Monday, August 27, 2012. Day 2 of the Price to Bryce bicycle ride.
Today’s trek began with a car ride to Interstate 70, the endpoint of yesterday’s ride. I dropped Tim and Mark off at the underpass and they started the ride along Highway 72, over the mountain pass in Fishlake National Forest, then southwest to the town of Teasdale, Utah—a small, mostly residential town just minutes from the town of Torrey and the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.
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| Map (top) and Elevation change graph for Day 2. Graph: x-axis starts at zero, each hatch mark equals 10 miles. y-axis starts at 6000 ft. elevation, each hatch mark equals 1000 ft. |
Today’s trek began with a car ride to Interstate 70, the endpoint of yesterday’s ride. I dropped Tim and Mark off at the underpass and they started the ride along Highway 72, over the mountain pass in Fishlake National Forest, then southwest to the town of Teasdale, Utah—a small, mostly residential town just minutes from the town of Torrey and the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.
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| Tim and Mark begin the second day's ride under threatening skies. |
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| Tim climbs the switchbacks to the summit. |
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| Mark takes a break at the summit, overlooking Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park. |
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| Tim is on his way down from the summit. You can find him by looking for the little green dot just to the right of center in this picture. (Or, click on photo to enlarge.) |
The cyclists encountered cooler temperatures, rain and thunder during the ride, but by late afternoon the sun shone on their endeavors. We all pulled into the Muley Twist Inn shortly before dinner and were shown to our upstairs rooms.
We checked into our rooms and, after showering, Tim started the daily routine of washing bike clothes and headbands, then rinsing and refilling water bottles and thermoses for the next day’s ride. We had dinner at The Rim Rock Restaurant, enjoying our meals of blue-cheese burgers and homemade fries while gazing through floor-to-ceiling windows into Capitol Reef National Park and the Boulder Mountains.
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| A showery lunch break at Forsythe Reservoir in Fishlake NF. |
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| Highway 72 snakes behind Mark as he and Tim pedal away from Forsythe Reservoir. |
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| Considering exchanging their rides for something with more horsepower? |
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| Sunshine for the final section of the ride between the towns of Bicknell and Teasdale. |
We checked into our rooms and, after showering, Tim started the daily routine of washing bike clothes and headbands, then rinsing and refilling water bottles and thermoses for the next day’s ride. We had dinner at The Rim Rock Restaurant, enjoying our meals of blue-cheese burgers and homemade fries while gazing through floor-to-ceiling windows into Capitol Reef National Park and the Boulder Mountains.
Later that evening we convened on the long porch of the Muley Twist Inn to watch the setting sun cast its shadows over red rock country.
To view the other four days of the Price to Bryce bicycling adventure, click on the links below:
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| A great way to end the day: views into Utah's color country from the front porch of the Muley Twist Inn. |
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| Panorama Point in Capitol Reef National Park. |
6 comments:
What magnificent open spaces! Sure that was a memorable ride, and your pictures were quite articulate :)
Astounding photos, especially of Panorama Point!
You're a trooper to pilot the sag wagon and find all those great locations to capture images of Tim and Mark's trip.
Hope the sun stayed out for the rest of their journey...
Hi Manikchand,
The route chosen for this ride is full of open spaces and lightly traveled highways, and I'm pleased that the pictures communicate this fact so well.
Tim assures me that this WAS indeed a memorable ride.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Vickie,
Panorama Point lives up to its name, doesn't it?
Driving the sag wagon and acting as the official photographer took up most of my time on this trip. I imagined pulling off the highway and curling up with a book, but I was constantly on the lookout for photo opportunities!
You'll discover in the next few posts whether or not the sun stayed out...
Thanks for your comments!
Seems to me that this adventure is a "winner" regardless of whether you're piloting the bike, or the one driving the support vehicle. In either case, the scenery is to die for. Plus, all of you get to "party" at the end of each day.
That is a magnificent view into Utah's color country from the front porch of the Muley Twist Inn!
John
You're right, John. This adventure was a winner for everyone concerned!
And about that view from the porch of the Muley Twist...I think I could have stayed there on that front porch—relaxing and soaking in the scenery—for the entire week!
Thanks for commenting.
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