Escalante--> Torrey (66 mi.)
We woke up to light rain at Escalante Outfitters. Not an ominous sign on its own, but with a big climb (my Dad says o' dark thirty for that wake up time in the morning that's simply too early to put a number on--I need a similar phrase for these climbs because 4,000 ft. doesn't mean much to me) the rain didn't seem friendly. Before we could start the climb we wove down some tortuous switchbacks to the Escalante River; we braked early and often with our parents' voices in our ears.
Near Escalante River, we followed a hint from some other cyclists we had met (if you haven't noticed the theme: talking to other cyclists always revolves around food. Always.) and stopped at an isolated and inconspicuous coffee shop (Kiva Koffeehouse) off the side of the road. It was inconspicuous because there were only campgrounds in the twenty mile vicinity and, more interestingly, because of its architecture. It was a single story rotunda, with a clear circular skylight in the center of the roof. The support beams on the perimeter were rough hewn (and giant) ponderosas that framed huge glass windowpanes. The view was of the red rock canyon and greenery surrounding the Escalante River. It was an astonishingly beautiful building that matched the quality of the view. And the coffee/food was good too!
Sean and Melina managed to drag me from my admiration and we went on for the day. The rain faded out by the time we hit Boulder for lunch, which was a neat little farming community. We chatted with some local folks, ate another creative gas station lunch, and finished off the climb.
Torrey, a small town after the climb, elicited another of our favorite conversations: should we stay or should we go (wondering, of course, if we go there will be trouble, or if we stay it'll double). With a slight miscalculation making the intended destination a bit more than we anticipated, we spread out our searchers in the area and fortunately got a room donated to us by the local Best Western. They're the Best.
Why do today what you can do tomorrow,
Nate
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