The Alien Cold Shoulder

[Wild West Ride Day 2 – Moab to Green River, Utah – 55 miles]

After 4 days of soaking in the Moab lifestyle, it was time to move on to the actual biking portion of the trip. Local shops were visited one more time for those local souvenirs, including several cycling themed items.

We enjoyed the climb out of the valley area on 12 miles of a lovely paved bike path. Bert & I not so quietly cruised past people on the uphill, only to be overtaken again on the downhills and flats. Story of our lives.

The vast majority of us cruised past our previous turn-off to Arches and continued North toward the Canyonlands turn off. The Dinosaur Tracks and Trails Museum was closed, but snacks were had in the parking lot for our first rest stop.

Our beautiful paved bike path gave way to the busy, narrow highway 191, which is the only route from Moab to the interstate. Back on Thursday, on my way to Moab, I noted the long construction section, which required following a pilot car to pass through. I was nervous that would still be the case. Cars already dislike cyclists. I don’t need to be holding up the next line of cars while I’m trying to power through the construction zone. Luckily, the construction zone had opened up enough to have an entire lane to ourselves for several miles.

But this luxery, too, was short-lived. The remaining 15 miles were spent navigating the all-too-tiny shoulder alongside the tired drivers leaving Moab on this Monday morning, pulling behind every toy & trailer possible. The shoulder was about 18 inches wide, with 10-12 inches of that being a rumble strip for those sleepy  drivers. After a few miles of heavily focused riding, I told myself that if the rest of 191 was like this in the coming days, I’d be finding a different adventure to go on for the week.

Our second rest stop was a welcomed sight, located at Jacka$s Joe’s, specializing in UFOs and Jerky. Uhm, yes please. Sign me up and leave me here. I have reached my final destination.

We knew the next couple miles after the rest stop would take us down I-70, as it was the only road. Cyclists are allowed on interstates if there is no other road to travel on.  This occured often on B&B in Colorado, as limited roads were built/maintained through mountain passes. Initially, this was only to be a few miles of lovely wide-shouldered interstate travel. But the lead riders discovered our route along 191 was blocked that day due to a filming event. So our 6 miles turned into the remaining 18 miles til Green River.

Not going to lie, I was not sad to not have to return to the unexpected conditions of the hwy 191. Honestly, people aren’t traveling that much faster on interstates, and the shoulders are basically an entire extra lane. The major drawback of interstate riding is the amount of debris and tire wire from the semi trucks blowing tires so frequently. I came upon Sara, Sara, and Kim, who were 3 CO2 canisters into a failed flat fix. I offered to hang out while the support vans brought some supplies and moral support.

Sara & I were soon on our way for the remaining 10 miles to Green River. We cruised through the Main Street of town, noting a heavy watermelon theme. (Turns out, Green River is listed on Watermelon.org as one of the watermelon capitals of the country, along with Beardstown, IL. Their token piece is the largest wooden watermelon, which was locked away at the hanger. Only out for special events like Melon Days in the fall.)

We were hosted by Green River Bible Church, which provided ample space to spread out for sleep, as well as 2 showers to use in their rec hall. As you can imagine, it takes some time for 30 stinky cyclists to rotate through 2 showers, so my 1:30pm arrival alloted for a solid nap while awaiting my turn.

The dinner team provided a lovely meal, leaving myself just enough room for a milkshake at the ice cream parlor across the street. Our evening was sealed with a beautiful double rainbow over the town.