Thursday, August 30. Day 5 of the Price to Bryce Bicycle Ride. Escalante to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Day 5, the final day of our Price to Bryce adventure. Excited to complete the goal but not eager for the trip to end, we started the day by sleeping in, followed by a late and leisurely breakfast at the Slot Canyons Inn.
While enjoying eggs, sausage, fresh fruit and strong coffee we were “entertained” by stereotypical Ugly Americans—a couple from California who regaled us with tales of their wealth and travels. Yes, he started a half a billion dollar software company. Yes, they’ve traveled all around the world many times. Yes, they live in a giant house in Palm Springs with a 500-bottle wine cellar. Yes, it’s quite a chore picking out a bottle of wine each night for dinner. Oh my, I feel their pain and... on that note, it's time for us to be moving on.
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| Map, and elevation change graph for Day 5. Elevation graph: x-axis starts at zero, each hatch mark equals 10 miles. y-axis, first hatch mark is 6000 ft., each hatch mark equals 1000 ft. |
We were on our way, only 50 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park, by the time morning clouds burned away to reveal a blue sky.
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| View from rest stop at the 7600' summit between Escalante and Bryce Canyon. |
Rolling downhill from the summit Tim and Mark passed through the towns of Henrieville and Tropic. Just beyond Tropic peals of thunder rocked the sky as dark storm clouds billowed upon the horizon. A few miles later I caught up with the bikers as waves of rain and hail washed across the road. Tim and Mark rushed for refuge in the FJ to wait out the storm.
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| Entering Henrieville, Tim and Mark encounter an unexpected road hazard. |
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| Leaving the town of Tropic as storm clouds build. |
Under light drizzle the cyclists started the final steep push to Bryce Canyon’s entrance at 8,000 feet. Thunder rumbled and lightening flashed but the storm stayed in the distance for the last few miles to the park.
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| The final uphill climb through drizzly, dreary skies. |
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| We're only a few miles from Bryce Canyon, and we can see the storm moving away from us. |
As if on cue, clouds parted and sunshine spilled into our little corner of the world as Tim and Mark arrived at the park entrance sign. There were big smiles, congratulatory hugs, lots of picture-taking. Finally we loaded the bikes on the vehicle and drove to The Best Western Bryce Canyon Inn.
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| The final few minutes. Mark and Tim enjoy a relaxing ride on the entrance road to Bryce Canyon National Park. |
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| We made it! |
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| Mission accomplished! The driver and the cyclist celebrate the end of a rewarding journey. |
The celebratory dinner in the National Park’s Bryce Canyon Lodge was marvelous, the best meal of the trip. I indulged in Maryland-style crab cakes, Tim devoured a rack of ribs and Mark feasted on lobster and flat iron steak. The evening was perfect, a fitting farewell to an incomparable adventure.
Bryce Canyon National Park is beautiful in every season. Click here to experience the park during winter.
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| The "hoodoos" of Bryce Canyon. |
To view the first four days of the Price to Bryce adventure, click on the following links:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
