August 22nd: Bryce Canyon National Park, UT to Mt. Carmel Jct or … Zoooooooom … a speeding ticket for a bicyclist?

I had the alarm set for 6 am, but it is my vacation after all and I lingered for half an hour in my sleeping bag. Then it was a rush to the shower (no lines!) and a speedy loading of Sweet Machine. My last breakfast in front of Ruby’s and then on the road. No looking back now – you have a new destination. 

The first 10 miles are backtracking through Red Canyon on the bicycle path and boy, do they need to clean it up after yesterday’s stormy weather here. Lots of debris on the path – Utah geology at work, I thought! Had to walk through some muddy sandstone – no stopping here or I’ll get stuck with my tires. They now had a thick layer of red sand on them and I thought that this was great for having pine needles or chip rock sticking to it, giving me a flat tire! 

Finally I got to cycle somewhat faster on this great downhill. Once out of Red Canyon I had to conquer the black chip sealed new road surface – still on the downhill – with the rumble strip halfway the shoulder. 

But this couldn’t spoil my good mood and I headed on to the junction of Utah 12 with US 89 South (yup – good old US 89). There the surface changed again and the shoulder got wider and … I pedaled and pedaled. Guess what: there was still no wind nor cloud in the sky and I hoped to get as far as possible before that would change. In the small town of Hatch I had to stop to take some pictures of Americana signs.

Next 13 miles were all gradually uphill but the wind (or the absence of it!) did not make it hard. Only the last 3 miles of it I did not like because there is hardly any shoulder and that rumble strip is halfway on it. Traffic has some big RV’s and trucks flying by… not a good combination. But I made it to the junction with Utah 14 – another gas station stop. Gatorade and some new ice and water in my bottles and I was ready to go on. A few fluffy clouds were popping up and I still had 21 miles to go. The good news: still no wind and … all downhill! And there I went… flying down along the trees and taking one bend after the other in this canyon like ride to Glendale and eventually to Orderville. Soup town again and I thought school would already be going but not here. 

The service in the café was fast – there were hardly any clients. As I got out I noticed all the classes of … on the rocks in front. It’s a high school tradition to paint rocks or to just make sure there is a sign of the school on the slopes of the hills. I had 5 more miles to go and I suddenly noticed a sheriff car waiting along the road… was it for me? 

I pulled up and noticed the fake sheriff sitting inside the car. Only 50 meters further another sheriff car was sitting on the other side of the road and there a woman dummy was patrolling. I wonder if it works! Mt. Carmel junction is nothing more than a junction of two roads: US 89 and Utah 9. This is my end destination for today: a 91 km day and I made this longest ride also the fastest one of the trip! Still time enough to blog and do laundry.