I'm enjoying this journal.
My family history is centered around your path for this trip.

I used to work as a sales rep in the area and spent a lot of time driving on those roads many years ago..
And I've fished many of those streams and hiked many trails you will be passing..

Although my family are descendants of the original Mormon settlers and I was raised Mormon, I have a very strong distaste for it and any other cult.

It's always fun to visit the area though.

I have hiked this canyon many times.

My brother in law participated in that IronMan compition. He and my sister(as well as other relatives) live in St. George and bike almost daily.

I’d forgotten how high up Panguich is. Ive always thought of it as a valley town. I’ve biked through it twice, both times after dropping 4,000’ to it from Cedar Breaks.

My one big gripe about Utah is that almost none of their summits are sign posted - even at the top of Brian’s Head.

Wonderful photos from the slot canyon. I’m sure you know, but just in case - keep aware of potential flash flood conditions.

Your trip is off to a great start. Man, that is some incredible cycling scenery and the hike into the slot canyon was a big bonus.

P.S. I have a feeling that every time I see the word "hurricane" in the future, I'm going to be thinking "hurra-ken." That's what happened to me after biking through Cairo, IL. Now I think of the ancient Egyptian city as "Cay-ro."

I agree, Uzona sounds like a ridiculous name.

This is all so different when I biked this road 35 years ago. It makes me a bit sad, really. There’s no mention of traffic in my journal, and I remember the climb out of Hurricane being on a nearly empty road. And it’s startling to hear that you can go out for a beer in Colorado City now.

My knees churn very close to bottles on the handlebar riser. I used to have 2 bottles on the Speed Ross handlebar riser. My thighs routinely brushed the bottle that was closest to me.
I find it just as easy grab a bottle from a cage on the back of the seat. When 2 water bottles is enough, the bottle cages behind the seat are my preference. When I need to carry more water (during tours) I have plenty of capacity in my underseat panniers to carry much more water in an insulated bottle, platypus bladder, or other bottled beverages. So for now I've quit attaching bottles to the front of the bike.

Brigham Young's main house is in Salt Lake City adjacent to Temple Square, the church headquarters. I will see it later in the tour.

Where did he go in Summer?

I travel with two bottles on my handlebar riser. Is there a reason you decided to remove yours? I like the convenience.

Interesting comment about the lack of convenience stores in Utah and the reasons why. I will have to pay attention this summer.

I already know you'll be riding through a beautiful part of the country. And I think it's a good plan to be religiously neutral in LDS country. Still, I can't wait to read your reports. Have fun!

Thanks for the kind words Jeff. A couple weeks ago I read the book Leaving the Saints, by Martha Beck. It has a scathing view of the LDS church that she tried very hard to like. Now every time I speak to a woman (of any age) I will think in my head "did daddy rape you before you were baptised?". I've exposed myself to a wide spectrum of opinions about the LDS church and am relatively informed about their beliefs and practices.

I expect that during the tour I will be mostly focused on normal everyday things. Temperature, wind, food, motel, scenery, traffic, etc. I will visit many notable Mormon sides and will see a lot of pro-LDS propaganda. I plan to be polite to the pretty young ladies at Temple Square.

I plan to write a "regular" journal about bike touring. Hopefully both Mormons and non-Mormons will find my perspective to be interesting. I want to look for things that are culturally unique, but not dwell on religious beliefs. The Bible Belt was my least favorite place for bike touring. Nearly everybody was extremely suspicious of outsiders. No coffee shops, no bars, no parks. The Mormon Belt is way more welcoming to outsiders. I think it will be a fun trip.