Hanksville to Glen Canyon, Utah

September 13, 2022

Canyons and Windswept Plains

Our original plan was to Have Jack-O shuttle us back to the Glen Canyon Bridge and then ride to Hanksville.

The bridge over the Colorado River, in Glen Canyon (photo by Chuck).

Thus far, we had been starting shortly after sunrise. But since we were staying in a beautiful AirBNB home, I decided to make everyone a big breakfast. The whole production took a lot longer than I had imagined.

Since we were getting a later start, the idea was floated to begin riding from our lodging site in Hanksville and go back to the river. At first we thought since we were trading an uphill profile for one that is mostly downhill, we might be cheating. However, after the ensuing all day battle with a headwind, I believe we broke even... maybe even lost some ground.

Favorite son, Butch Cassidy, hailed from these parts and seems to be held in high regard, despite his less than honorable profession.

Butch Cassidy and "The Duke," aka John Wayne, have elevated status in Hanksville. The wanted poster above is actually a huge sign across the street from Duke's Slickrock Grill, which features a life size cut out of John Wayne at the bar. By the way, we were now in Wayne County, the 3rd such jurisdiction in roughly 250 miles of travel in the Beehive State. Duke's is a good place to grab a bite, if you happen to be in town. Fascination with "The Duke" may come from a 1934 movie starring a very young John Wayne. It is called, "The Man From Utah."

I saw this old B-movie once, a long time ago. It was a bit corny but The Duke was in it... complete with lipstick!

Hanksville lies on the high plains to the west of the Glen Canyon area. There is a long stretch of open scrublands with ancient crumbling rock formations and far off mountains. As we headed east out of town, the wind was in our faces and doing its best to hold us back. A rain storm happened late yesterday afternoon leaving an unsettled weather pattern in its wake. The threat of rain was ever present as we continued on. Twenty miles of wide open prairie separated us from where we would reach the canyon. Once there, it seemed logical that we would get out of the wind and enjoy an effortless cruise down to the river. Those thoughts kept me moving forward. Little did any of us know, the wind would never let up during this ride, and the downhill portion would be tough as well.

Out on the high plains to the east of Hanksville there were imposing blue mountains that rose off in the distance.

We plodded along, encouraging each other but each fighting our own internal battle against the wind. As had been the case on the previous days, the other worldly rock formations were positive distractions from the tough headwind. We stopped in an area where sand dunes gave some cover, for a bodily function, that might otherwise not have been available out on these plains. As I headed back to the road, I looked down and noticed some unusual rocks in the sand. A few were collected for my grandsons back home.

Some rocks that I collected for my grandsons are laid out here.

There were a few more stops to look around and to get a break from fighting the wind. This was not the most pleasant ride I've ever done but it did have some of the most unusual scenery ever seen on a ride.

The high plains lying to the east of Hanksville, Utah.

Old crumbling cliffs with mountains in the background.

As we approached the area where the high plains began to drop into the canyon, the rocks became more reddish in color and stranger in shape.

Some strange rocks out here... strange people too, for that matter.

I noticed a couple cycling toward me from the opposite direction as I stopped to take a photo. When they got closer, we talked for a while. They were from Germany, completely self-supported, and had covered 6000 miles, so far. It was from them that I learned about camping and water having been available in Hite. Although it would have been great to have camped there, the Air BNB we got in Hanksville was tremendous. Since the couple were headed to town, so I gave them some information about the lodging and dining establishments there.

The self-supported couple from Germany that we spoke to for a few minutes.

I told them about a small food store in Hanksville called the Bull Market, which seemed to be going strong when I went inside (pun intended). Behind the place was a trucker, delivering goods to the store. I had spoken with him earlier in the day as we were starting out. He was a friendly fellow who allowed me to take a photo of him in his cab.

The friendly trucker I spoke to behind the Bull Market, in Hanksville, Utah.

Once we began descending into the canyon, I realized the wind was not letting up at all. Hope springs eternal but with each passing mile, it was dimming a bit. It can only be described in so many ways how seeing the fantastic rocks, the red canyon walls, and the road winding through them ahead made the effort so worthwhile. It was truly a privilege to be riding here. We continued onward and further into Glen Canyon. After everything we had seen yesterday, one would think there couldn't be anything more but one would be very wrong indeed.

The water cut a channel through solid rock.

The wind never let up and the ride never got any easier. But the scenery seemed to get even better the closer we got to the river. At one point, I could see the bridge but it was still 10 miles away. Distances became irrelevant out here and that too would be a theme as we continued riding in Utah.

There was one very steep downhill stretch where I didn't have to pedal. It went through a magnificent red rock cut. Had we come from the East, this would have been a very steep climb. The strong tailwind might have helped a bit. With the 20% grade, it would have been a grunt to be sure. But that was the only place we caught any kind of break from our reverse direction decision. The strong headwind made for a tough 47 of the 48 total miles on this day.

The only place where we didn't have to pedal on this day... and it was beautiful!

Another crumbling rock fortress in the distance.

We all finally reached the bridge, loaded up the bikes, and then Jack-O took us back to Hanksville. A good meal awaited us back at Duke's. This was a tough ride but one where the food and beer tastes extra good afterwards.

Duke's Slick Rock Grill, in Hanksville, is a good stop.

I highly recommend riding our route (SR-95 from Blanding to Hanksville or in reverse) for these past two days, if you haven't already done so. You won't regret it.

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 248 miles (399 km)

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