Boulder - Torrey, Utah - I've never been so ill prepared or so determined to tour

June 22, 2019

Boulder - Torrey, Utah

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Elevation gain 3,807. Elevation loss 3,785.

Oren and I agreed on a 7:30 AM depart. We had to weigh the morning temperature (low 40's), the difficulty of the climb (expert level according to Jacinto's Komoot), and the distance (shorter). We ate oatmeal in our rooms. Oren gave me a couple of Anti Fatigue capsules. He says to clarify that they aren't magic pills, but he does feel a noticeable difference when taking them.

We have to joke with Oren every morning about how many layers he has own. This morning was so cold, I didn't blame him for layering up. I didn't have ice for my water and it didn't matter. A side note here is that I've been carrying the 32 oz. Hydroflask the entire trip. I have used it during the day only once, on the first day. Besides that I've carried it full of ice and water the whole time. For nothing . . . Today I had two bottles plus an energy drink. I finished the energy drink and one bottle. I drink less water with colder temperatures.

The climb started right from town. At least it was a middle chain ring for about five miles to give my legs a chance to warm up. I've been doing some exercises in the room before I leave. Jacinto laughs at me, but I think it helps my legs. Today we had a long climb to mile 11, a short downhill, then the actual summit at mile 13. The real kicker was the summit was not the end of the climbing. We had several significant climbs after the summit. Usually I would be very whiny about that, but today I was happy because it was so cold. I had put on my rain coat and my winter gloves and was still cold. Oren made a stop and I pulled the hood up. Finally that was warm and I left the hood up almost all the way to town.

I had told Oren I was sure I'd fall behind, to go ahead and ride his own ride on this long climbing day. Oren is sneakily polite. He agreed with me. Then I could see him on multiple occasions stopped WAY down the road, waiting. Then he'd take off again. I ended up not being too far behind him, but I'm sure it's because of those little stops that aren't his usual pattern. Isn't he a nice guy?

He told me about the scenic lookout near the top with fabulous views. There he was, waiting down in the pull out. Down being the key word. Plus, it was a bit of a distance. I did not go down there. I was too busy trying to get to the top. Plus, bicycles have the advantage of having the slow view the entire distance. I took several photos. They failed to capture the scale of the grandeur.

I saw three deer today. Not together. They just stared at me and didn't run away.

The forecast for the day was wind from the north. What the heck? Wind is always from the south. Where is our nice south tailwind to help us along? Not today. As soon as we got to the summit, there was a significant head wind. It sure wasn't the mild ~8 mph headwind from the forecast. Even I put on my raincoat. To make things more exciting, there was a giant black cloud on top of us and I had heard thunder 4-5 times. We wasted no time at the top, but headed on down, hoping to beat any potential rain.

Road surface on Highway 12 has been commendable the entire distance. Until this downhill. There were any number of dips and divots. I kept the speed quite low. Oren stopped once and checked the rims on both bikes to make sure they weren't too hot. I'm sure if they were hot, they just felt nice to his cold fingers!

I appreciated the uphills as I had a little chance to warm up. I gobbled down a bar in two different stops. Oren stopped and was eating a cookie. I pulled up and asked him if there were any more. He looked startled and said it was the only one he had. No, I clarified, were there any more climbs. I was about done with climbing. As it turns out, that was the last significant climb. I was happy the lower we dropped in elevation as I felt warmer.

I haven't mentioned traffic for a few days because there hasn't been any. There's noticeably more motorcycles now. Zero semis. The usual motorhomes pulling trailers and trucks pulling trailers.

We went down two different grades that were marked 10%. I was extra happy we were going downhill.

Way down the road, about a mile from town there was a jogger. With the complete lack of traffic, of course a truck had to be going right down the road when I was on one side and the jogger on the other.

Oren and I had agreed in advance to stop at the Subway. I never eat there at home, but it's convenient when touring. I can get a salad. The same salad I always order was $6.50 here. The last Subway we stopped at was at Bryce, where my salad was over $10. location is everything.

The convenience store where the Subway was located had a nice selection. We discussed buying breakfast items here. We knew our lodging was a distance away. It turns out the Capitol Reef Inn was almost two miles from the intersection. There was a Days Inn right next to Subway, but it was too expensive. Off we pedaled. We passed several restaurants. One motel? I don't know why we didn't stay there. Probably because where we are staying has an adjoining cafe. But it sure is in the wrong direction. I always go for convenience. Unless price trumps, which it did this time.

When we went inside to check in, the clerk said check in isn't until 2 PM. I was cold and wind battered. What time is it? I had no idea. 1:45, oh, well. We could check in anyway. The cafe didn't have a single patron. We are going to eat there anyway.

I tried to call Jacinto several times. I could see him on the Strava tracker. He said he tried to answer, but the call kept dropping. Finally he got to town and called me back. I requested a V-8. He got a Pepsi. I had the heater going in the room, but didn't dare turn it as high as I wanted because I knew Jacinto would complain. Surprise, surprise, he was freezing also. Jacinto had the same headwind from the top, but he didn't bother getting his coat out. He did relent and stop for winter gloves because he couldn't feel his fingers.

Now we are both showered. Electronics are charging. Clothes are washed. But he can't get the TV to work. It says something is wrong with the signal and wait five minutes for it to load . . . it's been way more than five. Let's see how this ends up. No TV at the end of the day for Jacinto is equal to me not having wi-fi. He got it working. Soccer is on. Whew.

Oren came over and lubed the derailleur pulleys and assorted pivot points on both of our bikes. I'd had an annoying squeak today while using the granny gear. Only in the granny gear. I'm very good to clean my chain, but I'm a little weak on just what other parts to lube.

BTW, my legs don't feel too bad. Am I getting in shape? Was it the Anti Fatigue capsules? I did take two Perpetuum Tablets also . . . tomorrow is 49 miles and only 1,300 feet of climbing. Wind will be the wild card.

I've got to remember to look at the view and not just the climb in front of me.

Oren was trying to figure out where The Blues switchbacks were in this photo.

We could hear a cow lowing for a distance before spotting this calf all alone in a large field. Perhaps related?

We didn't spend much time on summit photos. It was freezing!

This was before I put on my coat and winter gloves and I was still COLD.

Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 848 miles (1,365 km)

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