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…