June 3, 2005
Day 17: Enterprise to Hurricane
The day dawned cloudy and windy, but at least it was a tailwind. Although we got a lazy start, the climb up to Mountain Meadows was pretty easy with the boost from the wind.
Itty was shocked to learn that Mormons had slaughtered 120 Arkansas settlers here in the 1850s. Seems they didn't want any Gentiles in Utah. Blamed it on the Indians. Of course, the Mormons had been victims of Gentile mobs over and over again back East - Joseph Smith, himself, was murdered by a mob in 1844. That was the impetus for the Great Mormon Migration. Still, it would be nice to have the LDS Church open its archives now that 150 years have passed.
As we topped the summit, we could see fresh snow on the Pine Valley Mountains. I zoomed down the long grade into St. George. Itty, as before, was a bit more cautious.
Both of us were looking for a bike shop. I found one that had the cassette with 32 teeth. Plus I was getting a lot of broken spokes, so I replaced the rear rim. Itty found a place with a shorter handlebar stem. We stopped for ice cream and then got back on the road. It turned out to be a strip mall indistinguishable from anywhere else in the United States with box stores and brutal traffic. Plus it was scorching hot and there was a headwind. Ughhh! The ride into Hurricane was uphill against a strong wind. Double ughhh! When we finally got into Hurricane, we discovered that the hostel had closed. Fortunately, the new owners were in the process of renovating the building and said we could sleep on the floor for free. I went out and got pizza, a Coke for me, and some Polygamy Porter for everybody else. Like they say, "Why have just one?"
Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 933 miles (1,502 km)
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