Day 34: Hanksville to Green River

June 1, 2010

Today I travel from Hankville to Green River across a big empty spot on the map. No services whatsoever. I don't expect the scenery to be spectacular.

I was up at 7 (sun shone early) and on the road before 9, after doing several chores. It was sunny and warm early in the morning but became overcast about the time I got on the road.

Looking west towards Capitol Reef. A flock of birds (starlings?) fly around me to defend their nest under the bridge.

Looking back (south) towards Hanksville and the Henry mountains.

Going north, highway 24 climbs gradually. Shortly after leaving Hanksville I had new company. Sand flies! They swarmed around me nearly all the time. I had to go at least 11 mph to outpace them, but that was impossible when going uphill. So I did a lot of swatting while riding.

Isolated outcroppings of red rock in the desert.

The main scenic view is of Waterpocket Fold in the distance to my left. Always there, but far away and not super impressive. Mostly it was just a boring ride through the desert on a relentlessly straight road. Very little traffic, though.

The road is straight and boring for most of the day.

Today I turned away from the Adventure Cycling Western Express route, so I was surprised to encounter 3 southbound touring cyclists who are riding from Moab to Flagstaff via the North Rim.

Mature cyclists from Phoenix doing a tour from Moab to Flagstaff via the North Rim.

The landscape becomes more interesting as I get close to I-70, where highway 24 dead-ends.

I rode 12 miles east on I-70 to the Green River exit. It's legal and a rumble strip separates me from the trucks. So it wasn't too bad, especially with a brisk tailwind.

Dramatic view of Waterpocket Fold from a hilltop on I-70.

In Green River (population 973, elevation 4078 ft) I got a campsite at Green River State Park. Strangely, the park only has 500 feet of river frontage and is surrounded by a golf course. My campsite is only a few feet away from a fairway. The area is quite lush with trees and muddy over-irrigated grass. It was surprisingly humid and buggy.

Green River State Park. This scene could almost be in the eastern U.S.

The Green River is the largest tributary of the Colorado river. It has about the same flow as the Colorado river a few miles to the east. 19,000 cfs while I was there.

In the evening I had dinner at Ray's Tavern. Quite good. Overall, Green River is a very depressed town. Many boarded up businesses.

I had dinner at Ray's Tavern, one of the few thriving businesses in Green River.

Today I spent the entire day at relatively low elevations, but the high temperature was only 85F because of the clouds. The wind blew from the southwest, so once again it was a tailwind all day.

Today was NOT the highlight of the tour. Boring scenery. Few interesting distractions. Terrible sand flies.

Distance: 63 mi. (101 km)

Climbing: 1700 ft. (515 m)

Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 1,535 miles (2,470 km)

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Charmaine RuppoltHaving to deal with pesky sand flies sounds awful! As bad as mosquitoes!
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