Day 9: Tuba City to Kayenta

May 17, 2018

Today is the day I have been dreading. Longest day of the tour with the usual uphill trend. Across the bleak middle of the Navajo nation. On the road at 8:05 after a big breakfast at the Hogan restaurant. There is no restaurant for lunch on today's route.

It was long and hard but I have the usual strong southwest wind and US 160 goes northeast. Wind definitely made it easier. My original plan was to go the opposite direction. For most of this tour I can hardly imagine pedaling in the opposite direction.

The day started with 1.5 miles downhill through Tuba City to return to US 160. Then turn left and stay on US 160 all day to Kayenta. Navigation couldn't be simpler. Near Tuba City US 160 has a narrow shoulder. For most of the day the shoulder is wider.

A couple miles east of town is the site of a uranium mine that operated in the 1950's and 1960's. It's an expensive cleanup operation now. Local people are still dealing with the effects of the radiation. Miners brought the uranium ore home on their clothes. Families were unwittingly exposed to radiation for prolonged periods.

This former uranium mine is now a multi-million dollar cleanup site.

The first 3 miles on US 160 are steep uphill. Then it becomes more gradual uphill. Gently rolling with the uphills bigger than the downhills.

This route is famous for not being very scenic. Maybe low expectations caused me to be impressed. I think it is scenic. Red rocks here and there. Forested mountains. Junipers and piñons at the higher elevations. Unspoiled by roads or extensive grazing.

US 160 hilltop east of Tuba City. The Navajo nation has its own subtle beauty.

This fire burned very recently. It's still smoldering.

The elephant's feet kind of appear out of nowhere. There are no similar rock formations in the area. So close to the road that every tourist stops to have a closer look. Similar to the hoodoos on the Lees Ferry road except here it's not hot as Hades.

The Elephants Feet is a popular roadside attraction on US 160.

I was surprised to find a store at Red Lake (Tonalea). There's a big mine nearby but no town that I could see.

East of Red Lake US 160 goes parallel to the electric railroad for 20 gradual uphill miles. I never saw a train. A tunnel provided a deliciously cool escape from the sun. Twice my solitude was interrupted by a speeding car kicking up a huge dust cloud.

The railroad begins at the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona. The electric railroad is indirectly powered by the coal being hauled. Far better than using 2 million gallons of water per day to move coal.

I pedaled 20 miles alongside the electric railroad.

I was surprised to see the Shonto Marketplace store at the intersection of AZ 98, the remote highway to Shonto and Page. There are two stores along today's long desolate route. Years ago there were even more stores.

Today I saw subtle changes in vegetation. Grass is common above 5000 feet elevation. Junipers are common above 5500 feet elevation.

The electric railroad ends at a loading terminal connected to a conveyor that brings coal down from the Peabody mine on Black Mesa.

This conveyor brings coal down from Black Mesa to the electric railroad loading terminal.

Black Mesa (the town) has several ruins similar to what I saw on Route 66. Here the problem is a collapse in coal mining employment instead of the old highway being bypassed by an Interstate. The Black Mesa Trading Post is long gone. Now there is no store in Black Mesa.

Black Mesa employed more miners before the Mohave Generating Station shut down.

I could see Black Mesa (the mountain) from miles in the distance. It took me more than an hour to pedal to its flank, gentle uphill. The strong afternoon tailwind really helped. It was interesting to see puffy clouds form in the afternoon. First clouds I've seen in several days.

Black Mesa doesn't look black at all here. Much of the mesa really is black, with coal at the surface.

The summit is at the former village of Tsegi in an area of red rock cliffs and canyons. Very scenic. I'm entering the Red Canyonlands region. Much of it is in the Navajo nation.

I stopped to look at Anasazi Inn. If my first attempt at an Indian Country tour in 2016 hadn't been cancelled, I might have stayed here shortly before the kitchen burned down. It would have made today's distance more reasonable. Unfortunately the motel shut down soon after the restaurant closed.

I would have stayed at Anasazi Inn if their kitchen didn't burn down 2 years ago. The motel closed soon after.

The scenery from Tsegi to Kayenta is spectacular. It wasn't bad before but now it's much redder with more cliffs. And slightly greener with many juniper bushes. Actually, I think it's mostly spectacular for the remainder of this tour.

Beautiful canyon at Tsegi. Near the summit of today's route.

The final few miles to Kayenta were one of those special bicycling moments. Gradual downhill, low sun on my back, brisk tailwind, spectacular scenery.

Junipers are common above 5500 feet elevation.

Kayenta is a large town by Navajo standards, population 5189. I could see it from a distance. On the edge of town I turned into Kayenta Monument Valley Inn, so I didn't see much of the town today. The Inn is alone in the desert on the south side of US 160. North of US 160 is a large shopping center and the town of Kayenta. The houses look fairly nice.

Dramatic view of houses in Kayenta. It's starting to look like Monument Valley.

I arrived at Kayenta Monument Valley Inn at 6:20 PM. Dinner was at the motel's restaurant. My standard room cost $182. The place aspires to be 3-star quality but it has some serious maintenance issues. No fridge or microwave in the room either. But it has a rare swimming pool and for most people the appeal is that it's close to Monument Valley. There is no cheap lodging in the Navajo nation, especially near Monument Valley.

Tonight I'm roughing it at Kayenta Monument Valley Inn, the most expensive lodging of the tour.

Today had a high of 84F. Quite pleasant with the increasing elevation. Kayenta is 5900 feet elevation. It's cool and crisp in the evening. It seems like a decent environment to live.

Today was a long and hard day, no doubt about it. Longest distance day of the tour. Fortunately the total climbing was reasonable. The most fortunate thing was the strong tailwind. It would have been an even longer day without the tailwind. I could feel wind pushing on my back most of the time.

Today I pedaled between two of the largest Navajo towns. The towns seem almost normal to a white person but the rural landscape is typical incomprehensible Indian Country. People live somewhere in the area but I see no houses and almost no roads. Everybody and everything is hidden. I've learned a few things about Indian Country during this tour but I never learned why it's so important for rural Indians to live far from highways. I guess they're trying to shield themselves from corrupting outside influences.

Tonight I made a reservation to pick up a 1-way rental car in Cortez on the morning of May 22. That commits me to get to Cortez in 4 days as planned.

Distance: 75.6 mi. (121 km)
Ascent/Descent: +2684/-1762 ft (+813/-534 m)
Average Speed: 10.3 mph (16.5 km/h)

Today's ride: 76 miles (122 km)
Total: 427 miles (687 km)

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