The uniqueness of this particular adventure continued into the second day. Not only had our friends not gone home after day one, they seemed to be enjoying the trip. I’m not sure how much the 1000 watt motors played into that enjoyment, but whatever works to get us out and all together is fine by me. The other “strangeness” was the day two route: 26 miles and mostly downhill? Clearly we weren’t on one of my painful routes.
We were off and out of the motel but not very early. The charger for Gloria’s batteries was on the fritz. Jon made a valiant effort to find something to help with charging, but in the town of Blanding, the only electrical devices were cattle prods.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do on this day’s ride – it was easy, it was short, the traffice was minimal, and there was a good shoulder. The first day had some major hills, was almost 40 miles, and we started late in hotter weather – the painful type of riding I “enjoy”. Was I just supposed to simply enjoy easy riding, visiting with the others, and looking around at scenery that encompassed hundreds of beautiful square miles? It was truly strange for me, but I’ll admit, I sort of enjoyed it.
There aren’t many shots of this 26 mile route because most of them would look pretty similar. The magnitude of the terrain doesn’t lend itself to photos that do it justice. There are incredible rock formations and rolling desert for miles. We passed through the Ute Reservation and the “town” of White Mesa. Eventually, we dropped down into a relatively green and beautiful valley along the San Juan River and the town of Bluff.
You’ll never guess why this cafe is called “Twin Rocks”. It was our first stop in Bluff – and for lunch! We arrived at our detinatiaon before lunch! While it was also our first Navajo taco, it would be far from the last as we continued further into their lands. Gloria, Jon, and Anne explored the trading post next door, but I didn’t have it in me to take out a second mortgage on the house in order to pay for any of the “art”.
The scariest part about riding short distances, as already alluded to, is that you finish early. In Southeast Utah that means you are either in the middle of a desert or in a VERY small town. Bluff has about 150 residents – down from 300 in 2000. I’m not sure why everyone is leaving because it is a pretty neat little place. Although, Covid had almost wiped out what little they had in the way of restuarants and there definitely wasn’t an amusement park. So, we spent the afternoon exploring Fort Bluff and learning about the Mormon pioneers called to settle this area.
These pioneers left their homes in the Southwest part of Utah and created, then came through the famous Hole in the Rock (https://www.nps.gov/glca/learn/historyculture/holeintherock.htm) among many other incredible lands. We had ridden across just a small part of their “trail” the day before. Riding on paved roads over and through canyons was difficult! I can’t imagine how they made it with wagons. It was an interesting and uplifting time. And, not surprisingly Gloria met someone from Alberta that knew her family. Is there no where in the world that Albertans – all friends of Gloria – have not infiltrated?
Seems sort of weird but Gloria and I have spent time in cemetaries on lots of our bike rides. It is an interesting way to learn a bit about the town. Bluff’s pioneer cemetary, unfortunately, is on the top of a bluff. Jon and Anne zipped up but we saved our strength for the steak dinner we were going to have later. Although undeserved in terms of miles ridden, I placated my guilt with the notion of supporting a frail local economy. It made for a nice finish to our day.
Grumpy Grandpa's Great Bicycling Adventures 