Safe Return Doubtful

Sensational riding in the Gorge comes with a cost, this is high end of the difficulty scale. Gradients around the Gorge are steeper than usual on US passes. In Europe it’s not rare to get steep roads, but these are prolonged, 9 miles at 9% for example, albeit that was a downhill for me. 3 days would do the route more justice than the 2 I spent, besides, the scenery is something special.

There was much more traffic on the road today which was no surprise, and after the 191 joins just a few miles into today’s ride, that was exaggerated. My advice would be to ride this when there’s a solar eclipse…

There was 400 metres height to be gained today before the huge descent, which is over 14 miles. There’s some up and down, then a couple of miles of 9-10%, slow going with a loaded bike. After the pass there is still 5 or 6 more miles of up and down, then the 10 switchbacks. Vernal is a city of 10,000 people and the largest city in north-eastern Utah. I am staying a couple of miles out in Naples which is really just a suburb. I’m in a cheap motel which is quite new with kitchen, good wifi, and all else necessary. I’m taking a day out tomorrow resting up the old bones and keeping out the sun, besides, it just happens to be my 56th birthday.

Just a note on today’s distance. I have added 6 miles I cycled last night to the canyon viewpoint, and the 7.5 miles I just rode to the grocery store, Chinese restaurant, and Liquor Store. More about the beers tomorrow…

Sundown at Green Lake Campground last night after a top dinner at Red Canyon Lodge.
Schools went back today, so the site is virtually empty.

Great scenery the whole way around the Gorge

‘Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,’
The shade replied,—
‘If you seek for Eldorado!’

The highest point yet on this tour, and probably the highest of all, 2570 metres

The start of the big descent, just short of 1,000 metres

Zoom in and it is possible to see the road and some of the switchbacks

The second largest Phosphate mine in the world

Downtown Vernal

The first dinosaur bones were found here in 1909 – 8 tailbones were found in a sandstone hill, including Diplodocus

Storytime:

Both types of music, Country and Western..

Nigel had a stag celebration before his first wedding. I had been travelling on the Pacific coast, and I had three very good friends, work colleagues also at the time, who were also vacationing in the States, we converged on Houston. Nigel had two sets of friends from his football, those he coached kids with, and those he played with. Two of those coaches were lads I used to teach, Gordon and Damian, over from University and just finishing a summer of coaching in the area. In a hired minibus we went to 5 or 6 different bars. I remember two of them were just across the street, and as some were ready to leave earlier than others, I suggested we walked to the traffic light, less than 100 metres, and crossed. I was very quickly corrected. Not in Houston. No sidewalks, no opportunity to cross at the lights, it was August and the humidity was 100% and the temperature late 30s. It would be jaywalking, so illegal also. Instead we took the bus, a 20 minute journey.

One of the bars we went to sticks in my mind the most, the Wild West bar. It is Houston’s most famous country and western dance bar, and totally took our breath away (the English guys, which was most of us). There were at least 6 separate dance floor/ areas with bars. We were keen to dance and we had had a few drinks to help, but we had no background whatsoever in country and western. The other clientele were suitably dressed, so we stood out like a fly on a wedding cake. But we danced. After just a few minutes, probably less, Nigel called me over.
“This is not the sort of place to take the piss in.”
I looked around. Good advice. We finished our drinks and went to the sanctuary of the minibus.