We started early again with more climbing out of the door. We quickly entered Grand Staircase Escalante area with spectacular canyon views of rock formations.
At mile 30 we entered the town of Escalante and ate second breakfast at the Roasted Root Cafe. That was essential fuel for the 9 mile climb through another beautiful canyon to reach Boulder for a snack and hydration.
The climbing continued for another 14 miles until we reached the summit of Scenic Byway 12.
At the summit of the day’s biggest climb we were a bit spread out and could see rain clouds and hear thunder. We made the decision to descend a few miles to the Wildcat National Forest Information Station. We were greeted by Bill and Sara who took great care of us while we awaited for everyone to arrive. During our time chatting we learned that Bill lived in Chapel Hill and that he also drove a school bus in retirement. Sara was also a former teacher supporting students through the Title 1 program. They helped us track the storms, topped off our water and provided TJ with some teaching artifacts for his class.
With a break in the rain we departed for Motel Torrey, our home for the night. A blistering descent had us close to town and we could see more rain rolling in toward us. The final stretch was against a strong headwind but we beat the rain nonetheless. We will rest up and relax a little in the morning because tomorrow’s stage is much shorter and mostly downhill. Just what we need before a much more challenging day on Friday.
