Day 45 - Torrey to Calf Creek Campground, 50 miles, 4 more burgers, 6 hours riding, 12 more waves - totals 106 burgers, 45 waves, 4708kms
We battled for hours to get up Boulder Mountain, taking 3 hours of riding, but 5 hours in total - any excuse to stop, we stopped. We had some great chats with several cyclists and some motorcyclists from England at a viewpoint. It took us such a long time to get up because the wind wasn't being helpful, and we were just too tired. We have gone since Pueblo without a rest day. This hill reminded us that its not possible to go that far for that long. Your mind thinks you can, but the legs say stop.
Once over the top, at 4.15 having started the day at 10.15, we stopped in the little town of Boulder, for lunch/supper - a huge burger each, for a huge price. After relaxing in the restaurant for a couple of hours, we set off again, aiming for a campground 13 miles away and mostly downhill. After about 8 miles, you come to a section call the Hogback. Our maps describe it as either the Terror or Highlight of the route; a thin section of road with sheer 1000ft drops either side, and no guardrails or shoulders - "Ride Carefully and Defensively". When you combine this with the steepest gradient we have faced in Utah: 14% downhill, some hairpin bends along the ridge and 50 mile winds, you get an epic 4 miles. It was AWESOME. When I come back to America, I will make sure I come back to the Hogback, and if you go, you should too. It is pretty hectic even in a van! They call it the Miracle highway - and you can understand why, it is impossible to imagine how it was built.
Calf creek campground was underneath the Hogback, a noisy but nice campground in the gorge. It is amazing how the energy comes back as soon as you get off your bike - we had seen pictures of a waterfall accessible from Calf Creek in some of the postcards we've seen, so we thought we had to go have a swim. It was also the only shower in 15 miles. This meant quickly popping up our tent, and then going 3 miles to the waterfall and 3 miles back, apparently a 3-4 hour hike, in the last remaining hour of daylight. I took off, running along in my flipflops, while Alex walked steadfastly in his riding shoes (we sent our trainers back in St Louis). I got there at 8.30, and had a great dip and took some pictures. Then I started on the long run back. A little way back I got in amongst a herd of deer and stopped dead still because they hadn't moved. I watched them for 5 minutes, until suddenly they all took flight, and Alex appeared! I had sent a message back with the only other person on the trail to tell him to go back - after 20 minutes of running, I was still a mile away, and I knew we might regret this little escapade after about mile 30 of 80 the next day. But he had carrried on, so we turned back and went for another dip, before finally heading to back to bed in the dark. Luckily Alex had his headtorch, and the stars were bright, so we got back safely at 10, and went straight to sleep.
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