Down to Utah

I gave Idaho Springs short shrift in my last post. Here's a picture. It's a nice litte place.

Farewell to Idaho Springs,,,

The common room in the Miner's Pick... I had this to myself...




My room...


I woke this morning to the smell of something good cooking. My host had arrived sometime during the evening and as promised she was cooking me breakfast. I showered and went down to meet her. She turned out to be an attractive woman in her late thirties (my guess). Her name was Vicki.

She was busy cooking so I packed up the bike. Breakfast was a baked omelet and hash browns. It was delicious. We talked while I ate. She told me the cyclist I saw on Mount Evans were probably training for the annual Mount Evans race. Apparently they race up and down that mountain every year. I’m still amazed.

Packing up outside the Miner's Pick - Bike au naturale

When Vicki heard my destination for today was Moab Utah she told me it was a real neat little town, and she said when I get there, I should make sure I drive through Arches National Park. I heard the same thing repeated to me during a few fuel stops when I told people where I was headed.

After breakfast I said good bye and headed back out on route 70 which would take me over the Rockies and into Utah. As you can imagine, Route 70 is very scenic. It threads its way through the Rockies (sometimes under them) and passes near or through many of the major ski resorts.

I was struck by the number of dead trees. Whole mountain sides are covered with rust colored dead pines. It appears, and some Internet research confirms, that the entire pine forest in the Rockies is dieing. The pine beetles are killing it. The whole forest from Canada down to New Mexico is infested with Pine Beetles. Apparently there are many factors contributing to the beetle epidemic, but it seems to come down to two main ones: climate change and fire prevention. Whatever is happening, it’s alarming.

Just past Vail the scenery began to change quickly. The trees began to disappear entirely – not because of beetles; because of the transition of climate zones. By the time I was 50 miles west of Vail the tall pines had given way to small scrub pines and grasses. In another 50 miles, I was in the desert.

Route 70 parallels the Colorado River for many miles. It’s odd to consider this small river that in most of the places I’ve seen looks no mightier than our Chattahoochee is responsible for so much of the dramatic canyon landscapes out here. I guess it all comes down to just soft rock, time, and water.

The first evidence of the river’s erosive power I got to see was at a place called Glenwood Canyon. Route 70 runs right through this dramatic canyon about 125 miles from the Utah border. Here the river has cut a deep channel in the rocks forming tall box like rock formations. The canyon is about 8 miles long. It was my first exposure to this kind of scenery. After I passed through it, I turned around and went through it again. I stopped at the two rest areas in the canyon and hiked along the bike trails to get some photos.

After I crossed into Utah, I began looking for a route off the interstate described in the same map book that had led me to Mount Evans. The route is Utah 128 from where it intersects route 70 at ext 204 until it reaches the town of Moab about 45 miles west.

The map book was vague on what I would see on this route which troubled me because it was also vague on the fear factor of the Mount Evans road. The book just lists it as one of the best rides in America with lots of twists and turns and diverse scenery. Throwing caution to the wind I exited the highway and had the best riding experience I’ve had yet. Nothing had prepared me for the scenery along this route. It was amazing everywhere I looked I saw incredible mountain vistas, huge red rock formations and beautiful green ranches (kept green by constant irrigations). I stopped so many times to take pictures that I stopped putting the camera away and just left it around my neck.

Route 128 emerges from the incredible landscape just outside of the town of Moab. This place is like ground zero for canyon tourism. It’s a cool little town that reminds me of a beach town (without the beach) or a ski town (without the snow). There are neat little shops and restaurants everywhere. Everyplace you look there’s businesses offering ATV and Jeep rentals or river rafting tours. The streets are clogged with RVs and European travelers.

Apparently this area is very popular with the Europeans who are enjoying the US half off sale. Normally when I cannot understand the conversations around me it’s because they are in Spanish. Here German appears to be the prevalent language.

I’m staying in a KOA camp ground 4 miles outside of town. So far my experiences with KAO’s have been great. The facilities have all been clean and well maintained. Everyone from the staffs to the other campers have been exceptionally nice.

When I pulled into my cabin, I saw two big blue Honda Goldwings parked in the cabin next to me. As I was unloading the bike I struck up a conversation with one of the owners. It turns out the bikes are owned by two guys from the Carolinas – Guy from South Carolina and Sam from North Carolina. They are retirees out exploring America. They had spent the last 16 days riding through the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and now Utah. They said they were heading back though because it was too hot out here. The road temperatures today were well above 100.

Guy and Sam were headed out for a ride through Arch’s Park. I asked if I could follow them. It was awesome. I’m just too exhausted to write anymore. My exploits in Arch’s park will be in my next blog entry.