Western Express Day #11 Singletree Creek, UT to Escalante, UT

Western Express Day #11

June 11, 2021

Singletree Creek, UT to Escalante, UT - 56 Miles

Start 7:10AM, Finish 8:51PM

Ride Time: 5:44

Ascent: 3679'

Descent: 6003'

Tour Total Miles: 711

Details at: https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20210611-0709-30236

I slept well at campsite two at Singletree Creek campground. The kids quieted down as the host promised they would. It got cold during the night and was comfortable sleeping weather. I woke up with the light and was out of the tent before the sun came over the horizon. I packed up and got on the road. I was wearing my cycling shorts, short-sleeve jersey, sweater, rain jacket, and helmet brim. It was chilly and my fingertips were cold out on the highway. I started the day’s ride with a steep grade.

While climbing, I was being gently baked by the rising sun which felt nice. I could see what Ted meant about the steep grade. The air was perfectly still, and there was no wind today. A pilot car passed me followed by two cars. Perhaps I wasn’t through the construction zone after all. I passed a temporary traffic signal set up for motor traffic to stop and wait for the pilot car. Now I was definitely through the construction area. I crossed back into Garfield County.

Pilot cars create a motor traffic valve, which is great when you’re on an ascent. I could meander, using the whole lane like mini switchbacks, without worrying about being hit by a motor vehicle. I had a little bit of phone service so I could upload the ride in progress link for today’s blog post. It was getting warm so I pulled over to remove my rain jacket.

At an overlook I could see that it was hazy down in the valley, and I spotted Lower Bowns Reservoir. There were trees as far as I could see. Twelve hours ago I was in the desert. I was currently chilly, yet yesterday I was hot. Continuing down the road I next had a downhill. I was still miles from the summit and knew I would have to make up this descent. I stopped at Larb Hollow Overlook and read a plaque about how late this area had been charted by the United States government. Because of its ruggedness it was the last geography in the lower 48 states to be mapped.

I crossed a cattle grate and was back in open grazing land. I’ve crossed more cattle grates on this tour than any other. I was on a steep downhill and I was getting cold. I tried to channel today’s coldness into yesterday’s heat. A deer ran across the road in front of me. I began noticing signs for the Kokopelli Relay, a bicycle relay race from Moab to St. George. https://kokopellirelay.com In light of the race, I felt like I had better step up my pace. I had landed in Denver two weeks ago and it seemed like much longer than that. What an epic beautiful adventure this had been so far! I was still a few days from the halfway point.

I continued uphill and rode through a grove of Aspen trees and Gambel Oak. They were some of the largest Aspens I’d ever seen. For the record I’ve been bathing almost every night, yet I’ve been wearing the same underwear, socks, cycling shorts, and jersey since I did laundry at David and Belinda‘s in Dolores. I wouldn’t exactly call myself level one. I had a Warm Showers host scheduled in Cedar City on Sunday and planned to switch out my cycling outfit, socks, and underwear tomorrow.

A mile before the summit with 300 feet elevation to go, I was feeling good! I heard the roar of a jet overhead, and was surrounded by aspens. I was at 666 miles on the odometer and going six miles an hour. I reached the summit by 9 AM. It was windy and I was hungry. It was smart to have broken this climb into two days, and I was glad that I pushed forward last night.

I documented the summit and put on my rain jacket for the descent. I nibbled on some trail mix and drank some water. I spotted a deer prancing across the highway. I began the cruise down the hill and stopped to read a plaque that described the cougar that lived in these woods. There was then a second bump that I had to climb. What? I was ready for breakfast. Where was my downhill?

I learned that this last segment of Highway 12 was begun in 1977, and wasn’t completely paved until 1985. Before that, to get from Torrey to Boulder one had to travel more than 200 miles around. I stopped at Homestead Overlook, and it was hazy to the west. There was plenty of dirt and desert in the valley. A downhill sign read ‘8% Grade Next 5 Miles’. There was also a ‘Share The Road with Bicycles’ sign.

I sped down the mountain, and a valley opened up in front of me. There were irrigated green grass fields where cattle were grazing. I exited Dixie National Park, and entered the town of Boulder, population 226. I didn’t have cell phone service, and was looking for a place to eat. I rode right past the grocery store which might have been my only option. I turned around and went back to the store. The nice woman told me to go to the Outpost, a little further down the road.

At Outpost I ordered a deluxe egg sandwich on a croissant, a cappuccino, two orange juices and a blueberry muffin. I sat out front and used their Wi-Fi to upload yesterday‘s report. When I left, I removed my rain jacket and sweater, and lathered myself up with sunscreen. A couple on a tandem was getting ready to go out for a day ride. I rode down the hill and across Boulder Creek.

I climbed out of the valley and entered Grand Escalante Natural Monument. I had a nice long flat section where I could really crank out some mileage. There were utility poles and wires to the left of the road, and yet there were no fences here. It was open range with scraggly bushes, sage brush, and dirt. Deep canyons appeared to my right and left.

The spine of the ridge I was riding dwindled down to the width of the roadway, and there were 1000’ drops to either side. There were no guardrails, and I began to experience vertigo. A downhill sign read ’14% Downhill Grade Next 4 Miles’. I rode screaming down into the canyon on sharp winding roads. I stopped at Calf Creek to flip my map panel. I crossed over the Escalante River which was about 15 feet wide and clear.

It was a steep climb coming up out of the other side of the canyon, where I passed the Kiva coffeehouse. After a little bit of flat I had a nice curvy downhill and then a ginormous climb up and over a huge piece of rock on the other side. It was steep long ascent and I was completely exposed to the strong sunlight. It was hot, and I was trying to channel how cool I had been last night.

I haven’t yet described the speedy brown lizards that I’ve been seeing for the past few days. Most lizards that I’m familiar with are slow, but these things are lightning fast. The climb finally ended and I had a nice section of flat. I was 10 miles from my destination. I had a downhill towards Escalante and was five miles out. I left the National Monument Area, and passed the ‘Welcome to Escalante’ sign. As I rode through the center of town, a motorcyclist shouted, ‘We followed you from Capitol Reef man!’.

I google searched bar & grill, and came up short. George’s Outdoor Mexican Cafe didn’t serve beer. Circle D and 4th West Pub weren’t open yet. I pedaled around town and ended up at Escalante Outfitters. I ordered a BLT sandwich with chips, along with several Silver Reef Mexican Style Lagers from Saint George. I sat there on the back porch and edited this report.

Afterwards I stopped at 4th West Pub and tried the Wasatch Evolution Amber along with beef nachos. I met a guy named John who had ridden the TransAm in 2017. He and his girlfriend had flown into Las Vegas and were exploring the area by car. I later met east-bounder Patrick from Pennsylvania who was riding the Western Express eastbound to the TransAm. He warned me of all sorts of issues to the west including wild fires. His adventures can be followed on Facebook at 'Salt to Salt 2021'.