WWR Day 31 Skyline Drive above Beaver Dam Res. to Manti,UT

WWR Day 31 Skyline Drive above Beaver Dam Res. to Manti,UT
Sun Sept  8, 2019

Distance 45.2
Start elevation  9426
End elevation 5676
High point about 10614
Low point 5541
Climbing about  1800'??
Ride time 5:16
Total time about 7:00
Days bike camping: 20
Contiguous days riding : 2

Went to bed last night to clear skies with a few streaks of clouds far off, the waxing lunar orb lighting the landscape. I leave the vestibule door open to gaze on the glowing half orb.
Mid way through the night I am awaked to gentle pitter patter of a few drops. I close up and slip back to slumber. The pitter patter sneaks back to my consciousness on and off during the night, right up to my typical grudging acceptance of morning and it's required activities. I pack up a few things, and go out to start my standard breakfast of oatmeal with nuts and raisins, washed down with tea.  Solid cloud cover greets my morning, the sun is not quite cleared the horizon. Old Sol get a slanting wink of shine before disappearing into the cloud cover, brightly light ing the tops of trees against the dark cloud bank in the west.

It starts sprinkling during prep, and I hurriedly stow and button up my gear, and retreat to tent with food and tea. It starts raining in earnest while I carefully break my fast. It is cold not moving so I unpack my sleeping pad and bag and crawl in. The thunder starts far away in the west and while I rest, I listen to it slowly move past me to the north before eventually dying out far to north east.  It is accompanied by gales of wind, pushing rain sideway into my tent. The wind is a loud companion in the trees, even when it fails to reach and shake my tent. The rain waxes and wanes, and I sneak out to adjust the tent to better withstand the storm, as water is seeping under my tent. I also venture out to get my emergency InReach Sat device, to send Glenda a msg about my delay.


It rains for 2 hours, and after a few false stops, it stops for real and I peer out.  The grey windy and wet world is dreary, reflecting my enthusiasm for suiting up and peddling to day.
I get out to check the road, it seems to be ridable, and a start packing up for a late start.
The sun is peeking out on occasion, and warms me as I start. I need water before camping, and next water is 14 miles away. I can live with a short day, as there are still clouds, and I suspect that they will gang up on this rider later in the day.

A couple miles of mellow climbing brings me to Hwy 31, there are large number of tents in every spot as I approach the road. There is some sort of encampment at the hwy, with large tents, portapotties, potable water trucks, and a few RVs and trailers. Turns out to be food camp for fire fighters whose tents I passed by. The fires are small, managed and not to close to route.
I ask if I can get some water, and the fellow watching over the empty food camp agrees. We chat and he is amazed at my ride, fills up all of my bottles and gives me an extra firefighter lunch.  They are doing extremely physical work, and the lunch pack weighs 2-3 lbs.

Here is lunch
Chicken cheese sandwich
Apple
Orange
Protein bar
Cashew pack
Snicker's bar
Peanut butter crackers
Sun chips
Gummy fruit pack
2 eggs
This is 1900 calories, plus apple, orange, and the sandwich.
I figure this could be my dinner as I may get rained out this evening.

I leave the hwy and  start climbing to 10000'+.

The wind is pronounced here, fortunately it is a sidewind. It is cold when the sun is shy and bearable when old Sol asserts his warmth. This is ever more fleeting occasions as the cloud build up. I am getting nervous in the barren ridge riding.
I hug the inside lane of the road to try to avoid the worst of the wind. I am checking for camp spots, but there are few flat spots along the ridge road, and most have hunters or sheep herders there. About 4 miles in the road goes from maintained gravel to unmaintains native soils. This is rougher, and looks to have issues when wet.
At the last shepherd wagon, there is a local country fellow, apparently checking up on things. We chat, and he invites me in to share a meal.  I politely decline, as I need to keep moving and find a place to camp before the hammer falls. It is getting colder and windier as I continue to climb.
I start having thoughts of exiting at mile 11 today and swoop down to towns in the sunny valley nearly a me below.
The shepherd told me there are a number of sites 3miles ahead, with trees. That becomes my goal, as this is near the desecnt exit to Mt. Pleasant on the valley floor.
Again the sites are mostly occupied, though I check a side site. Great views, and some trees for a wind break, but not great ground for a tent. I use my InReach to get a terse 3 day forecast. More rain for today, it will be colder, and q chance for mixed rain snow for tomorrow morning.
That does it for me, not looking forward to a mudfest, though a bit disappointed not finish the last half of skyline drive.

I descend an very steep road as the rain starts, there is no returning via this road.
I reach Mt pleasant, and find a back road route to Ephraim though historic Spring City, and then highway 89 to Manti. The west wind up high  is now a south wind, mostly a head wind for me.

I notice that some of the clouds are really smoke, which fills the valley flowing from the south, my general direction of travel. It is not a small amount, I will need to check that out.

Manti has an amazing Mormon Temple, built very early in Utah history 1850.
It is on a hill and I can see it from over 5 miles away.

I get to motel, and have some of the firefighter meal as no restaurants open this being Sunday in a Mormon community.

Sleep....