Bud speaking;

After yesterday’s 12.5-hour ride (total time, including lunch and rest stops), we all slept late today. We walked across the street to Blondies and had a fantastic breakfast, then set about prepping for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the only day on this trip where there was no good option for lodging. It’s 51 miles to the Hite Recreation Area on Lake Powell, and primitive camping is available there. They have water available, and primitive toilets, but that’s pretty much it; no showers, no picnic tables, nothing but a spot to pitch a tent in the sun. Most campers are using RV’s, and there are spots with electricity for them located in a different area than the primitive camping. But – and this is a big but – there is a store that is open from 9 – 5, so it’s possible to resupply there.

From Hite Recreation Area, there are 2 possibilities if one wanted to push ahead rather than enjoy the primitive camping. The first possibility would be to travel on to Natural Bridges National Monument where camping is available in designated spots with picnic tables and primitive toilets. Water is available there at the Visitor’s Center located 1 mile away from the campground. No showers, but they have running water restrooms at the Visitor’s Center that are open 24 hours, so an intrepid cyclist could clean up with a “sponge bath” using the sink. But getting to Natural Bridges would mean about 99 – 100 miles, and that’s a crazy long day. And it’s uphill all the way from Hite to Natural Bridges, so even if you get to Hite early you will be climbing in the heat of the day. And there’s simply no shade anywhere once you start the climb.

Another option – the final option, is so freaking crazy that it’s hardly worth mentioning. That option consists of traveling from Hanksville all the way through to Blanding, and that’s about 126 – 129 miles depending on whether one were to stop at Hite for resupply. The only chance for resupply is at Hite Recreation Area, and the store is 1.6 miles off the route, meaning that one would add about 3 miles to an already ridiculous day. But being able to get some food and cold drink in you and having an off-bike rest in the shade is worth a lot, and that refueling stop could make the difference in whether one made it to Blanding or not; so it really isn’t optional. This plan involves about 8,000 feet of total climbing, so it’s not just a crazy long day, it’s a crazy long uphill day in the August sun.

Doc, Sis, and I discussed the various possibilities. Our plan initially was to leave the camping gear at home and make a run for Blanding. However, as a backup plan, we left the gear boxed up so that she-who-must-be-obeyed (my sweet wife) could ship it to us if we changed our mind. The reality of cycling these great distances without services has sobered us all up a bit, and a week ago we asked my wife to ship the gear to our Hanksville Motel. Knowing we had a rest day here, we figured we could always just ship the gear back from the post office if we didn’t want it. And so last night we retrieved the gear from the motel and set about the serious business of making the decision of what to do now. It’s an agonizing decision really, as there is no choice that doesn’t involve some pain and sacrifice. Going only to Hite means that the next day one must travel 77 miles to Blanding, most of which is uphill – and that’s after a night of sleeping on the ground and probably not sleeping too well, then eating whatever you brought for breakfast and then having to carry the additional weight of the camping gear uphill. The Hite store doesn’t open until 9:00 (but we called and the owner usually gets there about 8:30 and would open early) so if you want to beat the heat you would have to leave without the benefit of cold drinks and fresh food. So that’s a tough option.

Going past Hite to Natural Bridges might be a good option, but it’s a 100 mile day carrying camping gear and making the long climb up from Hite. But if you managed this, then the next day to Blanding is only 38 miles and about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. That’s still a respectable day, but quite within the norm. Oh, as it happens the last 15 or so miles into Blanding has some steep grades and switchbacks and other cyclists have described that stretch as quite difficult.

Sis and Doc have chosen to attempt to travel to Natural Bridges. If the climb becomes too overwhelming, they will simply stop when they feel they’ve had enough and camp off-road at a convenient spot. It’s all BLM land and camping is permitted. They will have to carry lots of water from Hite to consider this, and they could always resupply with water the next day by going off route 5 miles to the Natural Bridges Visitor Center. This gives them the maximum flexibility regarding their travel tomorrow, and they simply have to make it to Blanding the following day. Hopefully they would make it to Blanding in time to ship home the camping gear so they don’t have to carry it for the remainder of the trip. So that’s their plan.

As for me, this really was a tough decision. Ultimately I decided to go for it; the whole shebang, the full chihuahua, the entire burrito, the totally insane option. I lugged the camping gear to the post office today, along with everything else that Sis and Doc and I thought we could do without, and shipped it back home. I must make it to Blanding tomorrow, or else spend an unpleasant night outdoors. Doc gave me a tiny bivouac that I can use as an emergency sleeping bag/shelter and it only weighs a few ounces, so that gives me an emergency option. It’s always good to have an option, it lends a little peace of mind. So my plan is to cover the 51 miles to Hite Recreation Area in time to be there at 8:30 when the store manager will let me in. There’s a little climbing getting to Hite, but it’s a net downhill run – there are a couple of small steep climbs right before you get there – I hope to average at least 10 mph getting there, so I’m shooting for a departure at 3:30am tomorrow morn. I won’t need to carry a lot of water to Hite, because most of the travel will be in the dark and early morn hours. At Hite I’ll have some chocolate milk and whatever they have that will count as my “second breakfast,” and I’ll rest for 15 mins or so while eating. Then I’ll leave with at least 6 liters of fluid (mostly water, but some sweet tea and Gatorade as well) and energy food for snacking plus some sort of “real food” so I can rest and refuel somewhere along the way (at least as much as eating in the sun and drinking 90-degree water will let you rest and refuel). If my legs hold out, I’ll roll into Blanding quite exhausted after about 16 hours of traveling. If they don’t, then I’ll huddle somewhere outside using the emergency bivouac option. Or maybe I’ll find that heart attack struggling uphill under the intense Utah sun…

Life is good for us right now. We had a great dinner at Duke’s Slickrock Grill (Duke as in “The Duke” a.k.a. John Wayne) and fueled ourselves for tomorrow; everyone has their head in the game now, it’s become a serious adult game now. We are learning to appreciate the little things that we all take for granted, like water, food, and shelter. Many people don’t have enough of some of these necessities, and life is very hard for them. I hope that you all have enough; my simple wish for you all is that you have “enough.” As the Duke might say; tomorrow and the day after are going to be exciting days for us pilgrims. Good night all…