Day 14 - Torrey, UT to Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT

84 miles / Day 14 of 54 / Torrey, UT to Hog Wash State Picnic Area, UT

After sleeping on the floor of a Baptist church (yes there are such things in Utah) we headed towards the nearest bike shop in Torrey because, yet again, Seth had back wheel issues. Seeing a trend here?

We met a guy named Stuart who was a real character and we grew a liking to instantly. Contracted out to help bicyclists at the outdoor store, he came and replaced Seth's spokes that had broken. Gah.

What we enjoyed even more about Stuart was his outlook on life. He had recently come off of a divorce and he explained to us how he had lost everything in the divorce. What was unique about Stuart, though, was his outlook on life. Rarely had either of us seen such a positive outlook, especially by someone who had recently been so down-trodden in his life. We talked about the natural beauty of Utah and the importance of solitude in one's life. Stuart really gave us the motivation and gusto to view our trip as such an important and exciting adventure, especially at a time where our spirits were down a little bit, what with so many bike issues. We talked to Stuart and chatted about life outlooks for over 3 hours. Well worth the late start on the bike.

Lesson #39: Your altitude in life is determined by your attitude.

Thanks, Stuart for your influx of positive attitude. It has fueled us more than you know.

Once we finally got out of Torrey, we were making a pass to what was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip while on-bike to this point. We biked through Capitol Reef National Park. Talk about beauty, how often does one get an opportunity like this? We took all the vistas, buttes and crevices in. Although only 8-10 miles wide, the national park is almost 100 miles long, so we spent the better part of the early afternoon biking through such beauty. I wish I could explain it better, and I wish the pictures did just the smallest amount of justice to the beauty we saw, but alas, it doesn't. Something you simply have to see to believe.

Forget the Bat Mobile Bruce Wayne. The Eagle Van is here to stay.

Oh, and while riding through, Seth's back spoke broke...again... make that five. However, being such a handy fellow and an excellent bike mechanic by this time (I mean how could you not with how many repairs have needed to be done already?) we took an hour or so rest to take it all in, jimmy a new spoke into his back wheel and we were off again.

Capitol Reef National Park.

We went through a weird stretch without any services for 55 miles to a small town called Hanksville and devoured a taco pizza. Side note: The time after Capitol Reef was VERY desolate and VERY eerie. There was no one within sight as we biked those 55 miles, and the land seemed as if it were the surface of the moon, a far cry from the beauty of the canyons in Capitol Reef.

After filling up on water, we were ready for the next 74 miles of no services on our way to Lake Powell. Since we got a late start, we chased the sun all the way and ended up camping at a gorgeous canyon-laced vista sleeping on picnic tables for the night.

Lesson #40:  Any night you don't have to get out the tent is a good night.