Biking across Utah

In August 2006, my friend Ken and I rode our bikes from Cortez, Colorado to Bryce Canyon, Utah. These are my pictures from that trip (and a few that Ken took of me). Click on a picture to ge ...

2009-02-17T06:40:34Z

johnmcdonald
In August 2006, my friend Ken and I rode our bikes from Cortez, Colorado to Bryce Canyon, Utah. These are my pictures from that trip (and a few that Ken took of me). Click on a picture to ge ...

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Cortez. Our bikes had arrived, but the manager wouldn't let us have them until the next morning, because he didn't want bicycles in the hotel rooms. T ...

2009-06-10T17:17:05Z

johnmcdonald
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Cortez. Our bikes had arrived, but the manager wouldn't let us have them until the next morning, because he didn't want bicycles in the hotel rooms. T ...

Our first day's ride was from Cortez, CO to Blanding, UT, a little over 90 miles. We rode north on US 491 (it used to be US 666, the Devil's Highway, but they renamed it). There was a fair b ...

2009-02-17T06:47:39Z

johnmcdonald
Our first day's ride was from Cortez, CO to Blanding, UT, a little over 90 miles. We rode north on US 491 (it used to be US 666, the Devil's Highway, but they renamed it). There was a fair b ...

From US 491 we went west on Colorado road BB. It was a completely deserted road through gently rolling farmland.

2009-06-10T16:45:51Z

johnmcdonald
From US 491 we went west on Colorado road BB. It was a completely deserted road through gently rolling farmland.

Road BB joined up with Road 10, which headed southwest into Utah. This road is shown as gravel on all the maps I've seen, but it was paved this year. The countryside got dryer. Here Ken look ...

2009-06-10T16:47:05Z

johnmcdonald
Road BB joined up with Road 10, which headed southwest into Utah. This road is shown as gravel on all the maps I've seen, but it was paved this year. The countryside got dryer. Here Ken look ...

The road to Hovenweep is gently downhill, so we zoomed through the desolation. I don't think we saw a single car in the 20 miles between Road BB and Hovenweep.

2009-06-10T16:35:29Z

johnmcdonald
The road to Hovenweep is gently downhill, so we zoomed through the desolation. I don't think we saw a single car in the 20 miles between Road BB and Hovenweep.

We parked our bikes at the Hovenweep visitor center, refilled our water bottles, put on regular shoes and hiked around the little canyon that the ruins are clustered around. The loop trail w ...

2009-06-10T16:40:34Z

johnmcdonald
We parked our bikes at the Hovenweep visitor center, refilled our water bottles, put on regular shoes and hiked around the little canyon that the ruins are clustered around. The loop trail w ...

The Anasazi built these ruins around 900 years ago. No one is sure what their function was--living quarters, defense, ceremonial, grain storage. Many are perched on rocks overlooking the sma ...

2009-06-10T16:25:18Z

johnmcdonald
The Anasazi built these ruins around 900 years ago. No one is sure what their function was--living quarters, defense, ceremonial, grain storage. Many are perched on rocks overlooking the sma ...

After we left Hovenweep, the road was flat and barren for awhile. That's Ken taking a picture of the barrenness of it all. Then there were a couple of canyons that we went down into and had ...

2009-06-10T16:26:27Z

johnmcdonald
After we left Hovenweep, the road was flat and barren for awhile. That's Ken taking a picture of the barrenness of it all. Then there were a couple of canyons that we went down into and had ...

Like I said, it was exhausting. We eventually got to Blanding, but the motel where I'd made reservations had a handwritten note on the door, saying they were taking the weekend off for their ...

2009-06-10T17:23:50Z

johnmcdonald
Like I said, it was exhausting. We eventually got to Blanding, but the motel where I'd made reservations had a handwritten note on the door, saying they were taking the weekend off for their ...

Our ride on day 2 was 88 miles from Blanding to Hite Marina, with a side trip to Natural Bridges National Monument ("B" on the map) to get water. Our motel said it had continental breakfast ...

2009-06-10T17:17:04Z

johnmcdonald
Our ride on day 2 was 88 miles from Blanding to Hite Marina, with a side trip to Natural Bridges National Monument ("B" on the map) to get water. Our motel said it had continental breakfast ...

This is on HIghway 95 west of Blanding, our first taste of interesting rock formations.

2009-06-10T16:27:50Z

johnmcdonald
This is on HIghway 95 west of Blanding, our first taste of interesting rock formations.

Here's Ken riding up a hill. There isn't much shoulder on highway 95, but we didn't need one, as one car went by every 10 minutes or so.

2009-06-10T17:24:08Z

johnmcdonald
Here's Ken riding up a hill. There isn't much shoulder on highway 95, but we didn't need one, as one car went by every 10 minutes or so.

Here I am riding through an amazing road cut.

2009-06-10T16:45:24Z

johnmcdonald
Here I am riding through an amazing road cut.

We took a break just the other side of the road cut.

2009-06-10T16:38:04Z

johnmcdonald
We took a break just the other side of the road cut.

In the 80 miles of highway 95 between Blanding and Hite Marina, the only buildings are the Natural Bridges visitor center (4 miles off the highway) and the Fry Canyon store (open at unpredic ...

2009-06-10T16:20:55Z

johnmcdonald
In the 80 miles of highway 95 between Blanding and Hite Marina, the only buildings are the Natural Bridges visitor center (4 miles off the highway) and the Fry Canyon store (open at unpredic ...

We climbed about 2000 feet to here, but it wasn't too bad at any point.

2009-06-10T16:38:58Z

johnmcdonald
We climbed about 2000 feet to here, but it wasn't too bad at any point.

Here's Ken at 7110 feet.

2009-06-10T16:45:26Z

johnmcdonald
Here's Ken at 7110 feet.

Because there is no other reliable source of water between Blanding and Hite, we took a side trip to the Natural Bridges National Monument visitor center to refill our water bottles. It's ab ...

2009-02-17T07:09:53Z

johnmcdonald
Because there is no other reliable source of water between Blanding and Hite, we took a side trip to the Natural Bridges National Monument visitor center to refill our water bottles. It's ab ...

After leaving the Natural Bridges turnoff, highway 95 runs along White Canyon.

2009-06-10T16:35:49Z

johnmcdonald
After leaving the Natural Bridges turnoff, highway 95 runs along White Canyon.

As we were riding along highway 95, wondering "I wonder what that round rock is called," we came to a highway sign that said The Cheesebox ---> So I guess it's called th ...

2009-06-10T16:44:36Z

johnmcdonald
As we were riding along highway 95, wondering "I wonder what that round rock is called," we came to a highway sign that said The Cheesebox ---> So I guess it's called th ...

This is Fry Canyon. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looked to be about 20 feet deep and one foot wide.

2009-06-10T16:23:27Z

johnmcdonald
This is Fry Canyon. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looked to be about 20 feet deep and one foot wide.

Here's another view of Fry Canyon. There are some cabins there, but they're closed, and a convenience store. The store was open, so we bought some stuff. The manager told us that she lives i ...

2009-06-10T16:38:58Z

johnmcdonald
Here's another view of Fry Canyon. There are some cabins there, but they're closed, and a convenience store. The store was open, so we bought some stuff. The manager told us that she lives i ...

We're getting closer to Lake Powell and Hite Marina. Hite Marina's at about 4000 feet above sea level, so the last 45 miles of the day were a long, gentle downhill, with the occasional short ...

2009-06-10T16:25:36Z

johnmcdonald
We're getting closer to Lake Powell and Hite Marina. Hite Marina's at about 4000 feet above sea level, so the last 45 miles of the day were a long, gentle downhill, with the occasional short ...

Here's White Canyon from a bridge.

2009-06-10T16:38:23Z

johnmcdonald
Here's White Canyon from a bridge.

That's me riding up the road, getting closer to Hite Marina. It was a long, hot, dry day, but we paced ourselves well and got to Hite without any problem.

2009-06-10T16:22:34Z

johnmcdonald
That's me riding up the road, getting closer to Hite Marina. It was a long, hot, dry day, but we paced ourselves well and got to Hite without any problem.

We got to Hite Marina at around 5:30. The cashier had already closed the register, so he had to fumble around a lot to sell us stuff. We'd brought freeze-dried dinner (pasta with beef for Ke ...

2009-06-10T16:21:11Z

johnmcdonald
We got to Hite Marina at around 5:30. The cashier had already closed the register, so he had to fumble around a lot to sell us stuff. We'd brought freeze-dried dinner (pasta with beef for Ke ...

On Day 3, we left Hite at about 6:30 for the 52-mile ride to Hanksville.

2009-06-10T17:24:39Z

johnmcdonald
On Day 3, we left Hite at about 6:30 for the 52-mile ride to Hanksville.

After crossing Lake Powell, there are a couple of short, steep hills--the road goes up from the lake, back down to lake level, up and down, then finally starts a more gradual ascent.

2009-06-10T16:31:38Z

johnmcdonald
After crossing Lake Powell, there are a couple of short, steep hills--the road goes up from the lake, back down to lake level, up and down, then finally starts a more gradual ascent.

There's a scenic viewpoint off the highway that overlooks Lake Powell. This is as close as Ken would get to the edge of the cliff.

2009-06-10T16:51:46Z

johnmcdonald
There's a scenic viewpoint off the highway that overlooks Lake Powell. This is as close as Ken would get to the edge of the cliff.

Hite Marina is on the left of the picture, with the boat ramp in the middle of the picture. After several years of drought, the boat ramp doesn't go to the water any more.

2009-06-10T16:39:49Z

johnmcdonald
Hite Marina is on the left of the picture, with the boat ramp in the middle of the picture. After several years of drought, the boat ramp doesn't go to the water any more.

Ken took this picture of me--look for the purple pixel, about a quarter of the way in from the right. This is what the scenery was like for the first 30 miles or so of today's ride. There's ...

2009-06-10T16:59:21Z

johnmcdonald
Ken took this picture of me--look for the purple pixel, about a quarter of the way in from the right. This is what the scenery was like for the first 30 miles or so of today's ride. There's ...

After the intersection with highway 276, the scenery was less spectacular. There was also a lot of traffic, people hauling big boats back from Bullfrog Marina on a Sunday afternoon. It was t ...

2009-02-17T07:03:06Z

johnmcdonald
After the intersection with highway 276, the scenery was less spectacular. There was also a lot of traffic, people hauling big boats back from Bullfrog Marina on a Sunday afternoon. It was t ...

Hanksville is very small. There are three motels, but two are closed on Sunday, so we stayed in the Best Value Inn, which was fine. There's a fast food place/convenience store, a grocery sto ...

2009-06-10T17:27:59Z

johnmcdonald
Hanksville is very small. There are three motels, but two are closed on Sunday, so we stayed in the Best Value Inn, which was fine. There's a fast food place/convenience store, a grocery sto ...

We got breakfast food at the convenience store the night before, and we got going at sunrise, about 6:30. We saw one car every half hour or so.

2009-06-10T17:28:05Z

johnmcdonald
We got breakfast food at the convenience store the night before, and we got going at sunrise, about 6:30. We saw one car every half hour or so.

The first part of the ride was through a barren moonscape of crumbly gray rock.

2009-06-10T16:27:34Z

johnmcdonald
The first part of the ride was through a barren moonscape of crumbly gray rock.

Here's a ruin of a granary; Indians stored their grain on cliffs to keep rodents away.

2009-06-10T16:30:52Z

johnmcdonald
Here's a ruin of a granary; Indians stored their grain on cliffs to keep rodents away.

The rock formations got more spectacular as we got into Capitol Reef National Park.

2009-06-10T16:52:20Z

johnmcdonald
The rock formations got more spectacular as we got into Capitol Reef National Park.

We didn't see much wildlife on this trip (other than rabbits), but here are some pronghorn antelope.

2009-06-10T16:54:31Z

johnmcdonald
We didn't see much wildlife on this trip (other than rabbits), but here are some pronghorn antelope.

That's Ken in the blue shirt.

2009-06-10T16:48:28Z

johnmcdonald
That's Ken in the blue shirt.

And that's me in the purple.

2009-06-10T16:38:05Z

johnmcdonald
And that's me in the purple.

Fruita, Utah is a historic fruit-growing community, now a ghost town. It's now part of Capitol Reef National Park, and the orchards are kept up. Here's a deer standing on her hind legs to ge ...

2009-06-15T03:47:13Z

johnmcdonald
Fruita, Utah is a historic fruit-growing community, now a ghost town. It's now part of Capitol Reef National Park, and the orchards are kept up. Here's a deer standing on her hind legs to ge ...

Every day, the scenery was more spectacular than the previous day.

2009-06-10T16:35:12Z

johnmcdonald
Every day, the scenery was more spectacular than the previous day.

We stopped at the Capitol Reef visitor center, then continued up a hill that gradually got steeper. Here's a little canyon next to the highway. I like how the rocks have broken into rectangu ...

2009-06-10T16:48:29Z

johnmcdonald
We stopped at the Capitol Reef visitor center, then continued up a hill that gradually got steeper. Here's a little canyon next to the highway. I like how the rocks have broken into rectangu ...

Ken usually went up the hills a little faster than I did; that's him up the highway. Even though it was afternoon and we were in a national park, there was still almost no traffic.

2009-06-10T16:30:50Z

johnmcdonald
Ken usually went up the hills a little faster than I did; that's him up the highway. Even though it was afternoon and we were in a national park, there was still almost no traffic.

It looks pretty clear, but the storm clouds were starting to gather.

2009-06-10T16:40:08Z

johnmcdonald
It looks pretty clear, but the storm clouds were starting to gather.

We went uphill the entire day, very gently at first, then steeper towards the end. This is looking back down a hill.

2009-06-10T16:52:14Z

johnmcdonald
We went uphill the entire day, very gently at first, then steeper towards the end. This is looking back down a hill.

If this were in Maryland, it would have been the first national monument, and people would come from miles around to see it. Here it's just a couple of rocks by the side of the highway. We ...

2009-06-10T16:24:32Z

johnmcdonald
If this were in Maryland, it would have been the first national monument, and people would come from miles around to see it. Here it's just a couple of rocks by the side of the highway. We ...

On day 5, we rode from Torrey to Escalante. It was a medium-length day, about 65 miles, with lots of climbing.

2009-06-10T17:55:34Z

johnmcdonald
On day 5, we rode from Torrey to Escalante. It was a medium-length day, about 65 miles, with lots of climbing.

The day started with a long uphill that was quite steep in places. We saw almost no traffic. At one point, there were a bunch of cows in the middle of the road, next to a fenced-in cow pastu ...

2009-06-10T16:29:27Z

johnmcdonald
The day started with a long uphill that was quite steep in places. We saw almost no traffic. At one point, there were a bunch of cows in the middle of the road, next to a fenced-in cow pastu ...

We stopped partway up the hill and looked back towards Capitol Reef.

2009-06-10T16:30:32Z

johnmcdonald
We stopped partway up the hill and looked back towards Capitol Reef.

Here's the high point of our trip. Luckily, neither of us seems to suffer from altitude sickness.

2009-06-10T16:48:14Z

johnmcdonald
Here's the high point of our trip. Luckily, neither of us seems to suffer from altitude sickness.

Ken was happy that we were done with the big climb.

2009-06-10T16:47:13Z

johnmcdonald
Ken was happy that we were done with the big climb.

We saw storm clouds and lightning in the distance, but it never got very close to us today.

2009-06-10T16:36:00Z

johnmcdonald
We saw storm clouds and lightning in the distance, but it never got very close to us today.

We went downhill to Boulder, had lunch, then continued downhill. This is the view from the Knife Edge, a section of highway with steep dropoffs on either side, no guardrails, and no shoulder ...

2009-06-10T16:27:58Z

johnmcdonald
We went downhill to Boulder, had lunch, then continued downhill. This is the view from the Knife Edge, a section of highway with steep dropoffs on either side, no guardrails, and no shoulder ...

After we came down from the Knife Edge, we thought we had a relatively flat ride into Escalante.

2009-06-10T16:40:10Z

johnmcdonald
After we came down from the Knife Edge, we thought we had a relatively flat ride into Escalante.

Me with rocks. Despite the SPF30, my nose got very sunburned.

2009-06-10T16:55:53Z

johnmcdonald
Me with rocks. Despite the SPF30, my nose got very sunburned.

We thought we had a relatively flat ride to Escalante, but we were wrong. Here's Ken telling me, "Your elevation profile just showed a little bump--what is this thing we just had to ride up? ...

2009-06-10T16:58:10Z

johnmcdonald
We thought we had a relatively flat ride to Escalante, but we were wrong. Here's Ken telling me, "Your elevation profile just showed a little bump--what is this thing we just had to ride up? ...

There was more uphill to come after that previous photo, too.

2009-06-10T16:25:51Z

johnmcdonald
There was more uphill to come after that previous photo, too.

We saw a couple of guys out for a day ride near Blanding, and a few kids in towns, but otherwise we didn't see any bicyclists on the entire trip.

2009-02-17T07:08:57Z

johnmcdonald
We saw a couple of guys out for a day ride near Blanding, and a few kids in towns, but otherwise we didn't see any bicyclists on the entire trip.

The rocks go on for a long ways.

2009-06-10T16:44:26Z

johnmcdonald
The rocks go on for a long ways.

This is one of the hills we rode up. Eventually we had a long gentle downhill ride into Escalante. We ate pretty good Mexican food in Georgie's Corner Cafe, a tiny restaurant, basically the ...

2009-06-10T16:27:07Z

johnmcdonald
This is one of the hills we rode up. Eventually we had a long gentle downhill ride into Escalante. We ate pretty good Mexican food in Georgie's Corner Cafe, a tiny restaurant, basically the ...

On day 6 we rode from Escalante to Ruby's Inn, at the north end of Bryce Canyon National Park. This was a short day, about 47 miles, so we'd have time to explore Bryce Canyon.

2009-06-10T17:38:45Z

johnmcdonald
On day 6 we rode from Escalante to Ruby's Inn, at the north end of Bryce Canyon National Park. This was a short day, about 47 miles, so we'd have time to explore Bryce Canyon.

We went steadily uphill in the morning, with very little traffic. I forget the name of this rock formation, but you could see it from a long ways away. It's in the background of some of the ...

2009-06-10T16:18:50Z

johnmcdonald
We went steadily uphill in the morning, with very little traffic. I forget the name of this rock formation, but you could see it from a long ways away. It's in the background of some of the ...

Much of the day was through open rangeland like this. It threatened to be the first day with scenery that wasn't more spectacular than the previous day's.

2009-06-10T16:27:32Z

johnmcdonald
Much of the day was through open rangeland like this. It threatened to be the first day with scenery that wasn't more spectacular than the previous day's.

Then, as we were going up the last hill towards Bryce Canyon, we came to some hoodoos, these strange vertical pillars of rock. We got to the Bryce Canyon Lodge, part of the Ruby's Inn resort ...

2009-06-10T16:31:16Z

johnmcdonald
Then, as we were going up the last hill towards Bryce Canyon, we came to some hoodoos, these strange vertical pillars of rock. We got to the Bryce Canyon Lodge, part of the Ruby's Inn resort ...

As you can see, this day WAS more spectacular than the previous ones. This is part of the view from Bryce Point.

2009-06-10T16:43:03Z

johnmcdonald
As you can see, this day WAS more spectacular than the previous ones. This is part of the view from Bryce Point.

More from Bryce Point.

2009-06-10T16:38:19Z

johnmcdonald
More from Bryce Point.

After Bryce Point, we took the shuttle bus to Sunset Point. Then we hiked down the Navajo Loop trail and up the Queen's Garden trail to Sunrise Point.

2009-06-10T16:34:37Z

johnmcdonald
After Bryce Point, we took the shuttle bus to Sunset Point. Then we hiked down the Navajo Loop trail and up the Queen's Garden trail to Sunrise Point.

Here's Ken amidst the hoodoos.

2009-06-10T17:34:48Z

johnmcdonald
Here's Ken amidst the hoodoos.

From the Navajo Loop trail.

2009-06-10T16:43:10Z

johnmcdonald
From the Navajo Loop trail.

Looking towards the Paria Valley through a hole in the rocks.

2009-06-10T16:33:09Z

johnmcdonald
Looking towards the Paria Valley through a hole in the rocks.

Near the bottom of the Navajo Loop trail, hikers have piled up little rocks into a cluster of cairns. Vandalism, or folk art?

2009-06-10T16:28:30Z

johnmcdonald
Near the bottom of the Navajo Loop trail, hikers have piled up little rocks into a cluster of cairns. Vandalism, or folk art?

The hoodoos form when a cap of hard rock prevents the softer rock directly underneath it from eroding.

2009-06-10T16:44:20Z

johnmcdonald
The hoodoos form when a cap of hard rock prevents the softer rock directly underneath it from eroding.

I kept telling Ken, you can't capture "looming" in a photograph, but he kept trying. Go to http://kendunn.smugmug.com to see how his pictures turned out.

2009-02-17T07:08:45Z

johnmcdonald
I kept telling Ken, you can't capture "looming" in a photograph, but he kept trying. Go to http://kendunn.smugmug.com to see how his pictures turned out.

More hoodoos.

2009-06-10T16:34:03Z

johnmcdonald
More hoodoos.

Which is redder, the rocks or my nose?

2009-06-10T16:42:09Z

johnmcdonald
Which is redder, the rocks or my nose?

We had planned to ride our bikes to Cedar City via Cedar Breaks National Monument the next day, but after comparing the elevation profile to what we'd already ridden, we decided it wouldn't ...

2009-02-17T07:08:34Z

johnmcdonald
We had planned to ride our bikes to Cedar City via Cedar Breaks National Monument the next day, but after comparing the elevation profile to what we'd already ridden, we decided it wouldn't ...

The hoodoos, arches, windows, etc. all looked even more incredible in the morning sunlight.

2009-06-10T16:37:23Z

johnmcdonald
The hoodoos, arches, windows, etc. all looked even more incredible in the morning sunlight.

After our last look at Bryce Canyon, we took the shuttle back to the motel, and got a ride with Lance to Cedar City. The hills looked long and steep going up, the weather was chilly and it r ...

2009-06-10T16:38:36Z

johnmcdonald
After our last look at Bryce Canyon, we took the shuttle back to the motel, and got a ride with Lance to Cedar City. The hills looked long and steep going up, the weather was chilly and it r ...