| Southern Utah Bike Tour |
The ride today was a challenge; the first 25 miles were uphill, climbing from 5780 feet to over 10,000 feet near Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Before we got underway we tried to replace the seat post clamp and bolt at one of the two local bike shops. Cedar Cycles was open early, at 9am, and had a replacement bolt. I never realized that seat post diameters varied so much. Since Cedar Cycles deals mostly in mountain bikes, they didn't have the size to fit Kerie's Trek 520. They did have a bolt. The mechanic said that the clamp was a little stripped because the bolt we were using was not the right threading, but there were enough threads to hold. Not a good feeling when there's a chance your seat could suddenly collapse. We decided to try to find a clamp at the other shop, The Bike Route, which was supposed to open at 10am. We got there a little early and waited for 20 minutes and no sign of anyone inside so we left, hoping the old clamp would hold.
It was a beautiful ride for most of the way, with the aspen leaves a bright orange and yellow. We stopped often to take pictures and to change clothes as the temperature dropped as we climbed and the clouds rolled in. Even though we started late, we passed others who were taking even more time on the climbs. We were the first to reach Cedar Breaks, and I was able to walk out on the observation area just before the ranger posted a sign at the entrance saying that the area was closed due to possible lightning strikes. "The orange color is rust from the metal in the rocks, and we get lightning here often." Others had gotten some rain but we just saw a few brief snow drops; not really flakes, but big drops of icy snow. Here's a series of photos that I took at Cedar Breaks that I pasted together as a panorama.
From Cedar Breaks there was a short climb to the summit at 10,400 feet, then a rapid descent to Brian Head and the Cedar Breaks Lodge. (Notice anything unusual about the summit photo? We took two photos and cut and pasted Kerie into this one.) A jacuzzi soak and hour-long nap helped revive my spirits. Brian Head, like most ski resorts without snow, is a pretty bleak place, with lots of parking lots and new hotels and condos. We did get a decent meal that night, especially considering that the next day the place was closing until winter.