Drive home

September 23, 2017

Today I pedaled 5.9 miles from Adobe Inn in north Durango to Enterprise car rental on the far south edge of Durango. Then I drove 378 miles west from Durango, Colorado to Fredonia, Arizona.

I rented a Nissan Altima sedan for 4 days, one way from Durango to Roseburg, Oregon. Had to unbolt the handlebar and turn it sideways to fit the bike through the low opening between the folded rear seat and the fixed rear console. The car is plenty long. The front passenger seat didn't need to be adjusted.

Most of today's drive is on the route I plan to bike next spring. I'm scouting the route now. I will get a good feel for the traffic, services in each town, etc.

The drive from Durango to Cortez was busy and boring. I biked it in 1998 and don't really want to bike it again. Indian Country part 2 will end in Cortez, not Durango.

West of Cortez, McElmo canyon road is a great bike touring route. Scenic with no traffic.

McElmo Canyon road connects to the San Juan river soon after crossing into Utah. The highways in the southeast corner of Utah are scenic and have low traffic through Montezuma Creek, Bluff, Mexican Hat, and Monument Valley.

I stopped to take pictures at Monument Valley. Otherwise I just drove all day after starting at 11 AM.

I look forward to pedaling through Monument Valley next May.

I finally had a good sun angle when leaving Monument Valley.

After Monument Valley I continued southwest through Kayenta. The scenery is spectacular until a summit 25 miles west of Kayenta. Traffic is heavier starting in Kayenta.

Halfway between Kayenta and Tuba City I turned off the planned bike route, going northwest to Page and Kanab.

I arrived in Kanab, Utah at sunset. Every motel in town had no vacancy. It's Saturday night. I continued 10 miles south to Fredonia, Arizona and got a rustic stone cabin with kitchen for $39. The office and grounds smell strongly of urine. The owner is a cat hoarder.

I biked through the two towns in 2010. Kanab, Utah is thriving while Fredonia, Arizona is dying. Both towns are overwhelmingly Mormon.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Drove 455 miles from Fredonia, Arizona to Tonopah, Nevada. West to Cedar City, Utah, then southwest on I-15 towards Las Vegas. A few miles before Vegas I exited south to Moapa Valley to loop around to the south entrance of Valley of Fire State Park.

Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada's oldest state park and is still Nevada's showcase state park. Very inconvenient to visit on a bike. I arrived at about 10:30 AM and spent 4 hours driving the park roads and hiking 3 trails for a total of 3.5 miles.

The first photo stop was at Rainbow Vista, the highest point on White Domes road.

Rainbow Vista, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Then I continued to the White Domes trailhead at the end of White Domes road.

White Domes Road, Valley of Fire State Park.

The White Domes trail is a 1.25 mile loop with a lot of ascent/descent and some rock scrambling. Fun but crowded on a beautiful Sunday. The temperature was in the 70's. At this low elevation I expected it to be much warmer.

The second trailhead is along the park road. The Fire Wave trail is a 1.5 mile round trip. The first half is mostly on sandy desert soil. The second half is mostly on bare rock, with rock cairns to guide hikers.

It was a fun trail. The trailhead has a warning sign about how dangerous it is on a hot summer day. Today the weather is perfect. Cool enough that people didn't mind standing around in the sun.

View from the Fire Wave trail. This was at mid-day. I would love to see it closer to sunset.

The 3rd hiking trail is the Mouse's Tank trail. The sign says 3/4 mile round trip but it seemed longer because it's all on loose sand in a canyon wash.

Petroglyphs and caves above the Mouse's Tank trail.

Areas of petroglyphs are visible in several places along the trail. I didn't notice any sign explaining their age or who made them. It's probably explained at the visitor center museum.

Natural water tank at the end of the Mouse's Tank trail.

Petroglyphs above the Mouse's Tank trail.

The Mouse's Tank trail follows the wash on the left.

After a great visit at Valley of Fire State Park I continued north towards home, following the same route I would have taken if I biked to Las Vegas and drove home from there. My main tourist objective is to visit Valley of Fire State Park, then 3 remote hot springs in southern Nevada.

In the afternoon I drove on extremely remote roads, including NV 375. It's called the Extraterrestrial Highway because it goes by Area 51, a secret military area strongly associated with UFO folklore. I didn't see any extraterrestrials, but there was a warning sign "No Gas Next 150 miles" (240 km).

At the north end of the Extraterrestrial Highway I went 200 yards west on US 6 and stopped to have a short soak at a very hot abandoned swimming pool. The source for the pool is a boiling hot geyser 1/4 mile up the hillside. The handful of visitors seemed more interested in the boiling geyser than the pool. I could only stay halfway in the 111F/44C pool. It was a rustic hot spring resort in the 1980's. The area became a ghost town after a nearby mine closed. The pool is visible from US 6 but the landowner requests that it not be mentioned in hot spring guidebooks.

I had a short soak at this abandoned swimming pool 50 miles east of Tonopah. 111F, too hot to stay in for very long.

After the super-hot soak I continued west 50 miles to Tonopah on US 6, the real loneliest road in America. Much lonelier than US 50. I arrived in Tonopah a few minutes after sunset and got a $46 room at the Clown Motel. The owner claims that the motel is world famous for its collection of more than 500 glass and porcelain clown figurines.

This is my first time in Tonopah. I can't help but sing the chorus to the Lowell George trucker ballad Willin'.

I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonopah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
I've driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites, and wine
Then you show me a sign
I'll be willin' to be movin'

Actually I've never been to Tucumcari. Another reason to go back to New Mexico! And I like Linda Rondstadt's cover version better. She's from Tucson.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Drove 349 miles from Tonopah, Nevada to Carson City, Nevada.

Detoured to and had long soaks at Alkali hot spring, Fish Lake hot well, and Travertine hot spring. The first two I had never visited before.

The first destination is Alkali hot spring south of Tonopah. The tub was only 91F when I arrived, fed by a small 105F flow. I diverted the pipe with a larger 121F flow into the tub and soaked while it quickly warmed to 102F. Then I removed the 121F flow and soaked until it dropped to 100F. Very user friendly and adjustable. No sulfur smell. A top notch soak as long as nobody leaves with the hot pipe flowing into the pool. Then the next soaker to arrive must wait hours for the pool to cool down. Instructions are painted on the hot pipe.

Happy feet at Alkali hot spring south of Tonopah, Nevada.

Alkali hot spring has two soaking tubs. The second tub is shallower and not as adjustable. 108F, too hot for most people. The runoff flows 100 yards to the ruins of a swimming pool. On a cold early morning it was 74F, with fish and tons of algae. I carried a probe thermometer during the bike tour to measure 2 hot springs in the Jemez mountains and now 3 hot springs in southern Nevada.

Alkali hot spring has 2 hot tubs and a warm concrete swimming pool.

The second hot spring of the day is Fish Lake hot well. Far west of Tonopah, almost in California. 6 miles from pavement. Far from any town with an impressive view of the snow capped White Mountains to the west. Most of the mountains are in California but the northern part is Nevada's highest peak. The White mountains are so big that people confuse them with the Sierra Nevada.

Fish Lake hot well is a 2 foot deep 6x12 foot pool with a huge flow. I could feel a current flowing through the pool. The flow is so large that it should stay 105F/41C in most any weather. The water comes from a well just a few feet away. The outflow feeds a large pond. A rare wetland in the desert.

Fish Lake hot well in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. White Mountains in the distance.

The final hot spring of the day is Travertine hot spring. Only 2 miles off US 395, so close to Bridgeport that you can see the town from the hot pools. It's not as hot as it was last year. The warmest pool was only 100F/38C. On previous visits the inflow was scalding hot. Now I can touch it. Things change over time. Earthquakes rearrange the underground plumbing.

Travertine hot spring near Bridgeport, California.

Tonight I stayed at Rodeway Inn in downtown Carson City, Nevada. $60, lodging is always cheap in Nevada's casino towns. Lodging during the drive home was much cheaper than the remote lodges during the bike tour.

High of only 66F/19C today. I was at high elevation all day and I'm traveling north.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Drove 454 miles from Carson City, Nevada to Oakland, Oregon.

I paid the $8 admission fee to stop for a few minutes at Burney Falls State Park on highway 89 in northern California. All this water gushes out of a spring 1 mile upstream. The falls drops 129 feet (39 m).

I camped here on two previous bike tours. The hiker/biker site is very quiet, far from other campers but also far from bathrooms and water.

On California 89 south of Mount Shasta I had a short and disappointing stop at the designated Mt. Shasta vista point.

The view keeps getting worse at the Mt. Shasta vista point on CA 89. The trees keep growing!

It had a clear view when I pedaled there in 1995. Since then, tree growth has taken its toll on the view.

An hour later I stopped at the Weed Airport rest area on I-5 to get a view of Mt. Shasta from the northwest with no obstructions.

Unobstructed view of 14,179 foot Mt. Shasta from the Weed Airport rest area on I-5.

I got home at 5 PM. Dropped off the rental car in Roseburg the following morning. Very soon afterwards I started planning Indian Country part 2.

Today's ride: 6 miles (10 km)
Total: 413 miles (665 km)

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