After breaking camp and having our last chat with Roy we were on our way to Zion National Park, however not before a quick coffee stop to check weather and schedule stays after Zion. Valley of Fire State Park is forecasted to be 100 degrees on Friday. 🔥 Ouch!
Between our bike ride and drive on Scenic Byway 12 yesterday, through Red Rock Canyon today and then entering Zion through the east gate on Highway 89, we were shocked at the views around every corner.
And then a small herd of big horn sheep decided to come out and say hello.
The Hebrew origin of the word Zion means “highest point”. Go figure. It’s majestic, massive, vibrant and awe-inspiring here.
I remember Checkerboard Mesa from my last visit. It’s aptly named wouldn’t you agree?
We are camping in Watchman’s Campground, its namesake, and just under it’s towering influence.
And lucky for us… look what’s located a half mile away.
Cars are still not permitted on the main road so as cyclists we have the whole road to ourselves in the park (well besides the shuttle buses).
Although different from Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase Escalante, Zion National Park is equally breathtakingly beautiful and we can’t wait to make the most out of our brief two days here.
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We’d picked out a stellar 54 mile bike ride on one of Americas Scenic Byways and even though the climb was a little over the top (4,600) at this elevation, the route is paved and there would be lots of cool scenery to distract us from our misery. 😂
There were some righteous downhills at 14% but since it was an out and back we knew whatever we road down we had to climb back up. 😂
It all started out great until the storm front (again, not forecasted) moved in.
We pressed on thinking we’d skirt around it, however a little after the half way point a wicked canyon wind kicked up, more clouds moved in and we decided it best to turn around. 😏
Strong one directional sustained winds are one thing but strong winds that circulate are more difficult to handle on a bike, in the rain especially when zipping down canyon roads at 25 miles an hour with no guard rail. And oh yea it was Sunday which meant we were sharing the road with mucho RVs broke camp this morning.
Not to be robbed of seeing the scenery we wanted to see, when we got back to our car we drove the route (in the rain) and finished an audio book. Soooo there ya go. Life is seldom what you expect but it IS what you make it.
Tonight is our fourth and last night at Ranchito Feliz, a Hipcamp where Roy is our host. Roy owns nine acres in Cannonville, UT (just outside Bryce Canyon). He was one of the first to jump on board the Hipcamp idea and is among one of their top hosts.
The way Hipcamp came to be is fascinating. For a quick story click here but if you don’t have time to read it just know that needs drive business and this female founder rocked it.
The best part of this Hipcamp stay, however was Roy, a San Diego native, and former marine who knows more about the natural history of the area, the customs and people than I have space to share here. Besides his stories are his to share and only he can tell them the best. Sooo if you’re ever in Southern Utah and have a mind to camp, look up Roy at the Ranchito Feliz.
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As we drank our coffee and prepared breakfast, we thought we had our day all planned.
Then… a message arrived from Roy, our Hipcamp host “Hey! Want to go on a short gravel ride me with me and the dogs?” “Sure!” we responded. ‘Cause you don’t say no to the locals who are a treasure trove of stories, advice and local lore.
So off we went riding with Roy, G-Mo and Lozen, his puppers.
Before we knew it, after chatting it up with Roy on our ride, plans for the day changed.
Off to Willis Creek for a hike in a slot canyon.
Roy let us know once we reached “The Wall” if we made a right and hiked up we’d find petroglyphs so that was our destination for the hike.
The hike out had us hopping over Willis Creek that was barely a trickle through the slot canyon. We marveled at the smooth canyon walls and the power that wind and water have to change rock.
Just as Roy promised, and thanks to Tom paying attention (because I wasn’t), we found the petroglyphs and they did not disappoint.
There was a mural of etchings that appeared to be a map. Would have loved to know what the ancients were communicating.
We stopped for a trailside snack, got up and began our hike back. That’s when we heard the thunder, looked up and saw the weather was turning. Rain was coming. Most everyone knows the worst place to be when rain comes is in a slot canyon.
We got up, got our hustle on and headed back. Rain started; thunder continued (none of this was in the forecast). And soon after the water flow through the canyon increased. We didn’t think the rain would last long locally but we were thinking if rain fell up ahead of us we would be “up 💩creek” .
As it was, the rain didn’t last long however our feet got a little wet – no worries there. What WAS the problem, however, was getting back down to the main road in our 2015 Subaru on the ratchet road we drove up on. It was a dirt (now mud) road with three creek crossings and some very steep grades and drop offs.
Prayers, low gears and me holding the passenger side door on 😂 got us down safely but not without a lot of slipping and sliding. Tom said it was the most white knuckled drive he’s ever experienced. I wanted to take a video but then thought I better not.
After the morning ride and afternoon hike (and subsequent mud debacle) we decided to jump on our bikes one more time. Folks, there isn’t a bad view in southwest Utah.
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And thanks to my good bud Christie for the song suggestion today. Soooo good!
Who do we think we are heading back out for more bike adventures when we’ve already finished San Diego to Key West and The Northeast Scramble earlier this year?
I’ll tell ya. We are “Mr. and Mrs. Ready to Complete our 50 State Chase” and finish riding our bikes in all 50 states. The Tour De N’Utah will give us states number 48 and 49.
The hardest part of this trip (since we drove here and have our car and that makes most everything easy) is keeping up with some of our favorite fellow adventurers who are also out on tour. Mike and Sue have ridden their bikes around the perimeter of the US and are now on EuroVelo 6 riding across Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea.
We share a love of the west with Garry who is On The Road Again headed west for a backpack trip to floor of the Grand Canyon and back yet finds every opportunity to explore sites along the way (that I’ve bet you’ve never heard of but wish you had) and listen to some of the most intriguing stories from folks along the way.
Finally Deacon Matt and his buds are on yet another do-si-do with the GAP and C&O trails. If you’re an armchair adventurer, these folks offer ample opportunity!
Between reading their blogs, rinsing my bike shorts and boiling water for Mountain House meals I’m pretty busy over here.😂
So four nights near Bryce Canyon, three in Zion National Park and then on to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park. By the way Nevada puts the “N” in N’Utah hence the Tour De N’Utah.
Currently we are camping at a Hipcamp (more on this later) where we get a nightly show of the setting sun when it retires for the day beneath the ridge behind us. The colors on the rocks across from our campsite are remarkable to watch so we position our camp chairs for the evening show.
This form of natural entertainment precedes the one the stars provide at night. Like Marfa, TX where we bicycled through last February, this area is also know for its dark skies and optimal opportunities to star gaze.
By day the pinnacles of weathered rocks called hoodoos keep us ooohing and awwwing as we cycle or hike paste them. The beauty of this place cannot be described in pictures or words. If ever you get the chance, visit southern Utah, you must!
So “hoodoo” we think we are? Just old grandma and grandpa over here trying to catch our breaths at this elevation as we cycle up hills and live outdoors relishing in its beauty and the kindness of others.
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If you ever need a micro lesson in northeastern states geography we suggest riding bikes up here. Delaware is where? Oh it’s south of Pennsylvania which neighbors Ohio which is just east of Indy. And the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) peninsula which we are cycling around now shows Maryland encroaching on Delaware’s southern coastline with a string of Virginia land tacked onto the bottom for good measure. Who the heck decided these state boundaries and how? I have questions!
We’ve now entered our seventh state on the tour (knocking off five new ones we needed) in just a week. Heck it took us 18 days to cross Texas last February on bikes. What a metaphor for life. Some things come easy, and well others ya work for harder.
Speaking of working toward a goal… does anyone recognize the steps behind us in the above pic?
Friday, June 9th was our 16th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by… you guessed it. Riding bikes! Pleasant Point to Cherry Hill, NJ was pretty near perfect rural riding with little traffic, wide shoulders and smooth pavement – about 98% of it. We were in such a rhythm we took only three pics all day.
However riding from Cherry Hill to Bear, Delaware via Philadelphia today was 98% stoplights which made for slow going until we got to Delaware. There were also some steps to navigate to get over the Delaware River.
We used Hipcamp to find digs for the night and landed on a most unique campsite: just behind a beautiful mansion on two acres.
And there are grass tennis courts marked for pickeball! Owners Peter and Karin built this lovely home in Bear and rent rooms out to travelers. They even have a cozy spot for tenters. They found themselves so busy they added two modern RVs that share a gigantic shade giving tree and a deck to enjoy outside time. Peter’s built this all, including the house. Karin is an elementary school principal (600 students) who hosts both a podcast and has a TikTok following of over 13k. The people we meet are hands DOWN the best part of any bike tour.
If you spent 30 seconds with Karin you’d get a sense of her passion and creative genius for kids and education, especially school administrator wellness. Plus they are a couple of entrepreneurs living a dream.
Finally someone who may or may not be living the dream… Meet Rocket, the domesticated raccoon pet of a couple just outside Delaware City who have had him since he was three months old. Rocket ya need to lay off the Dunkin’ Donuts, my friend.
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PS: Below is hint to the above “where are are we” question.
Ok normally I don’t drink Bourbon slushies out of Smart water bottles but today was that day.
It was the end of a warm, 70 mile day, some of the body parts are starting to feel the grind (and I don’t mean the legs). The slushy was cold and the distillery was right across the street from our campground so… #nobrainer
The food truck drew us into the parking lot yet once we went inside the 200 year old Grist Mill and met Jasmine, we were more intrigued with the story of the distillery and the mill than the taco truck outside.
Oh back to cycling… it was an Oreo cookie kind of day with ten plus miles of rail trails on both ends of our ride today. Rail trails mean less climb so we weren’t mad about that. There were however, a couple big ones where I told myself there would be reward at the top if I reached the top without stopping.
We crossed the Hudson River today cycling over the second longest pedestrian bridge in the world. Originally a double track railroad track, it was completed in 1889, which to me is an incredible engineering accomplishment for the times. It was converted to a 1.25 rail trail in 2009 and is a small part of the Empire State Trail.
Pictured below is one amazing woman. Meet 72 year old Marianne. She rode her bike from Los Angeles, hopped on Route 66 and cycled to Chicago. From there she followed the Adventure Cycling Map to Washington, DC via parts of the C&O and GAP trails and now she is heading to Maine on the Atlantic Coast Trail where she will attend a fiddler’s conference.
No, she doesn’t carry her fiddle but does carry a bear cannister for her food on her recumbent bike. As a matter of fact a little black bear loped across the street in front of her just yesterday. But I digress… She will return home to Portland not by plane, train or automobile, but by riding through Canada. And she’s a solo rider, averaging about 45 miles a day.
She said she comes by her love of travel and the outdoors honestly. Her mother, who has now passed but lived well past 100 years of age, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail before it was even called the PCT. What a fascinating woman.
Tonight we camp by the Wallkill River and tomorrow’s route guides us through more of the scenic Hudson River Valley. We should be peddling through the Big Apple on Wednesday. 🏙️
Thanks so much for the follow, the questions, comments and of course the prayers that we count on.
Oh, and someone was asking about the what, where and why’s of this ride. You can find the quick answer to that here.
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If we had a nickel for every empty mini liquor bottle we’ve seen on the side of the road we could help pay off the national debt. 😂 Ok so we might need a quarter for each one; the debt is getting up there. 💸. Some peeps call them shotskis; up here they are called nips. We call them trash and they are all over.
It’s not the first thing we noticed here in Connecticut. The bicycle friendly roads have wide shoulders and the drivers are uber courteous. The trees, waterways and rural towns we cycle through make for a solid ride.
And the elevation is no joke for these Indy legs. We cycled up and down 4,754 feet of hills yesterday, some of that due to an impassable bridge detour that added five miles to our day. Check the video to see how that all played out.
We crossed the Appalachian Trail just outside of Salisbury which was pretty cool and finally saw the sun when we got to our campsite at Taconic State Park.
So long Connecticut. 👋🏻 Hello New York! After our push-ups, planks, prayers and packing up we have a nearby coffee shop and 10 miles of a rail trail to kick off the day. Yay!
And PS: If you flew on a plane in the 60’s and 70’s it’s likely you received a shotski for free. 😉
Getting to Cambridge, a smallish town outside of Boston went off without a hitch in our rented mini van. After a six hour drive from Rochester, NY we dropped off the mini van and took to our Salsas. Everything we need (at least what we THINK we’ll need) for the next 1,000 miles we’ll carry on our bike, well except food and water. We’ll buy that along the way.
We figured out on our 15 hour drive it was exactly five years ago when we took off from Anacortes, Washington, and cycled 4,200 miles to Maine on our very first long distance bike tour. Wow! So much has happened since then. Weddings, more grandkids, two more cross country bike tours, our last state marathon in Hawaii, Tom’s retirement and well let’s just say pickeball!
Once loaded, we began our journey on the Minuteman Rail Trail. It was over 90 degrees but the shade made for a nice ride.
One of the best parts of seeing our beautiful country from a bicycle seat is we get a good look at it from a different perspective. Slower than a car and faster than walking, bikes work for us.
What we’ve noticed so far here in Massachusetts are there are lots of rocks, stone fences and wild turkeys. Who knew? 🤷🏼♀️ The rhodos are in full bloom and there’s an abundance of colonial history which apparently includes some “thickly settled” areas. Lol never saw this sign before. I had to Google it.
We found a sweet campsite in Littleton at the Minuteman Campground where we spent our first night on the tour.
Our second day brought LOTS of hills, more 90+ degree heat and an afternoon thunderstorm. I’m tellin’ ya folks, Texas “Hill” Country’s got nothing on these rollers in the northeast.
And who doesn’t love to listen to a New Englander talk about the Fish N Chips they had for lunch? Allll good! That’s exactly what we enjoyed at Peg’s Diner in Whitensville which is a dining car from a retired train.
We crossed two new states off of our 50 state bike chase today adding Rhode Island and Connecticut to the “done” list. ✅
We kept Day 3 short and stopped at Windsor Locks to dry out our clothes and tent, take a proper shower and enjoy a hot meal. A cold front moved in today and it was 40 degrees colder than yesterday. No guest laundry meant laundry done in the sink and hung dry. That works too!
For the first time ever on a bike tour we stayed at a hotel property at an airport. The window in our room overlooks the runway. ✈️ It cost just a few bucks more than our campsite two nights ago. Thanks Anne for the friends and fam rate!
Back to the tent tomorrow and on to New York!
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Tom and I wrapped up our San Diego to Key West bike ride a little over a week ago and have some data, final thoughts, lessons learned and finally one last video we’d like to share. Thanks so much to family, friends, neighbors and followers for the prayers, comments and encouragement along the way.
Tailwinds, Tom and Deb
For day-to-day mileage, where we stayed and songs in the videos, click here.
From Tom:
I had expectations that riding Southern Tier was going to be easy peasy after riding the Great Divide a couple of years ago. I thought riding on asphalt and mostly flat we would average at least 70 miles per day. Right off the bat coming out of San Diego on our first set of climbs I realized that we might be out of bike shape and touring with traffic all around us was a bit more mentally challenging watching out for drivers. The first few weeks we also rode at higher elevation which came with cold temperatures when waking up and packing up the tent, etc. It got lighter in the morning later and darker earlier in the evenings (5pm), which limited our hours of riding as well.
As the days moved on we started feeling good with our riding and only took one day off the entire trip because of a High Wind Advisory.
As the days ticked off, I think I mentioned to Deb that this is my favorite touring ride compared to the rest. Not sure why. Probably because we ate like kings/queens. :)
As a whole I am very happy with our trip. It just sounds amazing in my mind to think I rode my bike from San Diego to Key West. What a great accomplishment with my honey!
From Deb:
Each time I come home from an extended bike tour there is less friction in the transition to home life. I think it’s because the bike tours have changed me in small ways and many of those changes have stuck with me to some extent. For example, minimizing clothing, reducing food waste, understanding I need less “things” and attempting to keep life simple. I still get edgy on wheels that go more than 12 miles per hour (like automobile travel) but that will wear off soon.
As Tom mentioned above, this ride was an unexpected toughie, not based on the miles and terrain but the cold temps and wind at the beginning. It was a particularly cold season for Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas and I don’t do cold. This was an “Escape the Cold” bike tour remember?
But it all works out! One of my favorite “mommyisms” (and I have a few) is “Life is seldom what I expect but it IS what I make it.” There were so many surprises and variables out of our control and it was a blessing to experience those and make adjustments with Tom. I have the utmost trust and confidence in him and it was a joy to experience the 3,600 mile ride together. We dug in during the tough times, expanded our comfort zones and learned we can still do some hard things. Heck I barely remember the black rats and leaky sleeping pad anymore! Problem solving together was fun. I mean… we were on vacation!
I’m going to miss the extended time for daily reflection and prayer on the bike and all of the self directed learning. I’ll miss meeting new people and learning more about them and their culture. And I’ll miss the looks on the locals’ faces when they ask, “where you ridin’?” and we reply “San Diego to Key West”. Lots of people do it but it sure does get some raised eyebrows when we answer. I can’t think of a better way to experience our great country than slowly and from a bicycle seat. I’ll even miss riding my bike from point to point every single day. It’s not the same when you just “go out for a ride”.
However, I’m so grateful to return home with Tom to our family, friends, neighbors and home and am already asking myself, “what’s next” and “for what purpose”.
May God bless you with peace, abundant joy and a thirst for learning.
Click on the image below to view our San Diego to Key West Recap Video – some of our most memorable moments (sound on for music):
We have finished our San Diego to Key West bike ride of over 3,600 miles and are celebrating with family. Look for our final recap post in a few days. For now, just one more video of our last day. Oh what a ride it’s been!
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Keep Calm and Pedal On 