After looking over our route we picked Zion National Park as our next destination. It’s about 85 miles from Jacob Lake and sets us up to head north towards Bryce Canyon and central Utah afterwards.
We headed north out of Jacob Lake into the dense pine forest and soon our descent from the northern rim plateau began. Once again the terrain opened up with the trees becoming less dense, eventually yielding to a vast prairie. Our first stop for the day was here in the small town of Fredonia, 30 miles and 3000 feet below. The descent was fast and we grabbed a quick lunch at the sole restaurant in town. It was a fine restaurant but as much as I enjoy American food, it’s getting tiresome.
Back on the road, we headed west onto Arizona 389 which had a surprisingly good shoulder. A headwind ensured these early afternoon miles went slowly and we took refuge in a gas station for replenishment before the final push to Utah.
At the border of Arizona and Utah lie the twin cities of Colorado City and Hildale, infamous for their polygamist history. The average household size is nearly 8 people per household, so perhaps it’s not just history. Once in Utah we traded shoulder quantity for quality as the smoothness drastically improved but the width of the shoulder decreased to less than a foot. After eight harrowing miles of trying to stay in the shoulder we finally made our way off the highway onto a rural gravel road with cow pastures on either side. The name of this road: “Main Street”.
There’s a BLM road that runs north towards Springdale and Zion and shaves more than thirty miles off of the paved route. Though our bikes are not too well suited for dirt and gravel roads, they can get the job done. And thankfully so because this road was perhaps the best on the trip to date!
“Main Street” ended and the road began curving through desert sage and piney brush, descending towards the Zion valley. Signs warned us of rough and at-times impassable roads ahead and with each curve in the road we were greeted with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs that towered above us. A passing Jeep making its way up the hill stopped and told us “You must be Germans. Only Germans do crazy things like this.”
The road culminated in a winding, incredibly bumpy stretch with grades topping 20%. My forearms grew sore from holding the brakes so tightly but eventually we arrived at the town of Springdale, at the base of Zion National Park. We’ll be staying here two nights to be able to visit the park. And to eat at both of the Asian restaurants in town.
Notes from Donald: “Towards the end of the day we were a little apprehensive about the upcoming dirt road but it turned out to be a really cool, fun, and beautiful shortcut.”
Today’s mileage: 85 miles
Total: 777 miles
Spectacular! And clear skies! YAY!