WWR Day 33 Salina, UT to Fish Lake
WWR Day 33 Salina, UT to Fish Lake
Tue Sept 10, 2019
Distance 42.6
Start elevation 5160
End elevation 8885
High point probably 9050
Low point 5150
Climbing about 4000"+
Ride time 6:36
Total time about 7:45
Days bike camping: 22
Contiguous days riding : 4
Up up up says the route
Peddle, peddle, peddle says the rider
Blow blow blow says the south wind
Sucks sucks sucks say the rider
Rough night sleep next to Hwy 89, regular tandem gravel trucks all night. About 5AM I pull down my fleece hat over my eyes and plug in the earbuds to see if I can make up for the lost sleep. I wake up late for the big climb day to sprinkle sprinkle little cloud, guess how rain drops are so loud.
This last 10 minutes, and surprisingly it is mostly blue the sky.
The grassy tent area is a noisy spot, so why not cut the grass next to the only camper starting at 8 while I'm making breakfast and packing. The owner is nice enough to say take your time, no need to move.
After mellow back roads out of Salina, I cross under I -70. Yep, I am heading south, should cross 40 and 10 before I'm done
The climb begins in earnest following Rock Creek to Little Rock Creek. I start in deserty badlands along the stream, soon scrub oak groves appear, clustered in the riparian zone.
The road is good for till the last ranch, and then native soil, and while dry so far today, there are big ruts. It is an optimization game to ride the smooth ridges between ruts. The valley narrow to a Canyon and Little Rock Creek but ancjh. The wind has already been toying with the toiling peddler for a while now. In the the narrow confined of the upper canyon, trees block some of the winds and channel it at other times. There are several creek crossing along the way that I tiptoe across, and a few camping sites. As a approach the top of the first climb to about 7000', I note the last couple good camp sites, in case the wind chases me back down.
I gain the top and sage parklands are my landscape for the next 10 miles. Nothing to slow the south headwind as I fight it 20 mph gusts. I get sandblasted by a dustdevil picking up debris from the dirt track.
I miss my turn and end up on paved Hwy 24.
Decide a few miles of pavement will help my time today to Fish Lake, though this wind is wearying, and thoughts of sage land camping by Koosharem Reservoir mentioned by route are toyed with.
I get to the decision point at 2:30. Too early to stop, too boring and exposed to camp. I got time but a couple thousand feet to climb.
I am paying extra attention to calories and water, drinking every half to one mile. Taking break to rest feet, hands and hind quarter at same time. Amazingly I get cell service here from the little town on the valley floor below
The Brams are a day ahead, sending me info about route, water sources, hotels and restaurants. I may catch up with them yet.
The sage lands turn to juniper, then mountain mahogany. As the roads dips into valleys, there start to be groves of Aspen's, when rounding a should sage, juniper and now pinon. Some wiggles of the road are head winds, some actually push me along!
I finally reach the paved road to Fish Lake, which roller coaster down a couple of hundred feet.
I enter the Pando Grove of aspens. It is famous for being the largest Aspen clone, some estimated 50000 trees geneticly identical, from shared roots. Ahh they are still green, could be cool to see them all change together. All is not well with Pando, as the normal regeneration is off, i.e. there are no Entlings, ehh, saplings. There are a couple of experimental areas fenced off to keep the ungulates from browsing - there are young trees there.
I reach the Doctors Creek CG, which on the edge of Pando. Pick a spot and setup camp, cooking first, which is unusual for me, but it's been a long tough day. I finish cleaning up and hanging food about the time old Sol loses his grip on the day, we both retire til the morrow.
Tue Sept 10, 2019
Distance 42.6
Start elevation 5160
End elevation 8885
High point probably 9050
Low point 5150
Climbing about 4000"+
Ride time 6:36
Total time about 7:45
Days bike camping: 22
Contiguous days riding : 4
Up up up says the route
Peddle, peddle, peddle says the rider
Blow blow blow says the south wind
Sucks sucks sucks say the rider
Rough night sleep next to Hwy 89, regular tandem gravel trucks all night. About 5AM I pull down my fleece hat over my eyes and plug in the earbuds to see if I can make up for the lost sleep. I wake up late for the big climb day to sprinkle sprinkle little cloud, guess how rain drops are so loud.
This last 10 minutes, and surprisingly it is mostly blue the sky.
The grassy tent area is a noisy spot, so why not cut the grass next to the only camper starting at 8 while I'm making breakfast and packing. The owner is nice enough to say take your time, no need to move.
After mellow back roads out of Salina, I cross under I -70. Yep, I am heading south, should cross 40 and 10 before I'm done
The climb begins in earnest following Rock Creek to Little Rock Creek. I start in deserty badlands along the stream, soon scrub oak groves appear, clustered in the riparian zone.
The road is good for till the last ranch, and then native soil, and while dry so far today, there are big ruts. It is an optimization game to ride the smooth ridges between ruts. The valley narrow to a Canyon and Little Rock Creek but ancjh. The wind has already been toying with the toiling peddler for a while now. In the the narrow confined of the upper canyon, trees block some of the winds and channel it at other times. There are several creek crossing along the way that I tiptoe across, and a few camping sites. As a approach the top of the first climb to about 7000', I note the last couple good camp sites, in case the wind chases me back down.
I gain the top and sage parklands are my landscape for the next 10 miles. Nothing to slow the south headwind as I fight it 20 mph gusts. I get sandblasted by a dustdevil picking up debris from the dirt track.
I miss my turn and end up on paved Hwy 24.
Decide a few miles of pavement will help my time today to Fish Lake, though this wind is wearying, and thoughts of sage land camping by Koosharem Reservoir mentioned by route are toyed with.
I get to the decision point at 2:30. Too early to stop, too boring and exposed to camp. I got time but a couple thousand feet to climb.
I am paying extra attention to calories and water, drinking every half to one mile. Taking break to rest feet, hands and hind quarter at same time. Amazingly I get cell service here from the little town on the valley floor below
The Brams are a day ahead, sending me info about route, water sources, hotels and restaurants. I may catch up with them yet.
The sage lands turn to juniper, then mountain mahogany. As the roads dips into valleys, there start to be groves of Aspen's, when rounding a should sage, juniper and now pinon. Some wiggles of the road are head winds, some actually push me along!
I finally reach the paved road to Fish Lake, which roller coaster down a couple of hundred feet.
I enter the Pando Grove of aspens. It is famous for being the largest Aspen clone, some estimated 50000 trees geneticly identical, from shared roots. Ahh they are still green, could be cool to see them all change together. All is not well with Pando, as the normal regeneration is off, i.e. there are no Entlings, ehh, saplings. There are a couple of experimental areas fenced off to keep the ungulates from browsing - there are young trees there.
I reach the Doctors Creek CG, which on the edge of Pando. Pick a spot and setup camp, cooking first, which is unusual for me, but it's been a long tough day. I finish cleaning up and hanging food about the time old Sol loses his grip on the day, we both retire til the morrow.
Ah, fishylake, I camped there once and rode around the lake. The ride was not memorable.
ReplyDeleteYou got good stuff ahead, right?, to put today's grind behind you.
Watching ur progress, toying with tripping to Sedona, but you can never count on the wOw.