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Red Rock
Morning sage.The campfire coals Friday morning were hot enough to easily start a morning fire. A nearby woodpecker continued with his calling from the night before, tap, tap, tapping, "Hey girls! Get a load of this!" Sullen grey skies did not welcome the day.
The morning planning was led by the idea that Memorial Weekend crowds would descend on Zion and the other popular spots in the region. We thought it best to head into the back country and primitive camp out some isolated dirt road. We decided to head East to Escalante and Boulder, and travel out the Burr Trail to branch off the dirt somewhere.
After an eventful photo-op on the way back to town, we stopped for breakfast at the Red Coyote Cafe.
We proceeded through the Zion entry gate and paid the $12 fee to traverse the park road.
The rain began as soon as we entered the park. It looked to be a brief squall and we unwisely chose to skip our rain layers. The longer we rode the more it rained. By the time we stopped for rain gear, we were pretty wet. But wet at 55 F is not life threatening. The rain increased its
intensity as we passed Bryce and Tropic. By Escalante, it was nearly dry.
When we stopped at Escalante, it was apparent our plan would have to change. The dirt in the back country was saturated, and our bikes are not set up for slippery mud. We were wet. The back country was out and accommodations were in.
After a complete shake down of Escalante, we looked further afield and found a tent site at an RV Park with showers and wi-fi. This was in Torrey, about 60 miles from Escalante.
The last section of riding, particularly the final 25 miles from Boulder to Torrey were unbelievable! Great scenery, little traffic, excellent twisties, good pavement, well engineered turns, and great sight lines.
So while the day started out miserably wet, it ended with some of the finest riding of our lives.
The RV park was, well, an RV park. The showers were nice, and there was a small covered pavillion steps from our tents for coffee and blogging out of the rain. Two mares and a foal cavorted in the pasture next door. Did we mention the rain? Oh yes, rain, and lots of it.
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Scott
non-member comment
Me thinks...
I think a grouse was chasing Chuck because he was hungry and when he tried to run back to his bike a big gust of wind blew his bike over. Either that or he didn't put his kick stand down all the way when he got off the bike, as he walked toward the bushes to relieve himself he heard a thunderous "CRASH". He turned back to the bike only to see it lying there in the middle of the road.