Day 149 – 175: Joining a flock & heading south for the winter

October 15 – November 10, 2024

In this segment we find ourselves racing/waiting out winter weather in the high Colorado River Plateau. We had some unexpected rest days as a result of snow at higher elevations (above 7500’). We found other cycle tourists while we were in Kanab, Utah waiting out snow at higher elevations and unexpectedly formed a flock headed south. 

• Day 149 – Cedar City, Utah to Zion NP – 57 miles/1900’ climbing 
• Day 150 – Riding the Zion Canyon “Rest” day – 18 miles/800’
• Day 151 – Zion NP to Kanab – 42 miles/3500’ 
• Days 152 – 153 – Rest/Weather Day in Kanab, Utah
• Day 154 – Kanab to Jacob Lake, Arizona – 39 miles/3800’
• Day 155 – Jacob Lake to Marble Canyon – 43 miles/500’
• Day 156 – Marble Canyon to The Gap – 42 miles/2600’
• Day 157 – The Gap to Cameron – 32 miles/300’
• Day 158 – Cameron to Remote Camp – 29 miles/2900’
• Day 159 – Remote Camp to Grand Canyon NP – 32 miles/2100’
• Day 160 – Grand Canyon NP layover day – 11 miles + hiking
• Day 161 – Grand Canyon to Remote Camp – 47 miles/1400’ 
• Day 162 – Remote Camp to Flagstaff – 35 miles/1900’
• Days 163 – 164 – layover days in Flagstaff
• Day 165 – Flagstaff to Clint Wells CG – 56 miles/2600′
• Day 166 – Clint Wells CG to Payson – 36 miles/2200′
• Day 167 – Payson to Remote Camp – 55 miles/3600′
• Day 168 – Remote Camp to Phoenix – 34 miles/1100′
• Days 169 – 175 – layover days in Phoenix

Total distance: 4,820 miles
Total climbing: 227,000 feet
Dustin’s hair length: 6 inches (actually used a measuring tape this time haha)

After a pleasant downhill ride out of Cedar City, Utah we pulled into our target camping destination only to be told we could not put a tent in an RV site even if we paid the RV rate so Patricia found us a unique Bed & Breakfast last minute cancelation in posh Springdale, Utah, just outside of Zion National Park. We were in a basement room the size of a postage stamp in twin beds but we had somewhere to stay and we took advantage of the lovely grounds at the B&B and had a wonderful breakfast the next day. 

For the next night at Zion NP we lucked out and snagged a last minute camping cancelation at Watchman campground – this facility is 100% reservable 6 months in advance so we were lucky to get a spot.  

Zion National Park has a unique system of shuttles people must use to see the popular Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, however they do allow bicycles 🙂 We joined the hoards of people on e-bikes and pedaled our trusty, non-electric, heavy steel touring bicycles (sans bags) the 8 miles up the canyon road. Most of the time we were passed by the zippy e-bikes but on a few occasions our months of pedaling from Alaska paid off and we able to pass e-bikes! Zion Canyon was magnificent and we had perfect weather for the ride. 

After hearing a weather system was headed in we cycled out toward the east entrance of Zion the next morning. This ride presented us with a series of switchbacks to climb out of the canyon and then challenged us with a 1-mile tunnel where bicycles were prohibited. This tunnel was constructed in the 1920s when vehicles were much smaller so the traffic had to be stopped frequently to allow tour busses and RVs to transit by driving in the middle of the road. While the waiting traffic was stopped we asked a couple in a pick-up truck from Dallas if they’d be willing to drive us through the tunnel – “Sure!”. 

Once on the other size of the tunnel they left us off with our pile of bags and continued their vacation – thank you!! We continued to pedal toward the east entrance and out of the park toward Kanab, a tourist town in the middle of four major US National Parks with the slogan “The Greatest Earth on Show”. In Kanab we settled into our campsite, showered, did laundry, devoured a large pizza, stocked up on groceries – all the usual chores. Late that evening as we were checking news, social media, the next day’s route, and weather – Patricia said, “Oh shit” – our next day’s destination, at a much higher elevation, was expecting 4-6 inches of snow. We proceeded to spend the next two hours trying to figure out what to do – Get a hotel? Ride it out? Camp it out? Ultimately we decided to camp out this weather system in Kanab for the next two days so we quickly figured out things we could do so we didn’t spend the entire two days in our tent! We learned a lot about the history of this small Utah town, met some amazing people and crushed an “All you can eat Pizza/Salad/Soup/Dessert buffet” TWICE. 

For about the next 10 days we rode with a group – a couple from England/New Zealand (Dino & Suzy) and a young man from Canada (Rowan). This was a delightful change and it was so nice to exchange stories, cycle touring techniques/tips, and have people other than each other to talk with. So after waiting out the snow our flock of five headed toward the south rim of the Grand Canyon with several camps along the way. 

Our first night together with the group we ended up sharing a tiny cabin in Jacob Lake, Utah – not exactly what we had expected but the campgrounds had closed for the season and it was quite frigid so we shared the cost of a cabin (added bonus: a shower!).

From Jacob Lake we pedaled toward Marble Canyon, which is actually the beginning of Grand Canyon National Park on the Colorado River. The California Condor (largest bird in North America) had been reintroduced to the area and we were treated with a Condor spreading its wings on the bridge over Marble Canyon.

The next stretch was quite far to make it in one day and we were riding through the Navajo Reservation where camping on the land was not permitted. When we reached an intersection called, The Gap, we inquired at the local Chapter House and they let us stay on their property.

Leaving The Gap we had a mostly downhill ride to Cameron, Arizona, a small Navajo community focused on tourism where we had Navajo Tacos for lunch and camped for the night.

The next morning we grocery shopped and then continued our trek toward the south rim of the Grand Canyon – it was quite a climb so we made the trip in two days. Headwinds, in addition to climbing, challenged us as we made our way toward Grand Canyon National Park.

The second day of cycling toward the Grand Canyon was short and we had already booked a campsite so we took our time seeing many of the viewpoints along the way. We’d been to the Grand Canyon before but had never stopped at many of these pull-offs. Our first view of the Grand Canyon was at Desert View – a stop we had not previously made.

We made it to Mather Campground and found our site after several other viewpoint stops along the way. At camp we rushed to the showers before they closed at 4pm & were greeted by many elk loitering in the campground. The next morning we set our alarms so we could catch the sunrise over the canyon while we enjoyed our breakfast.

We hiked down into the Grand Canyon for about a mile and a half (and back up!) via the South Kaibab trail. Going down was tough on the knees but as we climbed out of the canyon we were surprised by the number of hikers we were passing – our altitude acclimation and cardio fitness from cycling was amazing!

Once again the weather would dictate our plans…south of the Grand Canyon we planned to stop in Flagstaff on the way to Phoenix. Flagstaff is at almost 7,000 feet and it was predicted to be much colder (21F) and very windy.

We cycled in strong headwinds to Flagstaff where our cycle posse shared an AirBnB for three nights. We enjoyed the amenities of the city – restaurants, shops, grocery stores, etc and made preparations for the next leg of our respective journeys. Flagstaff, being at 6,900 feet, was rather cold so we were happy to be inside a house with a proper kitchen, hot showers, and laundry. After being together for 10 days we were all going in slightly different directions, or so we thought!

Leaving Flagstaff our posse partially split up as we were headed toward Phoenix and Dino/Suzy were going towards Sedona. Rowan was still making his plans to meet his goal of making it to Mexico and began cycling towards Phoenix with us. Our first night out of Flagstaff we camped at 6900 feet and were quite surprised with the frigid temperatures – it was in the 20s Fahrenheit overnight! Our sleeping bags are rated to 20F but that usually means they’re warm to maybe 30F depending on the sleeper. Dustin went to bed with his down jacket on inside of his down sleeping bag while Patricia wore both pairs of her thick wool socks. In the end we made it through the night and woke up the next morning to frozen water bottles and ice coating the underside of the rainfly on the tent.

The next morning was so cold we did not get cycling until about 10am when the temperature was more tolerable. We continued to make our way towards Phoenix and camped in Payson, Arizona followed by a remote camp 30 miles outside of Phoenix where we tucked in among the tricked out OHVers (off-highway-vehicles) and the target shooters. We were lulled to sleep by revving engines and gunshots – it certainly wasn’t our best choice of campsite but kept us entertained all night. The scenery was spectacular with views of the Superstition Mountains and Four Peaks Recreation area.

We pedaled along the Superstition Mountains to make our final miles into the Phoenix area and then white knuckle rode with the traffic to Auntie Shell’s house where we were greeted with a delicious Second Breakfast & hot showers.

We stayed for the next week with our family and enjoyed being spoiled with amazing meals & all the comforts of home. It was wonderful to see family & spend time catching up. We worked on refitting/replacing gear and also took some time to relax.

It’s been so nice to take a break from the trip and catch up with family who spoiled us. Many thanks to Auntie Shell & Auntie Dawn for their exceptional hospitality!!! Tomorrow we take off and continue the journey south – we’re only about 200 miles from the border and where will enter our third country of the trip!

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