Nicky's Notes: Day 15 of Ride West

Rising early to catch the sun rising over the red cliffs of Zion NP, I was greeted by a gray cloudy sky after a night of rain. As I finished my coffee and loaded up the bike, the clouds began to disperse, and by the time I rode again into the south entrance of the park, the clouds were thinning out to reveal a bright blue sky.

Riding east out of the park on the Zion-Mt Carmel highway, a twelve mile road of incredible twists, turns, and elevation changes, I encountered the aftermath of the previous rains. Much of the road was covered with gravel and sand from runoff of the previous night's rains. Taking it slow and easy, I arrived at the entrance of the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel. This 1.1 mile engineering marvel, built in the 1930's winds and curves through the mountain. On the west side of the tunnel, the terrain is very rocky and bare, with minimal vegetation. Upon exiting, it's as if I'm in another park. I have entered a forest of evergreens and various types on pine and cedar. The cliffs are shimmering in the sunlight due to the seeping water from the heavy rains. The Virgin River below is still running with brown muddy water. As I round a curve, I notice several cars are stopped and soon I see why. Three big horn sheep are standing alongside the road, nibbling on some green sage. After snapping a few pictures, I continue on my way, soon exiting the park, and arriving at the Mt Carmel junction of Hwy 89. This small town is a popular stopping point for buses (full of Japanese tourists), entering the east entrance of the park.

A few miles down the road is the town of Orderville. Now this would just be another 40mph slow down, if I hadn't seen the Flintstone looking building with an Espresso sign out front. Not to mention there was a waterfall on top of the building, and a Flintstones car parked out front. I had to stop for a picture, and the owner was very talkative. This was previously a dinosaur museum, with the previous owner making life size dinosaurs from fiberglass. According to "Don" the state of Utah bought all of the dinosaurs and made a park to house them, somewhere in eastern Utah. The new owner turned it into a "rock shop" (there are 4 others in this town), and sells coffee to bring in the Europeans driving on their way to Zion.

After coffee with the Flintstones, I soon arrived on Scenic Utah Byway 12. Bryce Canyon NP was my first stop. Beginning to rain and foggy as I entered, the park ranger said that b/c of the weather, I wouldn't be able to see much. I stopped at the visitor center for a bio break and to get the details of the park. After watching a 20minute video of the park and its' history, I walked out to my bike under clearing skies. Truly amazing how God has been answering prayers on this trip. The next two hours were spent viewing sights that seemed other worldly in many apsects. My friend, Kevin Sturm, told me that Bryce was his favorite of the Utah parks and now I see why. I must come back and hike the trails that go lower in the canyons.

Just a side note here for other bikers and car riders to these parks. Grand Canyon is seen only from the rim when you are driving or riding looking down. In Zion, you are really down in the canyon looking up, In Bryce, you stop and walk to the edge or hike down into the canyons. All three are totally different experiences.

Continuing along Scenic 12, I encounter Grand Staicase-Escalante National Monument. A one million + acre wild landscape mainly devoted to back country hiking and camping, the Highway skirts along the edge, until I come to a part called Hell's Backbone. The road rides along the ridge with sharp drop offs on either side, and views that are breathtaking for miles.

As I come off this ridge, I see a sign for Boulder Mountain Lodge and Hell's Backbone Grill. This is a very remote place and to find a great stop for the night and a gourmet meal is a nice surprise. Found out this is an award winning Zagat rated restaurant and the food did not disappoint.

Big Horn sheep encounter in Zion