Day 3: Colorado City to Orderville

May 10, 2022

I hoped to get an early start but didn't get on the road until 9:30 because of so much breakfast conversation with the B&B proprietor who was raised in the polygamist community and was eager to talk about it.

She was assigned to marry a much older man when she was a teenager, but ran away before she had any children. Later, she returned to Colorado City with a husband of her choosing, and with children. She claims that two of her daughters later married the same man. That seems strange to me if she was an ex-polygamist. She said that the B&B home was her family's home for generations, but also said that Warren Jeffs lived there for some period of time. I'm not sure how both of those things can be true.

She had nothing good to say about FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) prophets Warren Jeffs and his father Rulon Jeffs. She said they were both tyrants. But she spoke very fondly of Leroy S. Johnson who was the FLDS prophet from 1954-1986. He was far less authoritarian than the more recent leaders.

She recommended this Jon Krakauer book about peculiar religion-inspired murders. I didn't read it until after I wrote this journal, but I did read a book called Leaving the Saints written by a very prominent ex-Mormon.

I read this after the tour. Highly recommended!

Regardless of what is strictly true, I gained a lot of insights about the polygamist community. I'm glad I visited the polygamist fringe of Brigham Young's Promised Land.

On the way out of Colorado City I stopped at the fancy and very new supermarket. Colorado City is turning into a "real" town. Several employees wore traditional long dresses. I did not see any other people in town wearing the traditional dress.

Looking back when leaving Colorado City. The sign is for a fancy new supermarket.

The highway has a better shoulder in Arizona but the heavy traffic is still annoying. I had a flat tire on the south edge of Colorado City. It took a few minutes to find the cause (thorn) and patch the tube.

Two miles south of Colorado City I turned left onto Cane Beds road. Finally back on a quiet road. It's gradual uphill for 25 miles.

Lavoy Finicum was a leader of the militia group that occupied Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. He was killed by Oregon State Police when resisting arrest, joining the ranks of patriot martyrs such as Randy Weaver in Ruby Ridge and David Koresh in Waco. Mormon free-range militias and Mormon polygamists share extreme anti government sentiment.

The first couple miles of Cane Beds road is dreary ranchettes. Soon afterward the road enters a spectacular red rock canyon that resembles Zion National Park to the north.

Cane Beds road. Nice to be on a low traffic road.

Cane Beds road is just south of Zion National Park. The tilted landscape is similar to Zion.

The state line is soon after the red canyon ends. I'm angling northeast, back into Utah. In Utah the road is called Coral Pink Sand Dunes road.

I pedaled only 15 miles in the "Arizona strip".

This is plateau country. Junipers appear above 5300 feet elevation.

Besides the red rock canyon, the main attraction on the road is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The main overlook is half a mile off the road. Worth the detour and the $5 admission fee to see such an otherworldly scene. I didn't hike in the sand because I have another hike planned today.

Behind the sand dunes are the towering Vermillion Cliffs. During a 2010 bike tour I saw the opposite side of this red escarpment in Marble Canyon, Arizona.

Vermillion Cliffs loom behind the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

The sand dunes are visible for miles alongside the road, with several recreational access points. It's a huge state park.

Most of Cane Beds/Coral Pink Sand Dunes road is a gentle continuous uphill that climbs 1200 feet in 25 miles. Then 3 miles before connecting to US 89 it steeply descends 600 feet and steeply climbs 400 feet to the US 89 junction.

The descent on Coral Pink Sand Dunes road.

The first summit is 6200 feet elevation. The junction with US 89 is 6000 feet elevation. I saw junipers above 5300 feet, which was most of the day.

I turned north on US 89 to Mt. Carmel Junction. A mile below the summit I stopped at the unmarked parking area for Elkheart Cliffs slot canyon. I walked about 2 miles near the rim of the canyon but never found the trail to the bottom. Every trail I found ended in sheer cliffs. Orderville guides get a lot of business taking visitors to the slot canyon. They probably prefer it to be unmarked. I'm sure I could find my way in if I drove here and had all afternoon for the hike. But I was already tired from going uphill all day, and didn't want to spend too much time and effort exploring.

Looking down on the Elkheart Cliffs slot canyon. I couldn't figure out how to get inside.

US 89 steeply descends 900 feet from the summit to Mt. Carmel Junction. I braked almost continuously to keep speed down to 30 mph. Traffic is heavy but it has a wide paved shoulder. Safe but not tranquil.

In Mt. Carmel Junction I was surprised to see the Virgin river again. I didn't realize that US 89 follows the Virgin river upstream from Mt. Carmel Junction to Orderville and beyond.

I was surprised to rejoin the Virgin river.

I pedaled through Mt. Carmel Junction in 2010 and never noticed the Virgin river.

US 89 climbs gently along the Virgin river from Mt. Carmel Junction to Orderville, past irrigated farms established by Mormon pioneers.

First of many of these signs south of Orderville.

Orderville was the most successful of several United Order communes established by Brigham Young.

I arrived at my motel at 5:30 PM. Not bad considering the late start, flat tire, and hiking. Parkway Motel is in the middle of the tiny town close to the grocery store. The only payment accepted is Venmo or cash, so I paid $120 cash for two nights. Tomorrow is a rest day.

The power was out when I arrived. Dinner was a cold sandwich from the dark grocery store (a generator powered the cash registers). The power came on at about 8 PM, allowing me to appreciate the motel's neon sign and warm up my room.

Today was cooler than yesterday. High of 65F with a brisk southwest wind in the afternoon. Cooler than normal but not bad. For me, cool is better than warm when in desert all day with no shade.

Distance: 43.7 mi. (70 km)
Average Speed: 8.5 mph (13.6 km/h)
Ascent/Descent: +2324/-1751 ft.(+709/-534 m)
Miles 63-104 on the route map
Hiking: 2 mi. (3.2 km)

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 119 miles (192 km)

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