Blog - Critical Transit

#1, Lincoln City to Newport.

In September 2018, I rode south along the Pacific Coast from Lincoln City, OR to Crescent City, CA plus a few bonus days in the Redwoods. I put together some audio and photos from along the way. Let me know what you think or ask questions in the comments.

This final Utah bike tour journal was recorded after the tour ended. I went over the experience and consider some lessons learned. Let me know what you think.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

... before I mailed away my hiking backpack; it's in that blue bag.

Near the 8,000-foot (2.4 km) summit on Forest Road 330E between Silt & Collbran, CO.

Not just any old hike.

Looking out at the Shafer Trail road.

near Blanding, Utah

Fuck you Trump, we beat you!

Something's wrong with this picture ...

... the first (and comparatively easy) set of switchbacks.

Burr Trail in the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument

The spires are called hoodoos, and they're everywhere. Back at 9,000 feet (3km) elevation.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

Don't forget to listen to all of the journal episodes posted right here, see the route below, and share your thoughts.

Part 13: Ross and I recap our tour. We decide it was a success: we had a great time, learned a lot and experienced beautiful landscapes -- through the climbs, the heat and the cold, the isolation, the food deserts (and literal desert) and more. Listen for the highs and lows, what we learned, and where we're headed next.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 12: I spent the day riding around Zion and later hiking via shuttle bus, then reconnected with Ross after we had split up at Bryce. (Ross finally joins me on air in the next episode.) In the adjacent town of Springdale, I picked up my summer sleep sack (it's 95 degrees here), ate a vegan breakfast burrito, took a yoga class and visited the library where we met (and shared our campsite with) Gianni on his Brompton.

Edit: I snuck in a bit of audio at the end about the end of the trip. Ross and I parted ways at Zion and I headed west to St. George for the bus to Los Angeles. Sleeping on a mattress was amazing, especially after a grueling day with the temperature over 100F/38C, bad roads, strong headwinds and of course a flat tire just past Hurricane.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 11: I made it to Zion! So excited to explore the canyon and walk around an actual town. I lucked out with a campsite cancellation (really wish they had hiker/biker sites!) and plunked down out my stuff to ride around unloaded.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 10: Audio from a short lunch stop in Orderville, Utah, as I was eager to reach Zion the same day. I said goodbye to a Swiss couple I had been leapfrogging (see their bikes at the grocery store), before pushing on into Zion (next episode).

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 9: I rode a 12-mile paved trail west from Bryce Canyon en route to Zion, in the heat but with all my gears now working (finally!). No food stops today and no nice photos. Not the easiest ride, and by this point I was ready to be done.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 8: Hiking some trails on my third and final day in Bryce Canyon National Park.
** EDIT: I uploaded the wrong audio file by mistake; this is now the correct one. **

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 7: Climbing back up to 9,000 feet (2,500m) elevation. A low temperature of 24F/-5C and a temporary illness forced me to find indoor accommodation for two nights. I took full advantage of the park's hiking trails while awaiting replacement bike parts, then camped a third night.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.

Part 6: Emerging from the historic Burr Trail into Boulder and Escalante, but not before a broken gear cable changes things up. I wasn't able to ride between the Kiva Coffeehouse (pictured, not a bad spot to break down on a cold morning) and Canonville.  The descent between Boulder and Escalante was too scary to take photos (think 25 mph sidewinds on a narrow road on a cliff with no shoulder, heavy traffic and construction) so I found a few online for you.

This spring I rode my bicycle across southern Utah to view the spectacular remote desert landscape and explore seven national parks: Colorado NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. My friend Ross and I left April 30 from Breckenridge, Colorado, and took 3 weeks to ride nearly 1,000 miles / 600 km to Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah — taking in the sights and spending some quality time on the road and in camp, plus a few “rest days” in Moab, Utah.

The ride was mostly fantastic — amazing scenic landscapes and no traffic — but came with some challenges: very long and strenuous climbs over mountain passes, temperatures ranging from below freezing to 95F/35C, isolation from people and civilization, long distances between bike shops, the steep dirt/gravel Burr Trail, and long stretches without access to food (and no real supermarkets) or water (I carried over 2 gallons and still had to ask car tourists for water a few times).

I talk about the landscapes, people, challenges and more in the summary episode but be sure to check out the mini journals recorded from my tent or along the road. I will post a new episode every 1-2 days so you can follow along in front of your campfire.