Day 63 – Speed Demon

Dixie National Forest to Calf Creek Recreation Area – 36 miles

Yesterday started near the top of the pass on Hwy 12 in the Dixie National Forest.  The temperature was pretty mild, so I slept in and took my time waking up.  I was really groggy for some reason.  I packed up and was on the bike by 10 am.  The altitude combined with the cloud cover kept it nice and cool.

I had a little more climbing to do before I ghit the summit.  I stopped at the National Forest Info Center shortly after I got started.  The older couple who were staffing the info center were super nice.  I refilled my water.  They had muffins and some coffee so I stayed for awhile and chatted.

I left and finished the climb to the summit.  Incredible views of the Waterpocket Fold and surrounding mountains, valleys, and desert.

It was all downhill from the summit, literally.  I was super stoked to start the descent and the views were incredible.  With grades As steep as 14% at times it really got the blood and adrenaline rushing.  I topped out at 55 mph, a new record for the trip!!

Shortly after exiting the forest I was in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Incredible canyons with steep walls, the road was on a thin ridge that fell off to either side with no guard rail.

I decided to make it a short day and stop at Calf Creek Recreation Area to hike to a desert waterfall.  Lower Calf Creek Falls was about a 3 mile hike through a canyon that passed some petroglyphs and ancient Native American granaries.  The beginning of the hike was hot, but eventually it became shaded form the canyon walls and cooled off.

The falls were awesome.  Almost too cold to swim in for long, I set up my hammock and hung out for awhile.

After getting some leg cramps I decided it was time to hike back out.  When I got back to my campsite I made some potato and ham soup and corn for dinner.  Yum!