Hanksville, UT to Lewis, CO: Lakes, Rains, and Bathtubs

For those of you just catching up, there have been two posts today, this being the second -- scroll down and read the first... well, first. And for once I'll be posting about the same state I'm in! I do want to get to bed though, so I'll still be two days behind... but I'm catching up!

- - -

So we decided to take a half-break day, given we'd just ridden 96 miles. We went to breakfast at the place across the street -- I don't remember what it was called, but I do remember that our waitress was a gal named Sharley, and that she was swell ("Excuse me while I have a senior moment, boys"). We got a 10% discount for staying across the street, which was also pretty swell. Anyways, we updated our blogs, got pizza for lunch ($1.95/slice at the grocer -- deal hunting is becoming a skill of mine), and headed off about 2, after two more cyclists stopped by the bench we were on outside the motel to say hi.

Then we were back in desert land. It really wasn't fair. I mean, it was, because that's life... but we thought we were home free, and suddenly it was uphill into the wind both ways again. Oh, except that this time there were cliffs.

Tall cliffs, too.

So I guess it wasn't exactly like Nevada.

In any case, the longer we rode, the more surrounded by cliffs we became, until we were riding in a canyon again. Oh, and we also encountered a dust devil -- two that day, for a total of three for the entire trip. Something new for me (in NV I also saw my first tumbleweed... and we had a discussion about whether you could grow tumbleweed or if any plant was just called that once it broke off from its roots and started tumbling... anyone?).

You can tell we're in Nevada... er I mean, Utah, because this post is fairly event-less... so far I've talked about cliffs, dust devils, and tumbleweed.

Then we got to Lake Powell, where we had decided to spend the night, swimming included:

Nobody told us it could still be a lake if there were cliffs all around.

We got in at dark and putzed around until eventually finding a spot on the, er, "beach." This was the first state park we'd ever been in where collection of firewood was allowed, so we took advantage of it and built a fire. Ken and Tim had splurged on some whiskey, so went to a nearby RV to get some ice. The RV folks then invited me over to get my story, and also donated some calories -- er uh, marshmallows and chocolate -- to the cause. As it was dark, we didn't go swimming, but we did stay up until 12:30 AM around the campfire, drinking whiskey and eating smoked salmon and steak. Yea, we were roughin' it.

It looks rough to me.

The next morning we woke and searched for a place to go swimming, but anywhere there wasn't a cliff, it was muddy. Disappointed, we stopped at the general store for breakfast (sausage, egg and cheese croissant for $2.75? Okay! -- also, Tim bought some donut holes) and took off on a big hill. Did I say that right? It was a big hill. Not steep, just... long. The maps we use come in sections so you're only looking at 20-30 miles at a time, and I flipped the map section over a few times before finally reaching the top. But oh, what a top it was. And on the way we passed Bear's Ears.

I mean, there's a bear in there somewhere.

I thought it was a cool name for a formation.

Also, in the lower left hand corner of that photo -- see the truck? There were about 10 trucks on the road. They were Native Americans from a nearby preservation, and they were picking pine nuts. Apparently you can roast them just like sunflower seeds and eat them, or sell them, and they turn quite a profit. I just thought that was interesting.

So yea, another boring Nevada *ahem* Utah sort of day. There were many beautiful parts, but mostly it was just climbing... and climbing... and oh, I met someone from Japan! He had started in Canada, come down the Rockies, and was now cutting across to San Francisco. I thought it was an interesting route, but it made sense to him... in any case. It was also quite hot, and rained about a mile on either side of the road... but not on the road. I made camp about 4 miles outside of town, figuring Tim and Ken (who had gotten ahead of me earlier in the day, as usual) would get a motel in town.

- - -

The next day I awoke to more faraway rain, which would, later that day, become very close rain.

"But for now I'll just hang out far away and be pretty."

I rode the 4 miles into town and went grocery shopping. They also had breakfast by the pound, which I thought was a great invention, because they were selling raw bacon for $8/lb in the meat department, but you could get cooked bacon for $5/lb along with biscuits, gravy, eggs, etc... it was swell.

Eventually I found Ken and Tim's motel. I coerced the hostess into putting breakfast back out while I waited for K/T to appear (thanks!). So I got two breakfasts in one day, and all for $5. Anyways, we took off, stopping in Monticello, UT for lunch, before getting sprinkled on, and turning east for CO.

I'm not yawning, I'm just blinded by how colorful Colorado is.

We made it to another gas station and stopped for a snack (corn dogs at $0.76/piece -- I'm getting good at deal hunting) before turning around and seeing what the "sprinkle" had become:

It had become a sprinkle of doom.

So then we rode a little faster.

After another hour of riding with rain jackets on, we were surrounded. Ironically, the rain didn't catch up to us -- it actually cut across the road in front of us, and we rode into it. It wasn't too bad at first, but eventually K/T pulled over under a church porch and called it quits for a bit. Ken was monologuing about how he would sleep there if he had to. I told them they were being ridiculous and they should come join the fun. They refused, so I rode on.

About 6 or so I passed a dot on the map called "Lewis." I would say it was a city, except that there was no population marked. There was a convenience store on my map, and I was interested in some hot chocolate. When I didn't find it on the main route, I pulled on a side road and ambled a bit before turning around. I didn't make it 50 feet before a car behind me honked, pulled up, and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yea," I said, "I'm fine -- just looking for a place to stay." There was a reservoir about 2 miles down the road and I had still wanted my swim that morning, so I had been planning on staying there... albeit I didn't want a swim so much now that I had been rained on.

"Do you want to sleep in our pasture?"

Well, I wasn't about to turn down a place to sleep. So I followed them about a block down the road before they got out and pointed out their yard. I could sleep with the horses. I could sleep with the cows. Oh! -- I could sleep with the turkeys! I was about to opt for the turkeys when they offered the garden as well, which didn't have any *decorations* on the ground. I gladly accepted.

I was happy to have a place to stay and didn't ask about coming indoors. They did explain that they wanted to offer me a bath, but that the house was so small there was just a 3/4 bath inside. Then they explained that when they wanted a bath, they just filled up their backyard porcelain tub. Yup, they had a tub in their backyard. So they connected the hose to the hot water spigot (yes, they had hot and cold spigots for their hose), filled up the bath, and turned the other way.

So I finished that night with a hot bath, outdoors, in the rain, in the backyard of a complete stranger.

The photo is the snarky comment.

Welcome to Colorado.