Utah Cliffs Loop - Day 3

The night was terrible. I almost did not get any sleep at all. The tent site was a few yards from main street and cars and trucks kept driving by all night long. At 5 AM in the morning I gave up trying to get to sleep. I went to the bathrooms for an early shave and back at the tent I started making some coffee to get a start into my morning.

Breakfast at the Main Street Grill

I took my time for breaking down the tent and packing my bike. At 8:30 AM we met with the others of the group for breakfast at the main street grill.

Around 9-ish we paid for our breakfast and started our ride. First we back-tracked for about a mile and then turn left to start one of the longest climbs; 18.5 miles of climbing at an average of ~8%. We stopped briefly at the bottom of the climb and agreed to re-group at mile 5. There we would agree upon the next re-group point depending on the progress.

First re-group at mile 5.

The first 5 miles were not to bad. The average climbing was ~3%, but from here on it would get steeper. The local bike shop owner had warned us: "The climb is not to bad.....but the altitude will kill ya!" After a short re-group we selected the next stop and paced ourselves slowly up the hill.

Getting steeper!

Confirmation sign of the 8% grade

The grade definitely was becoming steeper, and the air was noticeable getting thinner due to the altitude. I regularly had to stop to catch my breath.

Bob again in the left corner  ;o)

As we kept climbing I would combine catching breath with taking pictures; you can find them via the link at the bottom of this post. Also here you will find Bob again in the corner of my pictures..LOL

Mountain Center of Utah University.

Waiting the the others to re-group.

The 2nd re-group point was at the Mountain Center of the University of Utah. We were lucky. The center has a water spigot and a rest-room. The caretaker allowed us to use both of them even though they were not for public use.

Beautiful scenery during the climb.

3rd regroup at Webster Flat.

Getting out of the wind for lunch.

At Webster Flat the steep grade was combine with a teribble head wind. We waited to re-group and had lunch between a group of trees that provided protection from the wind.

Tree with eyes?!?

After some dried fruit, turkey, and a bar I enjoyed the beauty of trees with a funky white bark. Somehow I had the feeling they were watching us....

Made it to the top!

Highest altitude for day 3; 9854 ft

Finally after a solid 3 hours of climbing we made it to the top! I was a bit disappointed to not see 10,000 feet on my GPS, not knowing that my wish would become true the very next day.
After a few miles on the road we would take a left onto gravel roads in the direction of Hatch. Target for the day would be the 2nd dispersed camp-site next to Mammoth Creek. But first we had some gravel grinding to do to get there!

Autumn kicking in...

Some "technical" down-hills with lots of boulders.

At this altitude autumn was kicking in and leaves were dropping and changing colours.We hit the section where the rout-slip stated "Road gets rough and begins descending. You may need to walk parts of this section". I think that all of us were used to do technical rides, and no walking was required. I remember being fully focused on the trail ahead and continuously setting out a path in my mind and renegotiate that when balance was lost. 

Muddy sections.

The technical descents where topped off with some muddy sections. On one of those sections my rear derailleur hit on a rock, stopped the bike, lost my balance and ended up with some bruises, a cut, muddy feet, and a dent in my pride for not falling on the difficult sections.

Forests and meadows.

After getting on my feet and on the bike again my rear derailleur started miss-shifting. I choose a gear that was stable and would take a closer look at it at the camp-site.

Camping at Mammoth Creek

A few miles later we arrived at the targeted dispersed camp-site. Everybody claimed there spot and set-up camp. I cleaned my muddy feet and leg in the creek and licked my wounds ;o)

Beautiful sunset in the west.

Moon rise in the east.

I was able to adjust my rear deraileur for the miss-shifting. While it now was shifting fine, it was unclear what happened and it did not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It would have to do for now. I was hungry and needed some food. Pasta with cooked (to soften) teriyaki beef jerky is what the doctor ordered!
After dinner we had a beautiful sun-set in the West while getting a rising full moon in the East.
A beautiful end of an epic day!

Miles: 30.5
Total Ascent: 4,908 ft
Highest Altitude: 9,854 ft.

See Garmin Connect Map for details.
More pictures of first day can be found here: Drop-box link Day 3