Day 5
PLAN A: Ride from Brian Head Pass (Pass at 10,000'/3048m) through Cedar Breaks National Monument and Dixie NF, to Panguitch;
REALITY: We Rode into a Severe Hail Storm and had to Seek Cover & Protection for Safety;
SOLUTION: Backroads Leaders Performed a Support Vehicle Rescue and Rider Relocation;
PLAN B: We then Rode from Dixie NF (Red Canyon) to the Bryce Canyon National Park Lodge

Cycling Highlights or Perhaps Lowlights
We had an Adventure!

Above: It was actively hailing Nickel sized hail stones.

Above: This is where we pulled off the road to take cover in the Backroads Van.

Above: After the storm, the Bee and Julianna (Guide/Co-Leader). The Bee had actually blown over while we were under cover, we wisely left the Bee alone until the hail stopped. The Bee is tough and it was undamaged.

Brian Head, in the Cedar Breaks of Utah
About 9800'/3000m Elevation

Above Left: It rained and then thunder snowed last night. Our snow melted but the hill side has fresh snow.

Above Right: Our Route Briefing - Ah the best laid plans of man ...

Above Left: Three intrepid souls (Sharon, Louise, and Alesia) were starting here with a quick 600' (plus) climb to 10,439'. Our hats were off to them.

Above Right: We rode the van to Brian Head Pass at 10,439'/3181m. As expected, the air was cool and thin. We had a few minutes for the Overlook while the bike unloading and setup took place.

Above: Looking south from Overlook at Brian Head Pass.

Above Left: Looking southwest from Overlook at Brian Head Pass.

Above Right: Looking west from Overlook at Brian Head Pass.

Above: We looked at the information kiosk.

Above Left: In this area, there were wet spots on the road and it was soggy off the road.

Above Right: The bikes were ready, we did some tweaking, and then we were on the road.

Above Left: Very tricky intersection, we were supposed to stay on UT-143 but it is a 90 degree left turn ahead, the road that goes straight is UT-148 (visually similar). We really only made the turn because our GPS squawked.

Above Right: Fair sailing for the next 50 miles, at least road course wise. We will have shadow snow for about 10 more miles.

Above Left: Denis, Terry, and the Bee took a motion selfie. Dennis is still having trouble taking a picture and smiling at the same time.

Above Right: We stopped to talk to Ed, a fellow rider.

Entering Dixie National Forest

Above Left: Leaving Cedar Breaks NM, Entering Dixie NF.

The original Mormon settlers made an attempt to grow cotton (in lower fertile valley locations, with different degrees of success and the area became known as Dixie, perhaps originally in humor, but the name stuck).

Above Left: We could cycle like this all day long.

Above Right: A view from the Pilot's Cockpit, the Navigator has a GPS with today's course loaded.

Above Left: Unknown to us at the time, this was the last time that we saw any snow.

Above Right: From here onward, no more snow.

Above: Just enjoying the bicycle ride, sometimes zoning out with deep thoughts in the mind's background, and then a wow moment.

Above Left: Riding through an old fire burn.

Above Right: We turned right.

Above Left: UT-143 Sign (validation that we were on the correct road).

Above Right: Bike Route 70! - A New Sign to us, we are always happy to see State's becoming friendly to bicycle travel and tourism.

Above Left: Just enjoying the bicycle tour.

Above Right: Antelope butts in the distance.

Above: Antelope crossing.

Above: We were on their radar.

Above Left: Another Antelope (separate instance).

Above Right: Generally cycling southeast on UT-143, Dixie NF.

Panguitch Lake

Above Left: Panguitch Lake is a little recreational fishing community in the summer and winter recreation in the winter (probably hunting, shoeing, x-skiing, and sledding).

Above Right: Panguitch Country Store (and bicycle rest stop) - See the Bee.

Above Left: Panguitch Lake Lodge.

Above Right: Panguitch Lake.

Above Left: Bear Paw Resort.

Above Right: Panguitch Lake (person fishing at the dock's end).

Above Left: Bear Paw Resort, see the Bear Waving.

Above Right: This storm will get us, we just do not know it yet.

Above Left: In Aviation, this is called the 'Sucker Hole', of course that statement is in hindsight.

Above Right: We just missed a deer photo, it just disappeared behind that rock.

Above: The weather status became 'On Our Radar'.

Above Left: Riding beside a beautiful river canyon.

Above Right: Rain Ahead.

Above Left: Easy Hill.

Above Right: Rain Ahead.

Above Left: Rain Ahead.

Above Right: It had just rained here.

Above: It had hailed here, not long ago.

Above Left: The road was warm and rain was evaporating, that is usually a good sign, but not today.

Above Right: Some Pea sized hail and only some associated light rain sprinkles.

Julianna drove by with the Sag Van and Trailer and from inside the van Julianna asked if we wanted to be picked-up. The sky looked clear ahead, Terry and I had a quick discussion, and we said 'No'. We expected to ride out of it, little did we know ...

Above Left: It was officially hailing hard but the camera did not do a good job of capturing the dropping hail, now Blue Berry sized (3/8 inch).

Above Right: Our view of the hail from the cockpit.

Above Left: The hail became 1/2 inch thick, Penny sized, and was starting to sting, later I will have a photo of the pock marks on my body. The Stoker will come out unblemished.

Above Right: It was coming down hard, Nickle sized hail (5/8 inch)- Julianna could be seen waiting for us at the pull-off ahead, she was waiting outside the vehicle (to make sure that we didn't miss our safety net).

We saw Julianna, pulled over, and quickly parked the bike on its kick stand. We all ran into the vehicle for cover. It hailed Nickel sized hail stones for the next five minutes and then it was over. While it was hailing a gust of wind blew the Bee over, we all heard it happen and I said 'Just leave it', it was too dangerous to go out there with the falling ice balls.

Our bike helmets had saved us from head wounds. When Terry took her helmet off, a fist full of hail stones came out of the helmet slots.

Above: It looks like snow! When the hail stopped falling, Julianna and I went out to pick up the Bee (it had blown over from strong wind) and we went ahead and loaded the tandem bike onto the vehicle's roof carrier.

After the Bee was loaded, we were driven to the town of Panguitch (our original cycling destination for lunch). At Panguitch we met up with the other riders in another van and we all made sandwiches but because it was still cold outside we all ate lunch inside the vans. The good news was that a cold front had passed over us and instead of 90F/30C degree days for the next few days we would only have 80F/25C degree days for the rest of our riding days.

Utah Hwy-12 at the Edge of Dixie National Forest
(While the weather threatened, it did not rain)

Above: In a change of plans, we were driven to UT-12 and the Edge of Dixie National Forest. Here we would unload and pedal to UT-63, Bryce Canyon City, Bryce NP, and finally to the Lodge at Bryce Canyon near Sunset Point.
EVERY ONE was in GOOD SPIRITS!

Above Left: We were pedaling again and it will be gradually uphill for quite a while; that was Brenna ahead.

Above Right: We were about to cycle through some wonderful geology!

Above Left: There's a mini-arch at the top.

Above Right: So nice to have separate roads from the motorized vehicles (the highway had construction activity holding the traffic).

Above: Tunnel Arch #1.

Above: Tunnel Arch #2.

Above Left: Bridge crossings are always cool.

Above Right: Alesia and Terry.

Above: Likely Deer Tracks but possibly a big Antelope. Thank You Mother Nature for the rain that made the mud for the animal to walk through and leave these marvelous prints.

Above Left: We were exiting the contiguous forest.

Above Right: We had reached a high plains grass land.

Above Left: Exiting Dixie National Forest.

Above Right: We reached the summit, 7777' (2370m)! I was thinking that I would make a cool 'seven' symbol.

Above: Dennis and Terry Struck with the Bee at 7777'/2370m abeam UT-12 near Bryce Canyon, Utah - Photo by Alesia (whose bike is next to ours).

Above Left: Continuing east on the bike trail, paralleling Utah Hwy-12.

Above Right: It never did rain on us (this afternoon), in about a half a mile we will turn right/south onto UT-63 and pedal away from the weather. Bryce Canyon was 3 miles to go and maybe 1 additional mile to reach our lodge destination.

Bryce Canyon City
(While the weather continued to threaten, it did not rain)

Above Left: Welcome to Bryce Canyon City; we had turned right/south paralleling UT-63.

Above Right: Passing by a National Park Admin Office in Bryce Canyon City.

Above Left: Back on the bike trail, heading for Bryce Canyon NP.

Above Right: The bike trail for Bryce Canyon NP.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Above: Dennis and Terry Struck with the Bee (da Vinci Tandem) at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.

Above Left: We made a tactical mistake (second time, I fear to admit) - We took a selfie at the Bryce Canyon Entrance Sign and that action placed our camera in permanent Timer Mode. When using this camera version (unlike previous versions of the identical Olympus Tough Camera series) the Timer remains active as the default picture taking Mode (even in lieu of the Mode's Setting on the back of the camera).

Because the camera was snapping 12 seconds after the push of the Shutter Button, we missed about five (5) animal pictures. In the saddle, Dennis uses a point and shoot photo method for unexpected and brief camera opportunities. This same thing happened to us in Canada one year ago but in that case we missed about five (5) Momma Bear and Cubs pictures, we had just got a Timer picture of us at the Glacier National Park sign.

Argh Olympus!

Above Right: Cycling the bike path continued.

Above Left: This was the end of the bike path and todays ride that started back at Brian Head in the Cedar Breaks National Monument area.

Above Right: We manuevered ourselves through the crowded Bryce Canyon Lodge area to the parking lot of our Sunset Lodge. We found our group performing post ride rituals.

Above Left: I have extra kudos for the Backroads organization and tour leaders!

Above Right: Later that evening, readying for dinner, we noticed a few welts on Dennis from the pre-noon Hail Storm.

We had an adventure today! The morning started cool after a little rain and snow from the previous night and the air was a little thin at our starting point of 10,439'/3181m. We did see single Deer and single or herds of Antelope over the course of the day. A little before noon we biked into a Hail Storm, at first only Pea sized and lastly as Nickle sized. The Nickle sized stones stung a little bit. At the beginning of the little hail pieces Julianna (co-leader of the Backroads Tour) drove beside us and asked if we wanted to get off the road. We said No because we were enjoying the ride and we thought we would ride out of the storm. We were wrong, it got worse and Julianna had already positioned the SAG Vehicle on a safe pull-off and she was waiting for us. We parked the bike next to the van and we hurriedly jumped into the vehicle. Terry pulled off her helmet and a handful of hail stones came flying out. The storm was over in 5 more minutes. With a change of plans the bike was loaded and we were shuttled to a park in Panguitch for a meetup with the other cyclists and other vehicle and lunch. We all ate in the vehicles as it was too cold and windy outside. After lunch we were all shuttled to the edge of Dixie NF on the Red Canyon side of Dixie and we rode bike trails all the way to Bryce Canon NP.
Yep, we had an adventure today!