bunch of microwaveable foods and cooked them up for lunch. Somehow J spent more money at this market than for any of his meals so far? I'm not quite sure how that happened... From Cannonville we started up riding again and ended our night a little early at around 6:30 in Escalante at a campsite. Danny and I headed into town, another 2 miles, to get food. We came back so excited with our pick, sloppy joes, but upon arrival back to our site we were informed by J and Kara that we had only gotten sloppy joe sauce and no meat. We felt like idoits... After our mistake, J and Kara took a ride into town and saved the night with pasta and alfredo sauce that we cooked on the fire. Danny and I are really good at getting wood and making fires, not so good at the whole grocery thing (another lesson learned).

We left Escalante in the morning, rode 28 miles up a mountain and stopped in Boulder for lunch. On this ride we went up a 4 miles section that had a grade of 14%....it was terrible. After eating in Boulder we all layed outside the restaurant and took naps for about an hour. When we woke up there were a lot more people there than before and they were all staring at us and our bikes (we were sprawled all out on the ground outside the restaurant trying to relax in the shade). When I woke I turned to J and said, "they are looking at us like zoo animals." It felt terrible and I am now starting a lifelong quest to free all zoo animals because it feels terrible. Ended the night in Torrey where we stayed behind a church, which we thought we had gotten permission to stay behind, but came to find out that we were given permission to stay behind a completely different church. Who knew there would be more than one church in a town of 170 people.

On the 29th we rode from Torrey to Hanksville in the morning (46 miles) through beautiful canyon. Saw 5-6 deer (3 bucks, 2 babies), and came across a really cool waterfall. We stopped in Hanksville to eat lunch and then left and rode another 48 miles to a campsite in Hite State Park. Almost made it to a Century Club(100+ day) but came up a little short. We will get it one of these days. From Hite Park we had an 86 mile day that put us in Blanding with no services in between. This day was really terrible. We were all really tired, and the first 50 miles of the ride was all up hill. For lunch we walked off of the road and cooked food underneath a tree, sorrounded by dried up cow poop and bugs all around us. We definitely ate some bugs for lunch but none of us cared. Anyways Bear Grylls says they are an excellent source of protein. From Blanding we rode to Dove Creek. During that trip we encountered our first rain storm, we felt really B.A. as people drove past us in their cars. Then this morning we rode from Dove Creek to Dolores. We are shacked up in a cozy little motel and our preparing to climb our first big mountain in Colorado. Oh yeah, we left AWFUL UTAH, and are so excited to be out of the damn desert. Also we have crossed to 1000 mile marker and are approaching 1300 miles so far. For now that is all.

In closing, a few more lessons....
1. Dead, rotting animal carcasses smell awful
2. Mexican meals= more bodily functions
3. Open Ranges + Cows in the middle of road= Homer terrified of livestock
4. 14%.........GAAAAA
5. When you are tired, you will sit down anywhere to relax, even sorrounded by bugs and feces
6. swimming in lake= shower for the week
7. Don't leave your wallet at restaurants (I am an idoit)
8. Rod from Dove Creek is maybe the coolest person in the world.

Hasta luego,
Kings of the Road