Chile Pedalers’ 2001 Red Rock Tour Report

May 24-June 2, 2001

Prologue

All of the planning, training, and anticipation for this year’s Chile Pedalers tour came to fruition as we assembled for our week of cycling and hiking in southern Utah. Since we didn’t actually do too much planning or training, the anticipation was tinged with a good bit of apprehension, or better yet, fear, of the ambitious route we laid out for ourselves.

Eight teams joined the tour – Kay Dwyer and Paul Matthews, Michelle and Greg French, Joan and Tom Hendricks, Lee and Dean Marvin, Edel and Tom Mayer, Laura Needels and Michael Kantner, Vicki and Rick Thompson, and Janet and Joe Vertrees.

We assembled at Pinewoods Resort, an isolated place at 8500’ elevation, about 30 miles east of Cedar City. (It turns out that anyplace with a few rooms to let is called a ‘resort’ in this part of Utah.) Rick, Vicki, Dean and Lee came out a day early, pulling the bike trailer, and spent the day hiking the Zion Narrows, while the rest of us made our way from Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Pasadena. Edel and I rode with Tom and Joan, and were treated to a third rate ‘books on tape’ murder mystery (the cheesy boyfriend did it), while we enjoyed the beautiful ride through northern Arizona. We were amazed to learn that Tom had been driving this route for a number of years but had yet to discover the ‘Best Navajo Tacos on Earth’ in Tuba City. With more good planning we got there just at lunchtime to enrich our cultural appreciation of the area.

Stage 1. Pinewoods to Bryce Canyon. (58 mi., 2500’ climbing)

(Distances are what Edel and I logged, and climbing estimates are based on Kay’s altimeter. Others might have somewhat more or less.)

Our choice of starting point high on the mountain meant that we enjoyed a pretty good 10 mile descent to start our tour, followed by a leisurely 20 mile spin on Rt. 89 toward Bryce Canyon. However, we soon settled into a pace we would maintain for most of the tour – grinding up a long climb. In this case it was Red Canyon, ascending the plateau from which Bryce Canyon was carved. Beautifully sculpted red sandstone formations kept us rapt, such that the 1100’ climb didn’t seem too bad. We were further rewarded at the top with a good tailwind and a slight descent to our destination at Ruby’s Inn, just outside of Bryce Canyon NP. Ruby’s Inn is a pretty amazing tourist mecca, started and still run by the family who began ranching on the plateau many years ago. They recognized the scenic appeal of Bryce Canyon and began a ‘Traveler’s Rest’ at the rim, evolving over the years into a 400-room motel, restaurant, campground, RV park, and shopping deal on the site of the original ranch.

After lunch most of us headed into the park by various means of transport to burn up some film and gawk at the amazing display of sedimentation, uplift, and erosion that produced a landscape more spectacular than any mortal could design. Our appreciation of the scenic beauty of the place was tempered by the observation of the original Bryce homesteaders, interested more in survival than aesthetics, that the intricate canyons were ‘a hell of a place to loose a cow’.

To occupy her time on the back of the bike, Edel is the chief bird spotter. She’s pretty good with the larger species, but identifying sparrows at 25 mph is a bit of a challenge. (I’m usually a little preoccupied with other wildlife, such as cars and trucks.) For this trip, she started a ‘Bird of the Day’ list – something unusual, interesting, or just delightful to see. Today’s BoD is a mother osprey and chick on a nest in Red Canyon.

Stage 2. Bryce Canyon to Boulder (75 - 90 mi., 4000’ climb)

I expected this to be the hardest and most beautiful day of the tour (and it was the main motivation for selecting the route). The slickrock wonderland of the Escalante canyons is so alluring that I hoped everyone would be more than willing to do 75+ miles, two major climbs, and 12 and 14% grades in hot weather, to end up in the middle of nowhere. I’m glad they’re a good-humored bunch!

The day began with the arrival of Joe and Janet, who joined us late because of commitments back home. They had been driving since 4:00 AM, and now proposed to do a very hard day’s ride. That’s enthusiasm, or simply jubilation at the end of the school year! A chilly, fast, 1800’ descent brought us to the valley below Bryce Canyon, and the farming towns of Tropic and Cannonville. As in many parts of Utah, where there is water, irrigation transforms the desert scene into an idyllic agricultural landscape. At Cannonville, a few teams opted for a short side excursion to Kodachrome Basin for more fantastic rock formations. The rest of us sensed the struggles ahead, and started the ascent of the Kaiparowitz Plateau on our way to Escalante. As we gradually climbed out of the verdant valley back into the rocks it didn’t seem very strenuous until we hit the 12% grade near the top. After a short rest at the summit a long, fast descent got us to the town of Escalante in no time. A few folks visited the local petrified forest park, some went to the National Monument visitor center. Edel and I went to lunch. Kay and Paul, and eventually most of the other teams joined us at a little outdoor café with great smoothies and sandwiches.

Relaxing in the shade in Escalante didn’t give us much motivation for tackling the hardest part of the ride. But it was getting hotter and windier, so we figured we better get going. The twenty six miles between Escalante and Boulder is one of the most stunning stretches of road in America, but also one of the most challenging to do on a bicycle. A deceptive 500’ climb from town brings you to an overlook of the canyons of the Escalante River, a huge expanse of bare white sandstone, cut by sheer canyons, with a thin strip of asphalt descending into the maze. The road drops about 1000’ in two 8% pitches to the Escalante river, deep in its gorge. We thought this would be a good place to stop, have a snack, and soak our toes before starting the climb out. We found the river running unusually high from a good spring runoff. This also produced a bumper crop of mosquitoes that pounced on us as soon as we got settled on the riverbank. Oh well, I guess we should get up the hill after all.

The climb out of the Escalante canyon was the source of most of our anticipation, apprehension, discussion of granny gears, etc., in the months leading up to the trip. After a couple of miles of meandering along the canyon floor, the road heads up a spur of rock separating two canyons. Over the next 3 miles we had three steep pitches of up to 14%, which had us all hunting for lower gears and sucking at the Camelbacks. It was pretty hot by now, but there was also a good cross/tailwind blowing that seemed to come up just when we needed a bit of evaporative cooling. The one benefit of the slow pace up the hill is that we had plenty of time to contemplate the fantastic scenery. The road traverses a very narrow spine of rock with the cliffs falling away abruptly on both sides, and minimal shoulder between you and a rollicking descent back to canyon floor. Finally, at the top of the steep section, an angel (or maybe it was Elvis) appeared at the side of the road, offering us towels loaded with ice cubes. Paul and Kay surpassed our expectations for sag drivers by rewarding us all with these miracles of modern refrigeration.

The remaining nine miles to Boulder looked like a cruise compared to what we had just done. But we were going awful damned slow on the relatively flat mesa top. Either we were both pretty beat, the stoker was taking a nap, or it was more uphill than it looked. At last, a couple of quick descents brought us to the final insult – the last quarter mile to our hotel was a 10% uphill grade!

Boulder is one of the most isolated spots in the country. The road we had arrived on was not built until 1940. Prior to that the only access was across a very rough slickrock trail from Escalante, or via a horse trail over the mountain to the north. Today, its population numbers only about a hundred, and it still seems about as isolated as you can get. Despite this, the Boulder Mountain Lodge is a surprisingly elegant and comfortable inn, with expansive porches overlooking a pond and wildlife sanctuary, an excellent restaurant, and an interesting gallery next door. It is not what you expect to find in such an out-of-the-way place, but makes a nice reward for all the effort to get there.

The pond offered lots of BoD candidates. A noisy flock of sex-crazed yellow-headed blackbirds held sway at the pond, along with a variety of ducks, herons, etc. We were surprised to see white-faced ibis, cattle egrets, yellow crowned night herons, blue winged teal, and perhaps a least bittern lurking in the reeds – all species we don’t often see back home.

Behind the lodge, beyond the pond, a ramshackle building poked above the trees offering “Freedom from Religion” and “Beer”. Being raised a Catholic, religion and beer always seemed pretty compatible, but I couldn’t help agreeing with the sentiments anyway.

Rest day in Boulder

Considering the effort expended yesterday, the elegant accommodations, and the beautiful surroundings, we scheduled a rest and recovery day in Boulder. There were plenty of things to do, depending on your energy level. The canyons offered excellent hiking, the Burr Trail beckoned for a nice out-and-back ride, or simply hanging around town and the lodge with a good book or pair of binoculars was mighty inviting as well.

Many of us opted for a hike up Calf Creek Canyon to Lower Calf Creek Falls. Considering that the trailhead was at the bottom of the steep hill we climbed yesterday, no one wanted to ride their bike down there and back up, so we all piled into Dean’s pickup, and had a cozy ride to the canyon. The easy 2.6-mile hike to the falls featured sheer canyon walls and Indian pictographs, on a trail that must be the most popular in southern Utah. The 200’ falls really are as pretty as the pictures, with a surprising amount of water tumbling into a large pool at its base. Joe, Michelle, and myself were the only ones to accomplish full immersion in the frigid water, and about 10 seconds was all we could manage.

Bird of the Day: canyon wren (easily heard, but not often seen).

After arriving back at the lodge in mid afternoon a spontaneous wine and beer tasting broke out that severely depleted the group’s supplies.

Stage 3. Boulder to Torrey and Capitol Reef NP. (64 mi., 5200’ climb)

This was a day of contrasts. Our route from Boulder to Torrey began with a nearly 3000’ climb over Boulder Mountain. The day dawned cool and overcast, threatening rain – perfect climbing conditions. The grade was moderate as the landscape evolved from the irrigated fields and pastures around Boulder to mountain meadows and magnificent aspen groves. As we neared the top the vistas of the Escalante canyons to the south and the Waterpocket Fold to the east vividly demonstrated the extreme changes in climate, vegetation, and landscape with changes in elevation in this part of the country.

Bird of the Day: western tanager (what colors on a gray morning!)

Although we encountered very little traffic on this road, the only obnoxious drivers of the tour showed up on this stretch. Someone’s idea of fun was throwing a swizzle stick at Janet, and a trucker who apparently didn’t think bikes belonged on his road assaulted us all. Even though he had the entire road, he gave us minimal clearance, blasted his horn at a couple of bikes, and forced Kay and Paul off the road altogether. Generally we have found truckers to be pretty considerate drivers. This guy disgraced his profession.

After fourteen miles of climbing we topped out at about 9500’ and began the rolling descent to Torrey. Some pretty steep, twisting sections gave us good practice with bike handling skills, and a straight run-out near the bottom got speeds up over 50 mph. We all arrived in Torrey by lunchtime, with the intention to spend the rest of the day touring Capitol Reef NP, about 10 mi. to the east. In Capitol Reef, we were back in the fantastic red rock desert. The overcast day served to accentuate the colors and contrast in the rock layers, and kept the temperatures to a reasonable level. The entry to the park is at the old Mormon pioneer settlement of Fruita, along the Fremont River, with orchards, irrigated fields, and cottonwood bosque, in sharp distinction to the surrounding cliffs. An eight-mile scenic drive in the park takes you into the heart of the Waterpocket Fold, a unique geological feature that runs the length of the park and gives it such striking beauty. After touring the park, all of us except Rick and Vicki gladly accepted a lift in the sag vehicles to avoid the 1100’ climb back to the hotel in Torrey.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day awaited us at dinner. We weren’t expecting much in the very small town of Torrey. But at the recommendation of the guy at the hotel, most of the group ended up at the Café Diablo, advertised as southwestern cuisine. However, instead of the usual enchiladas and burritos, we were treated to a very elegant menu, with some of the most elaborate and interesting presentations we have seen anywhere. We figured the chef must have burned out on Sedona or Santa Fe, and somehow wound up in Torrey. The meal was rather expensive, but the quality and presentation of the food and the service and ambience of the restaurant certainly justified the price, and made a delightful contrast with the simple, rural surroundings. The restaurant was also festooned with artworks featuring Sparky, the cunning coyote, and his crowd engaged in all sorts of interesting activities. A couple of prints featuring Sparky’s moonlight bicycle tours proved irresistible to the Marvins and Hendricks.

Stage 4. Torrey to Fish Lake. (54 mi., 3500’ climb)

The map promised another day of climbing, so many of us got on the road early. The first twenty-five miles or so went through the small farming towns of Torrey, Bicknell, Loa, and Fremont, ascending gently along the Fremont River. The early starters were greeted by a stiff headwind, while those who slept in and hung around the hotel a while got off about the time the wind died. Procrastination has its own rewards.

The real climbing began after Fremont as we ascended to the high glacial valley that holds Fish Lake. The road was virtually deserted. We saw maybe a dozen cars the whole afternoon, which made for a very pleasant climb. Edel and I were in no hurry, so we had a leisurely lunch along the river with Rick and Vicki, enjoyed the views while fixing a flat on the ascent, hung out at an overlook of Johnson Reservoir, and stopped at all the small ponds and marshes to check out the ducks along the way.

Bird of the day: Wilson’s phalarope (in a pond outside Loa)

Fish Lake lies in a classic U-shaped glacial valley at 8800’, with a high terminal moraine at the end impounding the lake. It is a popular fishing spot, but we were early in the season for the fishing crowd and the place was pretty devoid of people. We had a number of cabins at the south end of the lake, which were rustic, but quite comfortable. Given the lack of restaurants at the lake we had planned a group barbecue, where everyone contributed a course, and Lee and Janet took on the bulk of the cooking chores. As usual, we ate heartily, before settling down to enjoy the quiet, peaceful evening at the lake.

Stage 5. Fish Lake to Panguitch (96 mi., 1500’ climb)

This long day proved to be one of the easiest. After climbing the moraine at the end of Fish Lake, we had a 12-mi., 2000’ descent and then a long gradual descent through Grass Valley to Otter Creek reservoir, continuing through Otter Creek Canyon to Rt. 89. On most of this route we were accompanied by a brisk tailwind. Edel and I drove sag today, and stopped in Koosharem for breakfast, figuring we had lots of time to catch up to folks on the long ride. With the descending grade, tailwind, and good road, riders’ average speeds were high, perceived effort was low, and it seems like we drove forever before we finally caught them. All the riders were many miles further down the road than we expected. Once we turned south on Rt. 89 there was more traffic, and the landscape was less interesting, making the 30-mi. to Panguitch something of a slog, but everyone arrived much earlier than anticipated.

Bird of the Day: northern goshawk (most spectacular of many hawks and eagles for the day)

Panguitch is one of the larger towns in the region, which means there is a good coffee bar and ice cream shop where everyone relaxed a good part of the afternoon. There was also a state liquor store across the street, which gave us the opportunity to replenish our depleted beer and wine supplies. Life can be tough in rural Utah. You have to take advantage of opportunities where you find them.

The hotel was about seven miles past Panguitch, and was brand new, obviously built to attract and accommodate the multitude of tour busses traveling between Zion and Bryce Canyon. It was made to look like an old western town, complete with tricked-out cowboys on horseback to greet the tourists and take them on trail rides, etc. Somehow a bunch of lycra-clad cyclists didn’t rate the same whoopin’ and hollerin’ welcome that a busload of Italian tourists received. And we wanted to race the horses up the driveway on our tandems like the bus did! It was a pretty slow night at the old corral. Only one tour bus. So we didn’t get the much-anticipated shoot-outs in Main Street, or cowboy songs around the campfire. But the place was clean and comfortable with a nice porch for hanging out. And the gallows erected in the main square served just fine for the Hendricks to hang their wet cycling shorts out to dry.

Stage 6. Panguitch to Pinewoods. (60 mi., 5000’ climb)

Today we are back to the routine of grinding up a long climb. The famous ride to Cedar Breaks ascends over 4000’ in 30 miles, past Panguitch Lake, along a nice stream with industrious beavers, through some interesting lava flows, and finally through high meadows and spruce-fir forest. The climb was never very steep, but it certainly seemed to go on forever. After topping out at 10,600’ near Brian Head, the road rolls along the ridge top a few miles to Cedar Breaks National Monument. This is an interesting geological formation, similar to, and in the same rock layers as Bryce Canyon. Being on the western slope of the mountain, rather than the gentler eastern slope at Bryce, the terrain is much steeper, and not as extensive or elaborately sculpted as the formations in Bryce. But it was ample reward for the long climb to get there.

Bird of the Day: belted kingfisher (there must be fish in that stream as well as beaver)

The weather at the top was delightfully sunny and warm, which reminded us of how lucky we had been all week. There were a few remaining snow patches, but just two weeks earlier there had been 90% snow cover, and the park people were shoveling three foot drifts from the overlook walkways. The previous week they had more snow and sleet at that elevation. We have had nearly perfect weather the entire tour. A couple of chilly mornings and warm afternoons, but no precipitation, favorable winds, and nothing like the snow and freezing temperatures we could have had in the mountains, or the 100^o temperatures we could have had in the valleys.

The 18-mi. descent to our starting point at Pinewoods was smooth and fast, through scenic high mountain meadows dotted with residual snowbanks, just what we needed after the long climb. We were all relaxed and satisfied to settle in at Pinewoods at the end of the tour’s serious riding. At dinner Rick received a surprise call on the lodge phone. He was trying to figure out who knew we were here, when a voice told him house had burned down. A moments hesitation…it had to be Dennis and dede checking up on us. Their timing was impeccable, as we were all just finishing dinner, and were able to give them a big hello. It was nice to hear from them but we missed our Grand Poobah’s company on the tour.

Stage 7. North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (38 mi. 1000’ climb)

Today was designed as a recovery day, to enjoy the scenery and pleasant cycling on the North Rim, without actually having to work too hard, while delaying the inevitable trip back to the real world. Michael and Laura and Paul and Kay departed for home to take care of pressing business, while the rest of us car-shuttled a few hours to Kaibab Lodge, a few miles outside of the Grand Canyon North Rim entrance. The Kaibab Plateau is a big hump in the landscape on the North Rim, rising about 1000’ above the surrounding tableland. That elevation difference makes the plateau distinctly cooler and wetter than the surrounding area, with beautiful meadows, Ponderosa forest, and abundant wildlife. The lodge sits by itself in the middle of a long open meadow, which makes it a perfect place for enjoying the deer, turkeys, eagles, hawks and other critters that outnumber the tourists on the relatively uncrowded North Rim.

From the lodge we rode the moderately descending route into the park, had lunch, and gawked at the canyon from the terrace of the Grand Canyon Lodge. We noticed that everyone else was enjoying the sun, soaking up the rays on the terrace, while we were all crowded into a little strip of shade. I guess we’d had enough of UV and sunscreen in the past week.

Bird of the Day: a flock of turkeys (the birds, not the cyclists)

For those with any energy and enthusiasm left, the road went another 19 miles along the rim to various overlooks, ending at Cape Royal. A few teams started down the road, but didn’t get very far before the lure of a cold beer and shady porch drew everyone back to the lodge relatively early. One advantage of being in Arizona was that the small gas station across the road from the lodge was well stocked with beer and wine, so we wouldn’t have to suffer on our last night out. Rick discovered an interesting brew called “Arrogant Bastard Ale” – not intended for those yellow-beer drinking wimps, as the label explained. We concluded that none of us really fit the “Arrogant Bastard” profile, so we’d have to bring a bottle home for Dennis.

With our accumulation of sore butts, sore legs, sore knees, sore backs, etc. from the week of serious cycling, we settled in to savor our accomplishments before heading home the next morning.

Epilogue

The third Chile Pedalers tour was nearly flawless. We had a varied and challenging route (with maybe a touch too much climbing), perfect weather, fantastic scenery, good food, and comfortable and interesting places to stay. It’s going to be a challenge to find better places to go.

The only mechanical problems for the week were a minor, busted chain-keeper on Paul and Kay’s recumbent and three flat tires for the whole group. Everyone handled the big climbs remarkably well and with good spirits (which makes me greatly relieved). I had fun selecting the route with Rick and making the maps. (This was also a route reconnaissance trip for my single bike buddies. There will be no room for whining when I point out that we did it all on tandems.) Vicki did a wonderful job with motel arrangements. Rick and Vicki provided their trailer, and Dean and Lee and Joe and Janet graciously provided their vehicles for transporting bikes and supporting us on the tour.

We’re getting pretty good at this! Where do we go next?

Tom Mayer

Lee Marvin’s addendum to the Utah trip.

As a follow on to the bird sightings noted by Tom - on the first day of the trip the Marvins and Thompsons were treated to a rare sight at the Navajo Bridge below the Vermillian Cliffs area.  A large bird was walking on the beach below the  bridge.  None of us could identify what it was.  It turns out it was a California condor. We went back to the bridge after dinner and spoke with one of the people involved in the release and monitoring on the condors.  Condor  number 210 has been "out" for about two years.  She had "retired" for the  evening on a ledge about 100 feet above the river.  We returned the next  morning to find her in essentially the same place still sleeping.  Her  history along with the 18 other condors released around the grand canyon can be found at www.peregrinefund.org.   The site discusses other release programs that take place around the world.

lee