I was on the road at 6am and started climbing a few blocks from the hotel. After a few k I saw Kaitlan, the New Zealand Ph.D. student I met at Cooks Station, coming downhill. We chattted for few minutes. She had gotten to about the 10km mark when she decided the rubbing disc brake should be dealt with in Cedar. The next bike shop is probably in Colorado.
The climb was steady, the road not at all straight and the canyon walls towered on both sides. There was a fair amount of traffic but most drivers were considerate. After 10km there often was a shoulder but it also disappeared alot. There was some cycling event going on and I saw a lot of riders flying down the hill.
At the top - 40km in - the view made it all worthwhile.
Then I got my downhill, almost 30km. At Panguitch Lake I got a burger at the Burger Barn. OK, but over-priced.
Mostly downhill to Panguitch, it started to get hotter. After a quick Dr Pepper break I was back to it. The road to Bryce had a great shoulder. That got smaller after the turn to 12 but I noticed a bike trail parallel to the road. It was nice to get away from the cars but the trail had deep seams that made for a jarring ride on my tires. When the downhill to Bryce began I moved back to the road for more speed.
I made it to Bryce, 35km more than the day into Cedar, in 9 hours ... Cedar was 8 hours. Bryce had a MOUNTAIN! Today was fun riding.
