Hanksville to Torrey, Utah

September 14, 2022

The Moon and Capitol Reef

Tumbleweed Manor, our lodging site, was a very cool place.

We finished with Route 95 after having reached Hanksville. Our new road was Utah Route 24. In Utah, counties, towns and roads are few and far between. After 3 days in the state, we had seen an equal number of counties and towns to go along with three route numbers. Utah 24 would be our 4th numbered highway. We headed west and out of town as rain threatened again.

Riding west out of Hanksville, we initially followed Fremont River. Although mostly dry, the river basin has enough moisture to support more vegetation than what we have seen so far... including some trees!

The unsettled weather pattern continued with the threat of rain. During the time leading up to this trip, there were frequent reports of the severe drought in the Southwestern United States. Since we've been here, it has rained every day!

There are some hearty plants in this area. Looks to be in the Geranium family.

Several miles down the road, it did rain, again. I had stopped at the site of Giles, town that is no longer in existence but where efforts were being made to keep its memory alive. There was a trailer, a domed structure, interpretive signage, and a couple of portajohns. After looking around a bit and using the facilities, a brief, heavy, and cold rain began to fall. I waited it out under what little cover there was and then continued on. It was nice to see some rain in the desert and in a place that could use some water.

The site of a former town, Giles, Utah, was a good spot to wait out a brief rainstorm.

A bit further down the road, the landscape seemed to abruptly changeover to grayish mounds of sand that were mostly devoid of vegetation. My thoughts were that the moon might look like this if I ever had the occasion to go there. An area called Swing Arm City, for riding off road vehicles, lies adjacent to the road. This is very strange looking country indeed.

My fellow lunar explorers got a little impatient, while waiting in a strong and cold wind, for me to get the camera steady.

Very barren and rugged country out here along UT-24.

Further down the road a small sign indicated that we had reached another (former?) town called Caineville. Besides the sign, we did not see any evidence of a town. We did not see any evidence of services or movement. In 1950, the steadily declining population was 20 people. Seventy-two (72) years later, I wonder if anyone is left. Caineville may have gone the way of Giles.

Fred cruises through the big metropolis of Caineville, Utah.

Further west, Route 24 passes through more lonely and barren landscapes. In several places, the only vegetation seemed to grow along the roadside. Why it would occur there and nowhere else is a mystery to me. I can only guess that water from the roadways runs off and provides some extra hydration that is not available further away from the paved surfaces. The grayish brown coloration of the cliffs and soils continued as well. We were still on our lunar expedition, for a little while longer.

Route 24 eventually led us into Capitol Reef National Park. The closer we got to the area, we experienced more traffic in the form of the motor vehicles and RVs. The overwhelming majority of drivers were very courteous and gave us as much room as the sometimes narrow roadway would allow. The surrounding coloration of the landscape changed to red rocks, sand, and more green vegetation. There seemed suddenly to be more water in this area for some unknown reason. Tourists (including us) were pulling over at various places to take in the beauty of the area. I spoke briefly to a couple from Missouri who were inquiring about our ride. We had a tough but enjoyable ride through the Show Me State in 2019 as part of our journey across the country and we talked about that a bit.

West of all the hustle and bustle of the park, we rode through another long road construction zone. The President's infrastructure plan was working back in our home state of Pennsylvania and was on display here in Utah, as well.

During the last part of this ride, we had quite a bit of climbing. We knew it was waiting for us because the Garmin elevation profile for the day illustrated the upswing rather bluntly. With the exception of one long hill, none of it was all that difficult but the cumulative effect was definitely felt by all of us.

While the threat of more rain loomed above we also knew the end of the ride for today was near. Torrey was out there somewhere and we were going for it. The reddish color of the soil, rocks, and cliffs continued along with the increased greenery. Temperatures were cooler. Some of the others donned windbreakers but I didn't seem to need a jacket due to generating enough internal warmth on these hills. As we reached the outskirts of Torrey, the road construction, constricted traffic lanes, and climbing continued. We passed some ranches, restaurants, hotels, and then seemed to go back out into the wilderness for a couple of miles.

Coming down a hill, we passed the junction with Route 12, our road for tomorrow. Then our lodging site appeared on the left, the Red Sands Hotel. The town of Torrey lay another mile further on Route 24 but we wouldn't see that until later on in the evening, when Fred and I took a trip into town.

We finished up a little earlier today than we had thus far in the trip. Having the extra time allowed us to relax, organize a bit, and speak with loved ones back home. A good Mexican restaurant, La Cueva, was on the agenda for dinner. While there, it rained and then a glorious rainbow spread out over the Mountains. A good omen capped off a great day of riding.

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 296 miles (476 km)

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