June 3 - Panguitch UT - Kanab UT

Our lovely hostess Emily got up with us at 4:00 a.m. and fixed us a fabulous breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and English muffins. Such a sweetheart!

Sherri is leaving her Toyota Corolla at Emily and Jesse's home, and we four will just have the van to carry the gear and all four bikes, when necessary. Got everything in, said a group prayer with Emily, and the riders took off at 6:10 a.m.

Speaking of prayer. Here's a story from the history of Panguitch. Panguitch was first settled in March 1864 when Jens Nielsen, a Danish convert to Mormonism, led a group of pioneers eastward from Parowan and Beaver to the Sevier River. Due to the area's high elevation (6600 ft) the settlers' initial crops did not mature and the community suffered severely during the first harsh winter. At a crisis point, seven men with a wagon, pulled by two oxen, set out to get food from Parawan, 40 miles away. In their weakened state the men struggled with every footstep, sinking up to their hips in the deep snow. Eventually they absndoned the wagon and oxen and continued on foot. As they held a prayer circle kneeling on a quilt, they discovered they did not sink in the snow. The men completed their journey by laying quilts over the deep snow and walking across them and repeating the process over and over again. The story came to be known as the Quilt Walk and is treasured in the annals of Panguitch history. This event is celebrated annually the second week of June, with quilting classes, quilt shows, dinner theater, a parade, etc. As I was driving the van out of town, I noticed a bronze statue of a "mountain man" with a quilt. A town park commemorating the Quily Walk was completed in 2011.

Retraced the route down US 89 back to the junction with Hwy 12, and continued south. Gary and Sherri are such strong riders and Charlotte was falling too far behind so we established a plan. Loaded up her bike, then drove about three miles in front of the current lead rider, unloaded, and then Charlotte continued riding. This worked well. Passed through Hatch, and continued the long, mostly gradual downhill to Long Valley Junction after climbing to another summit. Stopped at a C-store, bathroom break, and handed out a few ride brochures.

Continued south to Glendale where we took another break in the shade of a new covered area of the Orientation Center. Next town was Orderville, where we crossed the Virgin River. Lots of rock shops. Finally reached Mt. Carmel Junction where we had lunch on a picnic table in the shade in an abandoned RV park. Charlotte had ridden enough for the day (35 miles).

Huge hill ahead. I shuttled Gary up two miles where he started riding again. Drove back and picked up Sherri, Charlotte, and their bikes and shuttled them up about 4 miles to the 6100 ft summit. Sherri started riding and we never saw her again until we reached Kanab. We "sagged" with Gary downhill into Kanab. Passed the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, one of the largest in the US.

Arrived safely at St Christopher's Catholic Church where we are staying in an apartment in the Parish Hall.

67 miles today, all on Hwy 89.

More on Kanab in tomorrow's daily message.

With love,
Marie