pedalpanam

Despite having enjoyed the company of familiar faces on this trip, I have yet to see somewhere that I already know, up until today.  One of the biggest reasons I didn’t take the more traditional coastal route south through the USA is the canyons of southern Utah.

Today was the first day that I’ve retraced routes I’ve previously traveled.  I’ve come out to Escalante along the beautiful UT Hwy 12 three times now with good friends, by car.  The last time I was here was about 7 months ago, and back then I already knew I was leaving on this bike trip, and kept telling myself, “this will be fantastic on a bike”.

So here I am.  No familiar faces.  But familiar sights, and it is the closest I’ll come to feeling at home in a while.  In particular, the red dust that has coated my shoes and the smell of sagebrush have welcomed me back.

And of course, the junipers.  I don’t often refer to my bike by her name, so you may not know I named her Juniper.  I will be sure to get a picture of her propped up against the many junipers that scatter the area.

I hope to do some hiking and camping down in the side canyons of the Escalante river over the next few days.