:: shift7 ::

:: north/south adventure ::

utah: day 16, sat 13 sep
springdale - jacob lake

stats:
77.2 @ 14.2 = 5:24:50, max 38.1, trip total: 1,228

eats:
granola bar, banana, granola bar, ice cream, banana nut harvest bar, diet cherry pepsi, home made chocolate chip cookies, thick vanilla shake, salad, salisbury steak, fries

sleep:
Jacob lake national campground, $3

thoughts:
it was a day of spectacular views. take the time. roll with what comes at you. starting out with going through zion as the sun came over the mountains was cool to see the shadows but hard to take photos. it was the warmest morning yet. it was short sleeve weather! i slept out on the ground and felt warm all night. i was ready for another tough day. good thing too- because it kicked our ass. i guess once you get used to looking at the elevation changes and doing 6000+ feet of climbing a day you almost forget how much energy it really takes- especially two days in a row. we won't forget it that easily next time.

as we started through the park (bill, tim and i), it was clearly a climb into the heart of the mountains with switch backs all the way up the face of these flat sided rock walls. it went up, up, up and your perspective would change with every switch, getting a better view of the valley we were just in. the moon was still out and setting in the west just high enough to still be seen. it was hard not to stop every twenty feet and take another photo- it was visual overload- again. but as the day wears on you start to get in the rhythm and feel too inadequate to really capture the essence on film/digital. but we have thomas so i'm sure he'll have the money shots. no pressure.

we had to pass through two tunnels on the way up. the first one restricted bicycles from passing through so we had to load them on the van and then continue on the other side- after going through it i could see why, it was pitch black and about a mile long. there's no way we would have made it, although there were a couple window cutouts - the entire tunnel was cut straight through rock- there was no man-made material to hold this together. once we got through the first one we were able to get back on our bikes and ride through the next one since you could see through it and it wasn't that long.

the whole park was a feast to the eyes. it was great to bike with tim. he had all the energy i needed, and i tried to have it rub off on me. i think i got some of it too. either that or it might have been the ice cream at our first stop! tim got some chex mix and power drinks... but i have faith i can corrupt his diet. i mean, it's 10 am, what better time to have a double dish of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup? it's not cold, and the sun is just warming up for the day- huh? of course.

after the park it was relatively smooth sailing to the arizona border. well, there was a 1200 foot climb but that paled in comparison to what we still had to do... the looming 3000+ climb to 8000 feet where we were going to stay the night (at the entrance to the grand canyon north entrance).
riding with tim clip

arizona, we are here! the liquor store just on the other side of the border was a sure sign. other than that it just looked the same. so far. and the time changed- we're now 3 hours behind DC. you can call it west coast time or no daylight savings but either way that's what it is. funny thing is we're on schedule with the sun and temperature much more than we are on any specific clock. but it was another marker that we're making our way down to mexico.

it took one curve to see the difference. and it all came into view real quick. we had about 40 miles left and the route was stretched out in front of us. up, steadily for 20 and then climb for 20. the key ingredient was the nice breeze that blew in our face. you could hardly complain though, it was sunny, probably 90, and hot. we we're all flat out busting the gears just to push 12mph. it was like walking across the desert. it was slow, hot, and it looked like the same damn thing mile after mile-- after mile (for the first 20 anyway).

i could see tim enjoying himself, or it might have been the look of 'why on earth did i sign up for this?'. no joke, it was grueling and mentally the toughest part of the trip so far. it always is when you go so slow and it tears you up. especially with so much left. when we finally made it to the beginning of the climb we took the opportunity to rest at the only shady spot - the national park service bulletin board- who reads it, i don't know. we hung out and just laughed at our predicament. our self-inflicted joy. i was having fun for sure. a nice couple from illinois happened to stop, probably to talk, and offered us something to drink... it's one of those situations when nobody wants to answer first, but we all wanted something cold. i can't remember who said yes but it may have been all of us- we were all thinking it. here's the catch- we got three cans of diet cherry pepsi. one each. the stuff was nasty. i finished mine in about a minute. it tasted bad and did little to help our need for calories. so since thomas didn't want his i mixed it in with my gatorade (that was previously mixed with lemonade). it was cold and that's all that mattered. we were off.

the climb was on. it seemed like a much longer day. but for as hot and dripping with sweat as it was, it was a welcome change. i enjoyed the challenge versus the frustration of the plains. and i got into rhythm. certainly there was plenty left but it was within sight. there were more trees- evergreens- which surprised me. the air got cooler. we were definitely climbing and it was nice.

once i got to the top the first item of business was food. i was starved. a huge vanilla shake- extra thick, with 4 equally large chocolate chip cookies- home-made (a price break for 4 and i could get one for everyone). well, i was waiting and not all the cookies made the wait. but i did share the last two- i think there were two.

when we all had a rest we headed to the grand canyon scenic view- it was still 45 minutes by minivan. the route goes by the entrance but not all the way to the north rim. it would take another day just to ride to it and then backtrack out- plus we'll be at the south rim in a couple days. and that side you can ride in from the east and out to the south. what can i say- its the grand canyon. its big, its incredible, and it blows you away. it doesn't quite seem all too real- like you're seeing it on imax with special effects. and the mountains in the distance- some 60 miles away- look like hazy backdrops. i've been wanting to see this for a long time, it was odd to finally be here. and everything i had expected flew right out the window, this was the real thing.