July 11

July 11

We loaded the vans this morning and headed out. There are 8 people on the trip, 2 being guides. We are driving up the mountain and passing so many evergreens I don't feel like I'm in the desert. The air is already cooler and I'm wishing I brought more shirts with sleeves. We passed Dixie national park and the trees have turned to Aspens. Did you know that aspens are one of the largest organisms? Their roots are all connected so if one tree dies all the connected trees die. It can wipe out all the trees within eye sight.

We got on the trail and holly crap! Talk about diving in head first! The trail was NOT a beginner trail. There were tons of ups and downs, very technical spots, and some major heart attaches. I fell three times, one was not my fault. Ben, an administrator at a private school in Miami, is a beginner like me and at one part he stopped in the trail but then started up again so I didn't stop. Well then he stopped again and I had to stop really fast. Luckily I didn't run into him but I couldn't clip out fast enough and tipped right over. I didn't get banged up or anything though. Both the other falls were because I got stuck on an up-hill in too high a gear and didn't clip out in time. Again, no injuries except maybe small bruises. Nothing like last time!

We rode about 7.5 miles into our camp where we set up our tents and then had lunch. We had deli sandwiches and hung out for a little while. Then everyone got ready for the afternoon ride. Ben and I were pretty nervous but the second ride was a lot easier than the first. We rode over single track rolling hills to a lava field of molten rock. It is very out of the ordinary. I wish I knew the history to know why it is there.

Before we went on the afternoon ride Tess, one of our guides, switched my clipless pedals out for platform pedals. It was so much better in most ways. It was a lot more safe feeling because I wasn't locked in and could put my feet down if I was about to fall. It wasn't as good because on an uphill climb I couldn't pull up on the pedals so the climbs were harder. My feet slipped off the pedals a few times too. But in all the platform pedals equal less injury, so that is what I'm sticking with.

When we made it back to camp a few of us went down to the lake to "shower". The walk to the lake was really long and it didn't look it from camp. I thought it would be about .5 miles, but I think it is more like 1.5-2 miles. Not exactly the thing I wanted to do after all that riding, and in a swim suit. I also made the mistake of walking straight to the lake through the field instead of taking the path. It turned all marshy and muddy and I started thinking, "I wonder if there are snakes here?"  Walk faster! The water was really cold, a little colder than Powell but the air was also colder so it was not a pleasant experience.

After the bath we had dinner. Chicken, salad and mashed potatoes. Now we are sitting by the fire and going to make s’mores...again. They had hot tea for us too, which was amazing because I was freezing and it was very relaxing. I can't even describe how my legs feel right now. They are so exhausted and feel like jello.

Everyone keeps talking about bikes and parts and all this stuff that I have no clue about. I can't believe how over my head I am with all this. I guess I will be a lot better in a few days!

Some words about camp:  we are settled in a spot that looks out on the lake and the mountains/bluffs/ridges are all around us. The trail heads from today and tomorrow are right out of our camp site. Tess and Rob set up camp with a full kitchen including stove, grill, dish station and drink station. We have these great chairs to lounge in and we don't have to lift a finger. That is really nice considering even my fingers are sore. It's 10:30 pm and I can't believe I am still up. 

Stats for today:

Camped and Rode in Dixie national forest

9000 elevation

Rode 16 miles

One cut on left ankle when I dropped my bike in myself and the chain hit the top of my ankle--dummy.

Afternoon ride on the Navajo lake trail

Morning ride on the Virgin River Rim Trail

1:45 am-- just had to pee outside. The stars are amazing. The air is cold but my bag is keeping me warm. The people at the site next to us have this strange native am sounding music on. It's odd to me that it is still on.