June 4 - Kanab UT to St. George UT

Slept on the floor on a Thermarest camping pad, so it was pretty easy to wake up, considering I hadn't slept that well.

No one fixed scrambled eggs since we didn't have any. Loaded our gear and for the first time all four bikes. Since Sherri's bike is the lightest, she skillfully put it on the roof rack with a little help from Gary and me holding the bike. The van has never been that heavily loaded before, but it performed admirably as we drove from Kanab back to Mt Carmel Junction. As we descended the hill, we wondered if the white SUV marked sherrif would be on patrol. The thought was playfully mentioned that it was probably a dummy in the driver's seat. Funny thing, but it was a dummy in the driver's seat!!!

Decided to drive up a little way west on Hwy 9. There was a pretty significent hill for maybe two miles but then it leveled off. Sherri, Gary, and Charlotte all started riding at 7:00 a.m. and I drove along SAGGING the van. Beautiful scenery with open meadows interspersed with stands of evergreens. Some cabins and B & B's along the way, as well as a housing development called Zion Mountain Ranches.

When we finally got to the boundary of Zion, immediately the road changed to a sandstone colored red-brown color with a newly painted yellow stripe down the middle of the road. Gary and Sherri were waiting for us at the tunnel. No bicycles allowed to ride through. The ranger directing traffic asked a man driving a big white truck to put the bikes in the truck bed, and he agreed. The tunnel was built in the 1920's when large vehicles were less common.

We all made it through the tunnel and continued our journey to the Visitor Center. Sherri, Gary, and Charlotte took their bikes on the mandatory shuttle which takes visitors along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. They got off the shuttle at the Temple of Sinawava and rode back down 6 or so miles. I drove about a mile outside the park to Springdale where the owner, Fred, was able to fix both the spoke and the flat tire. So glad my bike is up and able to run again! We all met at the van and had lunch back in the park.

Just Gary and Sherri riding. Charlotte was through riding for the day and I wasn't dressed to ride.So we sagged along until I found a place to change into my riding shorts and shoes. Then I began to ride, too. By now the temperature had really jumped up. Pretty hot and windy, in the high 90's. I stopped riding after 4 miles. Chief job from then on was keeping Gary and Sherri supplied with ice and water as temps continued to climb along with the elevation. In Virgin it was 100 degrees with a strong headwind. This continued on into La Verkin and Hurricane.

Traffic continued as did S & G. The wind was too much. Sherri and Gary each decided to bail, with the wind. We were able to load up the remaining bikes and rides using the shade from a motel doing a remodel. Continued thru Hurricane (locals say "Hur-ruh-cun"), Washington City, and finally into St George.

St George is the county seat of Washington County. It was settled by the Mormons in 1861and was named for George A. Smith, an apostle of the church. Starting in the 1990's it became oneof the fastest-growing metropolitan districts in the US. St George is the population and commercial center of Utah's Dixie, a nickname given to the area when Mormon pioneers grew cotton in the warm climate. It lies in the lowest elevation region in the state with most of the city lying below 3000 ft. The city is surrounded by mountains and red sandstone buttes, and it lies at the very northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. Because of the city's low elevation and southerly location, it is the hottest part of the state. Sky West Airlines has its corporate headquarters in St George, and WalMart has a large distribution center near St George. Like many of the towns in Southern Utah, a large part of the economy comes from tourism. It has one of the highest numbers of golf courses per capita in the country.

Found our way to Trinity Lutheran Church who is allowing us to stay in the church tonight. The church secretary arranged for us to be able to shower at the Community Center free of charge. A fabulous facility for young and old alike!

We were refreshed and ready for dinner. Gary wanted to eat pot roast at Denny's so that's where we went. 20% discount for AARP members. Got a few groceries then drove back to the church.

A long, rich, full day so all of us were pretty tired.

Still have not found even a penny. Utahans must be pretty frugal.

All for now. I still have to write the Day 10 message.

With love from Utah's Dixie,
Marie