Since Toronto I landed in Vegas and met up with my travelling companions. We rented a Grand Cherokee and headed to Saint George Utah. In case anyone is wondering, the Grand Cherokee does hold two boxed bikes and three people :)
The drive up the I 15 was quite majestic. We drove through three states in the process (Nevada, Arizona, Utah).
Saint George is a city of around 75000 people in the southwest corner of Utah. Notable for fallout from atomic testing in the early Cold War.... Also home to the Piano Guys! Hybrid classical / pop songs. If you haven't heard their music, go have a listen!
In Saint George we stayed at a lovely Airbnb. Curiously only meeting our hosts at departure. We've left some belongings and our car there and will return at the end of the biking.
Food in Saint George: Dubs BBQ was quite good with reasonable prices and a broad selection. We also ate at a Mexican restaurant with huge portions... And saved the leftovers for lunch the next day,
We also rented a bike reform Bikes Unlimited. Kudos to them for a brand new Trek x which is definitely up to the ride. Negatives: despite verbal and written directions, no rack for panniers when we arrived. So we asked for a rack.... And the salesperson promptly asked us "back or hitch?". Blank looks until we realized she thought we meant to carry the bike on the car!
Once clarified they installed a seat post rack but with the weight it had too much rotation about the post and would interfere with the wheels. So we went back the next day and ended up having to purchase a rack but we're all set and ready to head out!
Ride out from Saint George was spectacular. Gorgeous cliffs throughout. Weather was 12C early on, rising to at least 25C by mid day. Definitely warm and I sweated more than expected.
Route wise we rode through Saint George to Washington, then over to Hurricane. After Hurricane it was a steepish climb up before the straight shot into Springdale and Zion. We tried to stop for refreshments in Grafton... Found out later it's a ghost town. Also picked up some pears from a fruit stand in Rockville.
We tried out Tailwind for energy enroute. I have to say I'm most impressed. Certainly made it easier going.
Two nights at Majestic View Lodge, giving us a day to explore Zion before heading east and into the higher elevations. May be as cool as 18F overnight there so we're preparing to bundle up.
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