This morning we had to tackle the biggest challenge of the trip yet – a tunnel.
The road heading west out of Zion National Park goes through a mile-long unlit tunnel and bikes aren’t allowed in it. So we set off to the park road to try and hitchhike with two fully loaded bicycles.
After about 45 minutes of trying a pickup truck pulled over that was willing to throw our bikes in the back and take us through the tunnel. John and Melissa from Florida were on a road trip around America in their RV and were taking the day to explore the area in their truck. We stopped at a number of pullouts for photos on the way out of the park and we bid eachother farewell at the junction with highway 89.
It was already lunchtime so we stopped for a quick lunch in the town of Orderville at a German bakery/beer garden. It was to be a hilly day as we climbed up towards Bryce Canyon which lies at 8000ft. There was a strong wind from the south though and as we made our way north into the mountains we were grateful to not be facing a heavy headwind for a change.
Before long, Donald got a flat tire. He has a tubeless tire setup which neither of us is too familiar with, and this same spot had gotten punctured and leaked air twice two days ago. This time we decided to plug the tire with a bizarre poking device – fingers crossed that it will hold.
We reached a pass at 7500ft and had 12 miles of incredibly fast downhill into the town of Hatch. By this time it was already getting late in the day so we decided to call it short and stop for the night. Tomorrow we head towards Bryce Canyon and hope that the forecasted rain doesn’t materialize.
Notes from Donald: “We hitchhiked today! That was interesting and went better than expected.”
Today’s mileage: 40 miles
Total: 816 miles
The switchback from Zion visitor center up to the tunnel is no kidding. Great job going uphill!