Utah

We left Dolores and had a short climb past their reservoir before ten miles and a very brief stop at a gas station. We are officially out of the mountains and into the high desert. First part of the day was rollers – it nearly felt like we were back in Kansas. The peaks have fallen away to be replaced by sparse grassland and sporadic trees. And also a grasshopper infestation. The bugs like to hang out right in the shoulder and they were jumping all over the place – onto our shoes, on our legs, on our panniers – hordes of them. It is shocking to suddenly feel a fairly large insect on your thigh as you ride along. There are only so many grasshoppers in Colorado however, and we soon rode out of the swarm. We took a break in Dove Creek and stopped at the Shell Station/grocery store. We enjoyed our purchases at window seats in the laundromat next door. The towns we ride through are sparse. A gas station or two, small houses irregularly spaced off the main road, and a couple of vacant storefronts. It's going to be a real culture shock when we get back.

A lady warned us about dirt roads in the next town but we largely disregarded her. We speak to a lot of crazies. Another eight miles of bicycling and we hit the Utah state line. There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm for the new state and Jeremy made a deposit off in the hinterlands. Well, the lady was right. The town of Monticello, or whoever makes decisions about the roads in the town of Monticello, decided to rip them all up at once. Some sort of stimulus construction project. Anyway, the last mile or so into town was on compacted dirt roads. A little bumpy, but the beach calls our name. We got into the downtown and Jordan and Jeremy cruised over to Subway while I went to a place called the Peace Tree Cafe. We regrouped after the caloric intake and began the 21 miles toward our destination, Blanding.

We were treated to some good climbing at first before the road plateaued and afforded us one of the greatest views of the tour thus far. The Utah horizon stretched away for what seemed like a hundred miles and we got a hazy glimpse of the mesas and canyons to come. Some beautiful downhill followed and the speed slid up into the 40's. I got the assistance of a semi that blew a surge of air forward as it sped by, and I hammered to 51.7, the standing tour record. We had one final push uphill and past another reservoir before we arrived in Blanding. We went and checked out the campground listed on the map but it was all gravel, all the time. Next stop was the pool where Jordan negotiated free entrance and we ogled lifeguards. Hey, we are back in Kansas! The pool closed for a few minutes and reopened for family swim but we are grizzled bicyclists and felt out of place with young mothers and goofy little kids. We saw a sign advertising a 25 dollar room at one of the motels so we inquired at said establishment and had a look at their offerings. We ended up selecting the Cliff Palace Motel instead. It was actually a pretty righteous place. Supposedly designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, it featured Native American motifs and a pairing of teal blue and brown for the color scheme. This trip has been less Route 66 and more badlands, so it was kind of fun to stop in for some roadside America. It was a true regret that none of us found the time to use the shower, complete with intricately tiled bench.

Pedaled a bit to the grocery store and stocked up on extra agua for tomorrow. It'll be 74 miles of no services to the Hite Recreation Area. Now that we're all warmed up it's time for some real adventure. We cooked and ate and used the Wifi in the motel and enjoyed our first taste of Utah.

Wormhole. Back in Kansas.

I'd rudder be skiing.

The historic dirt roads of Monticello. They kept them that way for authenticity.

Cliff Palace Motel.

Flotsam of a bike tour.