After checking into the hotel yesterday, we strolled around, sat by the pool, and enjoyed the SPA facilities, where we received our massages that we had reserved. We had a wonderful dinner last night – the best meal thus far on the trip.  I awoke early this morning and walked the large labyrinth that is in the desert near our resort. It is the largest I have walked. The only other two I have walked while on vacation are in York, Ireland and Bandon Dunes, Oregon. After breakfast, we hiked three miles on a guided hike through Snow Canyon. The hike reminded me of BikeRoads hikes I have been on. After…

Before our Backroads farewell dinner in Springdale last night, we gathered for happy hour with gorgeous red mountains as our backdrop. Springdale’s permanent population is 500 people. You would not know that during tourist season, as the town bustles with activity.  To maintain its ambiance, the town allows no fast food restaurants. Subway managed to put a store in, but had to close when the town boycotted it.  This morning, we cycled for a total of 16 miles on the traffic-free Zion Canyon Scenic drive next to the Virgin River. Making our way to the Narrows trailhead, we pedaled sandwiched between walls of sheer sandstone rising 2,000 feet from the…

Today we have no cycling and only hiking within Zion National Park. Our shuttle dropped us off at 9:00 a.m. with our lunches stashed away in our daypacks and would be back to pick us up at the West Rim Trailhead at 2 p.m. After the first 45 minutes of hiking with the group, I accelerated my pace and hiked the rest of the day on my own. The hike today was better than any cycling day of the trip. I was truly in my element. I will let the photos convey the experience.

The desire for human contact and social connection is so embedded in our DNA, we will find ways to make it happen. Last night, our Backroads group held an impromptu happy hour without our leaders in the hallway of our Bryce Canyon dorm next to the Pepsi vending machine. So, we took chairs and plastic cups from our rooms and drank beer, shared wine and told stories. Most of us were recovered from our altitude sickness and were ready to socialize.  At 8:15 a.m. when we gathered in the parking lot to prepare for our morning route, the temperature was a brisk 28 degrees with a windchill of 17 degrees. That is…

Bryce-Zion Day 4, Tuesday, Hiking Bryce Canyon We do indeed live in a beautiful world. Sometimes we encounter such natural beauty that all we can do is just stare in silence – struck dumb, looking in wonder at the miracle nature has created for our pleasure and  delight, leaving us to ponder the mystery of our fragile world.  Bryce Canyon is one of those places. I have hiked trails in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, hiked through central and western Oregon, hiked Glacier National Park in Montana, strolled along the Ocean in Southern California, hiked the Swiss Alps and the Alsace and Provence regions of France, picnicked in the…

Bryce-Zion Day 3, Monday, Bryce Canyon Let’s admit it. We all like a little routine. So, I awoke this morning and had my dawn cup of coffee with the bats again. After breakfast at our hotel in St. George, we shuttled over an hour up to an altitude of 10,000 feet to Cedar Breaks National Monument, where we started our ride. Our ride started at over 10,000 feet with a short but steep climb. We then pedaled 37 miles through Dixie National Forest, descending to 6,500 feet onto the valley floor and into the small town of Panguitch, the Paiute Indian word for “big fish.” This is where we stopped…

Bryce-Zion Day 2, September 6th – Snow Canyon Park Our 2 hour drive yesterday from Las Vegas to St. George, Utah took us through the very northwest corner of Arizona. St. George reminds me of Sedona, Arizona, and is evidently quickly growing in population. It has been discovered.  This part of Utah makes up the southwest corner of the Colorado plateau covering an area of 130,000 square miles and encompasses western Colorado, northeastern New Mexico, southern Utah, and northern Arizona. It has the highest concentration of National Park Service sites, other than Washington D.C., including the Grande Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde, and Petrified Forest.…

Bryce-Zion, Day 1-September 5th, Travel Day I am flying today for the first time since February, just before the pandemic hit the U.S. This trip to cycle and hike Bryce and Zion in Utah almost did not happen. This is plan D. The first three plans – A, B and C were Southern Spain, Canada and Vermont, and Acadia National Park in Maine respectively.  Because of the pandemic, they had to be canceled. I was ready to postpone our annual adventure trip, but thanks to Pete, we are not letting COCID-19 stop us.  So, I am sitting in the American Airlines Lounge in Charlotte waiting for my flight to Las…