North Rim Grand Canyon - Jacob Lake, AZ - I've never been so ill prepared or so determined to tour

June 10, 2019

North Rim Grand Canyon - Jacob Lake, AZ

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2,062 elevation gain. 2,341 elevation loss.

I was whiny the entire ride yesterday. I didn't enjoy it at all. Every downhill I hurumphed to myself that I would just have to climb back up that one. I had quite a hard ride and my legs were tired all night and this morning. The elevation gain wasn't bad, but the mental attitude was horrible.

I am so ready for a day off. It's not that my legs hurt exactly. I'm overall fatigued. Looking at the bright side, it's amazing that I've been able to do all of this climbing on my tiny bit of training. My knees don't hurt - remember that whole Rotor Crank thing - I've always considered my knees to be delicate. I was nursing a slight pain in my left knee before we left. But now it's gone. Sometimes I think I get on the bike at home and run through this mental check list of both my body and the bike. How is my bad, knee, how is the seat of the bike, etc. At home it's easy to find every tiny fault. Out on the road, I'm too busy looking at the new sights to wonder if my knee is going to hurt today.

Back to the day - we had agreed to a late-ish breakfast because of the cold and the relatively easy day. We walked over to the lodge. It was just a long enough walk to loosen up my legs. I ordered the buffet, which included an omelet station. It was delicious, if expensive. $17.50. I especially liked the nice selection of fresh fruit. Both of the guys ordered from the menu. I was done with my food when their's arrived. I went ahead and went back to the room. I hadn't even started to get ready - my stuff was all over the room.

One thing about bicycle touring - even though all of my stuff was spread around, it didn't take long to gather it up since I didn't have much. Oren and I pulled out at 9 AM. Jacinto was right behind us. There was no TV or internet to distract him. It was a warm 76 degrees. I hoped I didn't overheat today. Oren was not concerned about overheating - he had on four layers and long fingered gloves. I'm sure he would have worn tights also, except he didn't bring any.

I started out the morning with a bad attitude. I didn't want to ride the same road over again, no matter how beautiful. I wanted to start my day off and I'd like to start it now! We had very little traffic, but what we had I examined closely to see if my bike would fit in the back. I could thumb a ride and start my day off even earlier. No, that's a very bad attitude. My body is in good condition - perhaps it could be in better condition - but I am very capably riding down the road with no pains at all. I'm old enough to be thankful for that fact. I was riding in one of the most beautiful areas ever - I need to ride this and look around and enjoy. Maybe I would even see a buffalo or other wildlife. Marilyn Swett said they saw California Condors feeding on something in a meadow. I saw a couple of crows . . .

We had three peaks of 8,000 feet today. The first one was about mile nine. That's where Jacinto caught up to us - never to be seen again. The second one was hardly worth noting, but I yelled at Oren to stop anyway. Most of the day today we were within shouting distance. I do pretty good at keeping up on the flats of downhills. When we are climbing, all muscle and no fat Oren pulls away from me.

We had little noticable wind today. Oren says there was the typical south wind, which was frequently a tailwind. It seemed to swirl around some, but wasn't a real factor. We've been very lucky this trip concerning the elements. I've been thankful every day.

This road is especially nice riding for lack of traffic and lack of rumble strips. The pavement is smooth also. I wonder what the road will be like heading north to Colorado City?

I'm still all confused about the time - or, rather, my devices are confused. They should all change times automatically, but only the phone has. The computer and my Garmin both think they are on mountain time. We aren't actually staying in Colorado City, but over the border in Hildale. Our lodging is slightly off route, which I'm sure I will whine about. Those two towns are known for polygamist families and not being welcoming to strangers. The area was famous a few years back when church leader Warren Jeffs was arrested https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Jeffs. I've already warned Oren to keep his mouth shut about religious comments.

Back to the day - we had a nice 12 mile downhill to town. My phone pinged just two miles out. I have a good bicycle buddy, John M., from California. We originally started emailing because we both ride a Stratus. A friendship developed and John stopped for dinner a couple of months ago as he drove through Colorado. John had mentioned in an email that his wife was visiting Brians Head. I asked, totally off the cuff, if he had a 26" front wheel that Jacinto could borrow for a couple of weeks and then mail back. Yes, John did have one. Unfortunately his wife had already started the long drive. John has paid his karma up for years worth of flat tires - he found a wheel on craigslist, bought it, trued it (!), bought rim tape and a skewer, and mailed it to us! Going to all of that effort was more than enough, but John wouldn't accept repayment. He is the nicest guy. I told him to have pie and ice cream tonight as a reward. I hope he has an extra large slice!

I finally had phone service and had to call son Luis and talk business for awhile. I've had lots of time on the road to think about life and death and all of the things I should have said to my Mother but never got around to because she was going to be here for lots longer. Don't take people for granted, folks. You never know when goodbye is really goodbye.

We had to wait until exactly 3 PM to get in our room. I went to the desk six minutes early and the clerk told me she had to wait six minutes. Yep, we know the drill. I asked about laundry facilities. There are none here, but a campground two miles back up (up being the key word) has a laundry. We agreed our clothes weren't standing up by themselves, so we would skip the laundry. I thought the guys might get bored enough tomorrow to ride over. Nope - they are looking for a bicycle free day.

I was happy to get in the room - it does not have an adjoining door. We have an extra large room with an outside seating area. We have a TV and wi-fi - our requirements for a good day. Extra, extra plus is that the restaurant serves good food. We won't talk about the price. Although, as far from anywhere as we are, it does make sense the prices are higher.

Oren took off his top layer after the 7% climb - he had three layers left. Cold is tough on this southern boy!

We haven't done enough climbing - look at these two jokesters!

Jacinto found this working umbrella on day one. He found a strap to hold in on with. The bandana was a napkin from the BBQ restaurant in Bluff. We were instructed to take the napkins home. The flapping bandana is almost as visible as Jacinto's light from down the road.There's been photos of using pool noodles to establish a bicycle boundary - this seems to work just as well. Plus, Jacinto is SO happy with himself . . .

At the top of the big climb at 8,040 feet. Did any of us take a photo of the actual sign? No.

This is our last up for the day. Hurray!

We got one last view of the Vermilion Cliffs.

Oren made a point to tell us how the meadows on the way to the North Rim are famous. I asked what they are famous for. He looked at me like I didn't have a brain and said they are famous for being beautiful meadows. I was stumped. I've seen plenty of beautiful meadows, this one included. So what makes them famous, exactly?I think we both left the conversation unsatisfied.

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 443 miles (713 km)

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