June 25th Mon. Day 18

Today was our most physically challanging day. Everyday Matt says "this was the toughest day yet" but this really was. We started in Escalante (which, like most of the places we have passed through, isn't pronounced like you think), and almost immediately started climbing. It was 50 miles of steep uphill, 13-14% grade at times. It was like climbing Mt. Diablo for 7 hrs. It took us 6 1/2 hrs. to go 48 miles. Our average speed was 3mph up the hills. The average speed for the day was only 7.7mph. We went 67.5 miles in total. We left Escalante at 5:30am and arrived in Torrey @ 8:50pm. We stopped for lunch in Boulder at this sweet place that had all kinds of organic, natural food and items. Not only was it a little market but it had a little lodge, a gas station, Persian carpets, fossils, (there are fossils everywhere here...just along the side of the road there are fossils and broken open geodes with crystals inside....so cool), a bread oven for bread, pizza, roasted nuts, etc. Other places we have see are like "Gas, Tanning Salon, Groceries, Watch Repair", or "C-Store, Dentist, Gas, Tarot Card Reading", or "Cafe, Gas, Deer Skinning and Packing".
We haven't seen any of the guys that we kept running into at the beginning of the trip. I suspect Raliegh and his Dad are way ahead of us, and Mike (the guy on the mountain bike who is hauling...and I'm not even lying here, a small t.v., a shower, a camp chair, a huge stick for propping up his bike because his kickstand broke, an electic hair trimmer, two huge tarps..in addition to his tent, and a whole slew of other things including, but not limited to, a new derallier for his bike, and miles of rope, tape, etc.)who I suspect is, due to his oversized load, way behind us.
Everyday though, we meet so many cool and sweet people. There have been so many people who have saved us with water, gatorade, a ride in their truck, etc. It is so great for the boys to see the kindness of strangers. I'm sure they will remember what it felt like to be thirsty and tired and have someone give them a gallon of water, or a bottle of gatorade, or a ride, or an apple, or a prayer....
Yonah is absolutely blossoming on this trip. He is becoming so independent and self-confident. He is now in charge of the map and planning the next day. He is so consciencious. He is taking responsibility, making suggestions, being so flexible and positive, even in the face of very adverse conditions. If this is all that comes from this whole adventure it will be Dayenu! If, in addition, I come back able to keep abreast of Ingrid up Cantelow...well, that will just be icing on the cake.
This whole trip so far has been so much harder than I ever expected. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. I expected it would be hard to ride day after day, but I like to ride so I didn't think it would be such a big deal. What I didn't expect was that we would be riding ALL day, everyday. And I didn't realize how slow you go when you ride haul a load...especially when it is uphill, against a head wind.
But, I also didn't know how beautiful Utah was...or how windy. The beauty of Utah redeemed today's windy climbing. There were dozens of different kinds of trees, rivers, flowers, and always these HUGE, monolithic, intricate, otherworldly monstrosities or red rock. The mountains are huge, ornate, wind blown carvings of mountains...it is just mind blowing. Everything suddenly went from arid desert scrub to lush forests of shimmering Aspen, fruitless Mulberry trees, Oak, pines, etc. There are all these Free Range cows too. Solomon LOVES them. They are everywhere, crossing the highway, mooing at the roads edge, running with the bikes. Yonah has taken to calling Nevada the historic state because of all the historic markers and Utah the Scenic state because every mile or so there is a marker that says "Scenic Outlook 1/2 mile". The truth is, ANYWHERE you look is scenic.
Solomon is still hanging in there. He is such a little trooper. He finds something to love about every day. He especially loves swimming. Anytime there is any kind of water he will swim. He could just spend all day in lakes, pools, rivers, etc. He also likes climbing around on the rocks. Sometimes we will get off the bikes for a snack and to just sit and relax and we will be so wiped we can barely move and Solomon will be climbing everything in sight and running around everywhere. He spends a few hours each day listening to books on his ipod. He just finished the 2nd book of Lionboy, which he loved!!! He really misses his friends though.