Day 41

Being in the 'Value Lodge' Motel has given me the chance to clean things up, including me, and get prepared for the next stage of the journey. Had to discard 2 pairs of socks ... they shrunk in the wash and keep sliding off my feet. Bought some new ones in Walgreen's. The next two days will be a big challenge for me ... I have to get to Moab, which is 112 miles from here, and as far as I'm aware there are no service points in between. Not only do I have to carry lots and lots of heavy water and some provisions ... I won't be able to blog until I get into Moab. I'll be travelling slowly, that's my tactic when cycling through the main heat of the day and will probably experiment a bit with cycling at night. After this leg of the journey I'll be better informed about my ability to tackle the run down to Monument Valley. I can use the 'phone to keep in contact with Calum and Paul, but I doubt if I'll be able to blog ... there's no Wifi where I'm going.


Janus, Polish proprietor and Mr Kelly, Irish great grandfather and myself had a nice chat before leaving the Motel. Janus suggested a few things I should look out for on the leg down to Moab. Popped into the town of Fruita ... lovely little spot ... but as usual have a short look around and move on. Pity ... nice library too.


Head westward out of town on highway 6 and the cycling starts off easy ... after a few miles I have to overcome a gradual gradient but it's not causing me any problems. Notice that I'm now on the old historic highway 6 and the surface is a bit broken in places ... it slows me up ... the terrain is very bleak ... I'm up high and can see wilderness for miles around. Meeting very few cars and would like a bit of reassurance that I'm taking a sensible route. I see an old building up ahead with a few people sitting under a shady tree ... this is the sort of thing that happens. I stop and ask for directions and before long I'm being offered a beer and introduced to the techniques of catching catfish in the Colorado River.


Further up the road cross the Utah State Line and almost immediately the poor Tarmac road changes to a dirt track ... Oh! this is horrible! ... the folks back at the tree told me about this and it should only last for a few miles. Still climbing ... drinking plenty of water (temp 90F) but I take the opportunity to call in at a remote water maintenance unit site and meet Steve & Teryn.


They give me good advice on my route down to Moab via Cisco. Cisco was an old mining town and in the 1890's had a population of 2500 people. It's now a derelict ghost town ... very erie. Part of the movie 'Thelma and Louise" was filmed here.


They blew up the gas station! Looking at my bike computer and see that I've reached my quota of 60miles ... I'll push on a few more miles to get off this plateau and into the gorge.


A motor cyclist passes me and stops to ask for directions to Moab ... I'm able to help out. About 10 minutes later he returns back down the road and is concerned that it's another 40 miles to Moab ... "Do I have enough water?" he asks. I didn't intend to get to Moab tonight but it was a noble gesture from Richard Manley, a playwright from Newport, LA.


He had set out from LA to NYC but had mechanical problems and has now picked up the bike in Denver and returning to LA. My plan was to lay down a groundsheet and sleep under the stars tonight ... that's what I'm doing BUT it has now clouded over, a strong wind has picked up and it's threatening to rain. It's dark now so I'll just have to trust in hope that I have an uneventful night. Checked for snakes ... all clear! Hey, I can hear a coyote howling some distance away ... just like in the cowboy movies. Coyotes won't harm me, sure they're just skinny dogs, right? Hope I have a good night. Video showing the wilderness near the Colorado-Utah State line. Near Utah State Line on old historic highway 6

Location:Grand Junction, CO