Watchman100 - Zion National Park, Utah - Road Biking

Roger and I registered for the Watchman 100 bicycle ride a few weeks before the September 27th event.  The website says that the 100 mile ride takes place "in Southwestern Utah where the sun shines more than 300 days a year."  As the weekend neared, it became clear that it was going to be one of those other 65 days.  I made the case that we shouldn't even bother heading to St. George on Friday night, but we had already paid for the registration and the hotel.  It was also possible that the weather wouldn't be as bad as the forecast.  After a very late departure from Salt Lake and sleeping through the 5 am alarm in St. George, we made our way to the start line in Springdale as flashes of lightning lit up the western sky.  "Look at the radar!" I kept thinking.  Why was no one concerned?  I decided I definitely wasn't going to ride.  But then I decided to ride, grumbling my way to the start line.

How did I get talked into this?

The first 15 miles were lovely as we passed through Rockville and Virgin.  The sun was out, lighting up the surrounding sandstone cliffs, and providing a dramatic contrast to the black clouds approaching us from the west.  As we descended into LaVerkin, the storm let loose with uncomfortably close lightning strikes, gusty winds, and torrents of rain.  Being outside, in the open, during a lightning storm is my least favorite activity in the world.  We took shelter for about 30 minutes against a church building, then resumed riding through puddles and rain showers as the worst of the storm subsided.  We had planned to ride the 100 mile route, but the constant rain and occasional sheltering from lightning slowed us down significantly.  It also seemed like most people had abandoned the ride.  We finally decided to ride the 70 mile route and made our way back to Zion.  By the time we returned to Springdale, we were done.  The ride organizers had great food and hot coffee for the people who endured the ride, some even completing the 100 miles!

Roger and I decided to walk up the canyon to check out the flooding that forced the closure of all roads in the park for the afternoon.  Zion Canyon was wet and moody, and the Virgin River was raging out of its banks in a few places.

Virgin River flooding

Virgin River flooding

Zion Canyon in the rain

Zion Canyon in the rain

The sun was out on Sunday morning, so we decided to go for a hike before returning to Salt Lake.  We walked around Kayenta Art Village for a bit and then headed up nearby Hellhole Canyon, a gorgeous wash with a terrible name.

Hellhole Canyon near Kayenta

Hellhole Canyon near Kayenta

 Red Mountain

Patterns in the wash from a recent flood

Red Mountain Wilderness

Despite the washout, I am looking forward to riding the Watchman100 again.  It was a beautiful route with enough elevation change to make it a challenge.  Hopefully the ride will take place on one of those 300 sunny days next year.

Hurricane Cliffs, Utah - Mountain Biking

Roger and I made a quick weekend trip to southern Utah to ride our mountain bikes and celebrate Hunter's birthday.  The weather was looking cloudy and cool in Salt Lake, but sunshine and warm temperatures were in the forecast for St. George.

We decided to check out the Hurricane Cliffs Trail Network in Hurricane, a short drive from St. George, on Saturday morning.  After a good breakfast at the Main Street Cafe in Hurricane, we headed to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead on Highway 59.  We struggled to find the dirt road that would connect us to the Goulds Rim Trail, but after asking for directions we found the road just downhill from the trailhead.  After a couple of miles of climbing on the dirt road, we reached the Goulds Rim Trail and then Goulds Trail a few miles later.  Both trails were easy and offered great views of Gooseberry Mesa where we had ridden for the New Year holiday.

Dirt Road to Goulds Rim Trail

 Spring flowers in the desert

Goulds Rim Trail

Goulds Trail

We crossed Highway 59 near the base of Gooseberry Mesa and made our way on to the Jem Trail.  After a few steep drops, this trail became a smooth, long coasting ride down toward the Virgin River with views on Zion Canyon in the distance.

Jem Trail

Views from the Jem Trail

Instead of immediately connecting back to the Rim Trail at the bottom of Jem trail, we continued our descent down to the Virgin River for a couple more miles.  This area was very scenic and offered some great views of the Virgin River.  After a break to enjoy the sunshine and scenery, we returned on the same trail back to the junction of the Jem Trail and the Rim Trail.

Riding along a drainage into the Virgin River

Virgin River

Beer break

The 7.3 mile Rim Trail back to Hurricane Hill trailhead was very scenic with some great views into the Virgin River gorge.  The trail was also more technical and had some steep climbs toward the end of the ride.  By the time we completed the entire loop, we had ridden about 24 miles of mostly easy single track.

Before heading back to Hunter's place to celebrate his birthday, we decided to do one short, easy ride at the Santa Clara River Reserve.  We started at the Anasazi Valley Trailhead and rode the Tempi'po'op Trail for a few miles up and back to the petroglyphs.  The trail offered some nice views of Red Mountain and the Ivins area.  After a full day of riding, it was time for food and fun.  Thanks to Hunter and Col for being such great hosts for the weekend!

Santa Clara River Reserve

Petroglyphs