Day 22 

50 miles, a hot day that nearly had a sting in its tail.

We woke at 0430 this morning with a plan to be on the road for 0530 (in order to avoid the worst of the days heat) which we managed. I scoffed some cold refried beans and olives in double quick time and we were out of Hite.

Today’s ride was 50 miles, mainly up hill. We stopped many times to rest and catch our breath. At 20 miles we had a 15 minute break. I was wandering about on the far side of the road while Tracey & Mike ate a snack . I heard Mike shout and looked round to see a huge swarm of bees pass directly between him and Tracey. Fortunately the bees found neither of them interesting and they just passed on. 

We in turn carried on stopping once again a while later to flag down a car to ask for water. Two very kind gents provided all the water we needed plus some Gatorade.

Back on the route and we slowly progressed in the direction of Natural Bridges. This is a National Monument and is exactly what it says it is. Stone bridges cut by water passing through miles of meandering valleys. It is a remarkable sight. We were taken around the 9 mile loop road by a lovely Navajo family who were kind enough to pull over and allow us to join them. We were tired after a long day but it was great to make the most of being here. 

About an hour later we were back at the campsite where we ate and settled down for the night. Another 0430 start tomorrow for a hilly ride into Blanding where we can visit the bike shop as well as buy food for the next couple of days. 

We are hoping to meet some good friends of our pals Vicki And Rory from Cedar City. It’s been awkward as I haven’t had A phone signal dice Escalante so no plans have been made as yet. 

A tough but very rewarding day.