We really enjoyed our stay at the funky Hot Springs of Monroe. Soaking in the outdoor tubs dug into the canyon hillside was fantastic. Both days we spent a couple of hours sitting in different tubs. Seemed like most people we met were from Salt Lake City or travelers having a soak after visiting Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. The place wasn't very busy and we were able to get into the tubs easily. I wondered how it would work if all the tubs were full. We took advantage of having a full kitchen in our trailer cooking up squash and potatoes to take with us on the road.
Abandoned cabin
Marysvale canyon trail
Blocked rail tunnel
After a relaxing rest day we continued on getting packed up to ride on a chilly morning. We expected to ride on Hwy 89 but since it was Sunday the road wouldn't have as much commercial traffic. Unfortunately, the small local market was closed so we couldn't pick up any supplies. Googlemaps gave us a couple of route choices. We quickly made it to Sevier and decided to try the route plotted next to the busy hwy. We weren't sure if it would be paved. There was a small convenience store open and the woman said some touring cyclists had come through yesterday. She remembered them saying it was a nice road. Funny lady! There is a fabulous rail trail that starts from the parking lot of her store and goes at least 10 miles. How could she not know about this? We had a heavenly ride going along the Sevier River through Marysvale Canyon. The path was super smooth and the ride was quiet. We were the only people using the path too. The trail goes even further but it isn't paved and used mostly by ATVs. Once the sun rose the temperature warmed up and this was a great day for a trike ride.
Once we got back on Hwy 89, we pulled over at a rest area across the street from Hoover's RV resort. The rest areas and city parks all have covered tables with bathrooms. We pulled out our stoves and made a delicious lunch of sauteed veggies with pasta. Having cooked squash and potatoes was really good too - yum!
Road side meal with squash, potatoes, spinach, red onion, mushrooms, garlic and ginger
Sprawled out in a rest area cooking up lunch.
Circleville cafe
The next morning we got packed up for the 30 mile ride to Panguitch (pronounced like penguin with a 'wich' ending). The ride was gentle climbing all day. Hwy 89 has a rumble strip and we were constantly straddling it. I really don't like rumble strips. Sometimes the shoulder was very narrow and we wondered how safe this road would be during the busy summer season. The drivers that make me the most nervous are RV rentals. Sometimes they come a bit closer than I think they need too. We were never in any danger but I rode with a vigilant eye on the traffic making sure I din't need to bail off the road if big rigs were coming in both directions. On Googlemaps, Panguitch appears to be the gateway to Bryce Canyon. There must be 20 motels just on the main road. This time of year, most of them are closed. We ended up getting a $55 room at the Adobe Sands next to a large RV park. This worked out great because the RV park also had a public laundromat. It's always nice to have clean laundry. Every day we have been climbing as we make our way to Bryce Canyon. The elevation is already around 7,000 feet in Panguitch and the temperatures are dropping into the low 30's at night. Too cold for us to camp comfortably. Our room had a weird old wall heater that only made a very loud shrill noise when we turned it on and we were freezing in the morning. The managers acted like they didn't know the room was unheated.
Full moon over Panguitch
April on the Scorpion with Heike from Germany
After a nice breakfast at the Gem cafe, we started the ride up to Bryce Canyon. It was a very cold morning and we took our time letting the sun rise farther in the sky. We also stopped at Joe's Market in downtown Panguitch. We met a touring cyclist from Australia who was headed to Cedar City and we chatted for a bit. He told us about a fairly new bike path that starts at Red Canyon and goes all the way to Bryce City. First, we had a slow slog uphill along Hwy 12 for about the first 8 miles. Just as we arrived at Red Canyon I saw someone I recognized from Facebook. April Woods was with a friend parking their RV to ride bikes on the Red Canyon path. It was so great to finally meet and I let April take Myrtle for a spin. While we were all yakking away another touring cyclist comes riding through the parking lot. Until today, Maryann and I haven't seen any touring cyclists. I gave the woman my card and she recognized the name Myrtle the Turtle. It turned out I had met Heike before while cycling in New Zealand. This was back in 2010. What a small world and such a fun stop.
Signs of Utah
Myrtle posing at Red Canyon
View from the cycle path
We met another young German cycling couple riding recumbents on their way out of Bryce. We chatted for awhile and I also gave them my card. Next, we stopped a few miles into the ride to go into a closed campground to make some lunch. We took off our flags and rode under the barrier to use a camp table. The water had been shut off but we still made ourselves a delicious meal.
Riding under the gate into a closed campground
Yet another delicious road side meal
The path into Bryce City is great. It took us all the way to Ruby's Inn where we had reservations. The hotel is actually a Best Western and is huge. There are many buildings. We had a room in the Elk building with a view of a small lake. The rooms were $63/night which surprised me. I expected they would be much higher. April and David were camped somewhere close and they met us for dinner. We really had a nice evening with them. Ruby's Inn is super busy and almost felt like a factory. There are tour buses carrying in people from all over the world. At dinner, we heard lots of different languages. The menu is very meat heavy and we all ended up eating from the soup and salad bar which was perfect.
Archway over Hwy 12 next to the bike path
Bryce Canyon entrance
We checked into Ruby's for 2 nights so we could explore Bryce Canyon a bit. I've heard so much about this park I was excited to see what it was all about. In the morning we rode our trikes into the park. Maryann got a senior pass letting us both in for $15. Nice one! There is a bike path that goes along the road but it was being repaired. This time of year the road isn't too busy. First, we rode out to Inspiration Point and Bryce Point. I was totally blown away by the views. Maryann is terrified of heights and she couldn't walk out very far. I took a lot of pictures but they don't even come close to showing the beauty of the place. Even after seeing the first view point I knew I would have to return. We were wearing our cycling shoes and I didn't feel comfortable hiking down into the spires. I really want to come back and do that. I think camping in the park would be fantastic too. We rode our trikes from there to Sunset and Sunrise view points spending a long time at each one before returning back to Ruby's. What an amazing place and needs more exploring!
Bryce Canyon video
Inspiration Point
Panorama
People hiking into the spires at Sunrise point
Might be the highest point of this tour.
Maryann and I looked at the map to see how we would get to Zion, our next big destination. The temperatures are dropping though especially at night. The next day called for rain and snow was forecast in Bryce at night. The day after that was going to be sunny. Do we ride out of the Bryce in the rain or wait for the sun and risk riding on icy roads? This was a tough call. We decided to ride in the rain and hoped it wouldn't too bad. We were really looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon and figured it would take close to a week to ride there from Zion. When we saw how cold it was going to be we decided to change our route and head to St. George and then Nevada to get to warmer temperatures quicker. Neither of us are especially eager to camp or ride in the snow. It's time to head to the desert and lower elevation!
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