Early start on the road from Bryce Canyon to Torrey. It really was a beautiful ride and mainly flat with some good down hills. A terrific ride through Black Canyon, I think that’s what it was called, with a river running by the side of the road. Still a lot of water in the river and it seemed much of the surrounding land was saturated by the overflow of this water. Rounding bends you’d find a small house totally isolated and wonder who lived there and why they lived there? Got caught by a herd of cattle on the road being driven somewhere by two cowboys. I guess either to other pastures or to be transported to market.
We finally hit an horrendous up hill, which would take us up to the top of Parker Mountain. On the first hill, which we were half up, a pick-up truck pulls up next to us and the driver says “easier going down”. We agreed, and he asked where we were going and told him the Bronx, New York. Amazed he then proceeded to tell us just how steep this was going to be!! Great, but to our surprise he said put your bikes in the pick-up and hop in – now seriously what could we say, “No”. So sorry all but this was a hill from hell and about 5 miles long! The drivers name was Jack and his wife was Laura, and they were going to Fish Lake, near the top of Parker Mountain to celebrate their anniversary. A fascinating couple who had worked in Russia, in Leningrad, teaching English for 19 months. They had also worked in Africa in South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique as teachers. He, Jack also had fought in the Korean war. He was born and raised in the valley that we had just passed through. So all in all a very worldly husband and wife couple, very generous and very kind. So really how could we have missed such a ride up Parker Mountain? Jim what do you think? We wished them a great anniversary dinner and looked down on the fast ride to come. Boy it was fast and long which was great for us. I got to ride and talk with Angel for a while and find out that he really loves to fish, and for the Fall semester he is going to do canoe and rod at Berkshire School. I told him about my Uncle who was a fisherman off the East coast of England, and Craster kippers which are the best kippers in the world.
We passed some bison grazing and thought that we saw Elk in the distance; well at least Angel thought that we saw some. We were making great time due to the fact that most of the ride had been downhill. Would you believe that we went through a town called Greenwich, yes another Greenwich, nothing like the town in CT though. Jack and the van people drove on to Torrey and the camp site, and when we did make it to Torrey we would have ridden right by if it had not been for Charlie screaming at us to turn in. Home for the night, and what a great little camp site looking straight out to red canyon walls on the one side and open country side on the other.
A big thanks to Jack’s dad Brien, who insisted that Jack buy steaks for the evening dinner man did we enjoy them. Cheers Brien O’Brien we love you.
BP
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