Hello Utah!

We rode through the remaining miles of Colorado with the Rocky Mountains shadowing our backs and came unexpectedly on the state line of Utah. Utah is perhaps the only state along the route for which I had literally no preconceived expectations of; this is not to say that Utah is the only state that I have never been to, but rather it was the only state for which I had no idea what to expect, no stereo-types or Hollywood induced images. I entered Utah not knowing what to expect and I had an experience that I was not expecting.

According to the time-line I am obviously back tracking and due to the tendency for experiences along the ride to blend together it is hard to recall certain parts of Utah, however there is one day I remember distinctly.

It is strange how with state lines come unusually fast changes in scenery, as if the geography of the land is somehow linked to the unique culture of the specific state lines.  As we left Colorado we left greenery and plush mountain land-scapes in exchange for epic canyon scenery. Along with the new state scenery we we also greeted with our first long long stretches without services (gas stations, bathrooms, food ect...). This Particular day we had our longest stretch thus far without services, 78 miles.  Along the way there was the Natural Bridges National Monument of Utah which is a natural phenomenon which, like most natural phenomenons, has been exploited for tourist pleasure, where a river that was once there and is no longer, has carved out the rocks to form natural bridges over the river bed below. The team thought it would be a good idea to turn a long hot day into an even longer hot day by taking a detour and seeing a piece of Utah history.  However, once we took the four mile detour, down hill to the visitors center we realized that in order to actually see the bridges you would have to travel a total of 18 miles off of route; this, on a bicycle, was not an option. So with an 8 mile detour with my riding partner Ben Dymond, we returned to the route having seen no bridges, or anything interesting for that matter, to continue on our way into the middle of nowhere. We continued on and continued on through some of the most amazing and truely awe-inspiring scenery and some of the hardest riding conditions of the trip, did I mention the high that day was 109?  Riding a bicycle through 109 degree heat, is a daunting and rightfully so task, especially through a desert where there is no water for miles.  When riding down hill, instead of a refreshing breeze in your face you get blasted with wind that is so hot it can only be compared to pointing a blow-dryer into your face and turning it to the infamous "80's Hair" extra-high setting. After what turned into close to 90 miles, with our added detours, and a flat tire from burning rubber, we finally arrived at lake Powell to the first gas station for miles and miles, where we drank massive amounts of chocolate milk, and we able to take a dip in the lake.  As it turns out, even the deserts of America have something to offer to the wandering traveler.  The desert, even the most desolate places in the world, have a beauty of their own that is unmatched, and even in the desert there are always little heavens that make it all worth while.