Western Express Day #14 Cedar City, UT to Milford, UT
Western Express Day #14
June 14 2021
Cedar City, UT to Milford, UT - 58 Miles
Start 7:34AM, Finish 12:50PM
Ride Time: 4:50
Ascent: 1209'
Descent: 2186'
Tour Total Miles: 908
I slept great last night at Warm Showers hosts Ken and Pat’s house in Cedar City. It was pitch dark in their basement, and quiet. I was exhausted after yesterday’s climb. I had a weird dream about trying to get through security at an airport. I heard Ken stirring a little after 6AM. There was a heat advisory, and he wanted me to get an early start. For breakfast I had a mix of dried cereal; Raisin Bran, Cheerios, and Wheat Chex with milk. Ken and Pat were both geologists, and Ken had showed me his impressive rock collection last night. They had both traveled all over the world. We documented my departure and then I cycled back through the streets of Cedar City. Today was flag day and American flags were proudly displayed in front of houses and businesses throughout the town. After a few minutes I was riding out of the north end of town through the sprawl. The huge mountains that I had come from yesterday where behind me.
It was bright and sunny and I pulled over to apply sunscreen. I was riding north on State Highway 130, and crossed over Interstate 15. There was construction on the highway which I soon passed. The land was flat and wide open. I passed a field full of sheep and lambs. There was barbed wire fencing to my right and open range to my left. Last night I was thinking about how much of this country is desert, probably over a third. Ken and Pat were telling me about the strict water regulations in Cedar City. They needed a permit to collect water from their roof gutters, and they had to pay a fee to be able to divert water from the street culverts to water their garden.
At 8:46AM I passed a sign that read 'Minersville 25 miles ahead and Milford 40 miles'. There was considerably less motor traffic on the road today. The wide north-south valley was flat with scrub on both sides of the road and a large mountain range to the east. Not much was visible on the horizon to the west.
I ran into eastbound cyclist Nathan from southwestern Indiana. He was riding from San Francisco all the way across the country to Virginia. He had started with a buddy who quit the tour a couple days ago in Ely, Nevada. They had left San Francisco on June 3. Nathan told me where I could stay tonight in Milford and described the rolling terrain ahead in Nevada. He was frustrated by the headwinds he was experiencing today, and I hadn't even realized that I had a tail wind. Nathan was blogging on Crazy Guy at: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=23634&v=AP
I reached the 6570’ summit, which felt like a small bump after yesterday's epic climb. Afterwards I enjoyed a fantastic downhill that lasted for miles, and crossed over into Beaver County. After a few more miles of downhill I entered Minersville, population 907 and settled in 1859. I stopped at Todd’s Store and purchased a large Coke on crushed ice. At 11AM it was 90°F and headed up to 99°F by 4PM. It was best to take advantage of the tail wind and bust out the last 15 miles to Milford. As I was getting ready to leave, a gentleman in front of the grocery store pointed to my bike and said, “It’s too hot for that!”. Then a woman appeared and said, “Excuse me sir. Do you mind if I ask where you’re going?”. When I replied San Francisco she literally shrieked.
I took a left on Highway 129 heading north to Milford. I was still enjoying my tailwind. It would be a short day today in preparation for tomorrow, which would be an 83 mile day with no services. I was having problems with my odometer again, and pulled over to fiddle with it. It might be time for a new one. The farmers here in the valley were irrigating their land to produce hay for livestock. It was harvest time and they were out in their combines baling giant cubes. I passed a lone cornfield, and the stalks were ankle high.
I received a text, and the sun was so bright that I couldn’t read my phone. I found a shady spot underneath a tree and pulled over. Just then, the woman who had shrieked in Minersville, pulled over in her motor vehicle. I was apparently stopped in front of her property. She jumped out of her car and and asked me, “Sir do you know what you’re doing? Do you know that there’s a heat advisory and that it's going up to 99°F this afternoon?”. “Yes ma’am.”, I replied. “I know what I’m doing, and my destination is just down the road. I’ve got water, a cell phone, and a credit card.”. Back on the road, I could see the grain silo and water tower ahead in the distance.
Milford was a Railroad town and I hadn't recalled seeing a set of active railroad tracks since Pueblo. 'Welcome to Milford, established in 1873 and home of world champion saddle bronc riders!' The town population was 1451 and the elevation was 4958’. I cycled around the town and surveyed my food and sleeping options. I went to the Flat Iron cafe where I ordered chips and salsa, chili rellenos, and several Cokes. I ordered several refills while I avoided the heat and edited this report.
After lunch I rode over to Rollins Pavilion in City Park, where I was planning to spend the night. After searching around I found an active electrical outlet where I could recharge my phone and laptop. I repaired another sock hole and then cleaned my chain. It was 97°F and I laid down on a picnic table in the shade. I got caught up on all my business and tried to take it easy. Later, I rode over to Brody’s Tacos and ordered the carne assada with chips and salsa with a large Coke. Afterwards I rode over to Sunshine Market to purchase a six pack of Dos Equis and a lime. Kids were playing softball in the park as I finished up the day's report.
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