June 2 - Escalante UT - Panguitch UT

I was very surprised when I woke up this morning. I had set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. but didn't hear the alarm go off. Strangest thing was I slept through the night! Hadn't done that in years. Sherri fixed scrambled eggs and most of us had oatmeal too. It was a great stay with the Richards family.

Sherri and Gary took off riding after our prayer. Charlotte drove Sherri's Toyota Corolla all day, and did not ride. The Corolla needs to be shuttled over to Panguitch. Sherri and I shared moving the van. Gary planned to ride the whole way.

It was the first morning with any clouds. Henrieville is the first intermediate destination, some 30 miles away. Drove along Hwy 12, which paralled the river. I taped my knee, since it had been bothering me, unloaded my bike and started riding. Only rode 4 1/2 miles out. Slow going with lots of rolling hills tired me out. Gary and Sherri both rode up the Summit of 7600 ft.

Vistas were breathtaking. This area used to be called "the unknown country" since it was the last blank spot on the map. Nice ride down from the summit towards Henrieville. Henrieville was settled in 1878; farming, stock raising, and fruit orchards are the principal industries. Beautiful formations of tan and cream sandstone. I arrived about 9:45 a.m. Stopped at the post office to mail a special cut out postcard to our almost 2 year old grandson Cael.

Three more miles to Cannonville, another of the small historic towns along Hwy 12. This small town was settled in 1876 and is named after the Mormon leader George W. Cannon. I stopped at the Visitor Center for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It was a good place to gather information. It was created by the proclamation of then President Bill Clinton in 1996 and comprises 1.9 million acres. The goal was to preserve its wide open spaces and intact ecosystems that allow for many faceted scientific opportunities. It is surrounded by national parks, wilderness areas, national forests, state parks, and additional BLM public lands, that when combined, make up one of the largest publicly managed land masses in the lower 48 states.

Last of this trio of little towns is Tropic. Apparently the source of this unusual name was the claim by the town's first settlers that the climate here was much more temperate than in the nearby settlements.

Gary bailed from riding in Tropic but Sherri stuck it out and made it up the 8 mile hill to near the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. What an accomplishment! We went on into Bryce Canyon City, found a picnic area, ate lunch, got our free pass for the Park and boarded the free shuttle into the Park. The shuttle helps to reduce the vehicular traffic.

The Park was named for Ebenezer Bryce who came to this area in 1875 to live and to harvest plateau timber. Neighbors called the canyon behind his house "Bryce's Canyon." By 1900 people were coming to see the colorful geologic sights. Protection of the canyon's scenic wondrers evolved in the 1920's culminating with the establishment of Bryce Canyon National Park in 1928.

Our time was limited so we only went to one look-out point, Sunset Point, where we looked into Bryce Amphitheater. We enjoyed the 22 minute orientation film and shopped briefly in the General Store (where I got two pressed pennies - one for my grandson Jett and one for me.) I hope to come back again with Ron and other family members.

When we left the Park, I had no idea it would end up being such an adventure. Sherri drove the van out seven miles, left it parked there for me, and rode to Panguitch. Gary also rode to Panguitch. But. ... I got a flat rear tire but had no way to contact Charlotte to come get me, since her cell phone hasn't worked at all on this trip. She was supposed to be the last vehicle, dragging up the rear for occasions such as this, but that didn't happen. I had to hitch a ride to get to the van.

Finally we drove separately down through Red Canyon, which is rumored to be "the most photographed place in Utah.

Arrived in Panguitch, the county seat of Garfield County. It was first settled in March 1864 when Jens Nielsen, a Danish convert to Mormonism, led a group of pioneers westward from Parawan and Beaver to the Sevier River. Tourism plays a major role in the local economy with the proximity to Bryce Canyon and Dixie National Forest.

We are staying with a young couple, Jesse and Emily Shakespeare, from the Catholic Church. They fixed these travel weary riders rib eye steak, baked potato, and salad veggies. Emily was so willing to do anything for us and truly was "the hostess with the mostest" although she claimed to be "domestically challenged."

We discovered it was more than just a flat tire. "Wrench Babe" Sherri found a broken spoke which we could not fix. So tomorrow Marie will just SAG (drive the van for support and gear).

Very tired again so this message was written Sunday night, June 3.

Keep us in your prayers.

With love from the road,
Marie