Sunday October 12th, 2014
Total Miles: 190

Thank goodness we opted for a hotel room.  We woke up to 30 degrees rain/sleet that turned into snow.  I was getting nervous because the snow was starting to accumulate.  We opted to have breakfast and coffee and let the snow finish.

Galen was very concerned with what snow would do to the condition of the trails.  So Galen’s concerns were warranted.  Galen was right to be worried.  We left and there was still light snow coming down but the heaviest snow was done according to the radar.  First part of the ride was fantastic.

Then the road started to worsen.

We turned off on trail 168 and the ruts were deep and the soil was like grease. We doubled back to 148 and talked to some hunters. Two hunters said no way not possible in the current condition to get through to Highway 6. Chained up trucks weren’t making it.  One Hunter said if you can make it past the next two hills we would be fine.  Galen thought we should give a try.  We made through the next three hills with little issue.  Of course it was crazy greasy but by then the sun came out and the clay just got tacky and started to load up the fenders so much so that it locked the front wheel.  We cleaned it out best we could but after only a couple of feet it would lock up again.  We made the decision to turn back.

Front Tire Locked Up Video

  We finally got the bike turned around we still had a number of miles to head back.
After a couple drops and one really strong get off that bruised some of Galen’s ribs (I was not on the back for this one) we found our way back to gravel roads.

Tip: If this should happen to you make sure when you get your bike back up that you allow time for the oil to drain back down.

Turns out when the map says impassable when wet they really do mean impassable, despite Galen’s “can do” attitude.  Galen thought we should try it and it gave us a whole new appreciation for dry roads vs wet roads in Utah.  This was all new to us.  Turns out a day earlier and these roads would have been a piece of cake.  Crazy what a little bit of snow did to turn everything into grease.  We finally got back to dry hard pack and doubled back. What a crazy way to start the morning.

Sometimes we are 1UP and 1Walking

Found a puddle, Galen trying to clean off some of the mud in the tires.

We followed the Strawberry River which eventually brought us to Highway 40.  We ran into Duchesne for fuel, ate a power bar and found a car wash which actually had a mud gun sprayer to clean out the brake rotors and fenders.  Turns out this is a common occurrence in this area.  That clay/mud was brutal on our tires.  We took Highway 191 out of town and I held my breath as we took the next turn onto Argyle Canyon Road hoping we wouldn’t find more mud.  This next road was perfect condition but I could see it would have been pretty bad with any moister.  I was happy to see a trail of dust we were leaving meaning it was dry.  This road felt more like a gravel highway then what we had seen in the morning.  It was reassuring to see so many homes on this road.

  I feel so grateful that we get to see such amazing parts of this Country.  I think about so many folks that will never see this scenery because it isn’t on a main highway.

We hit asphalt way earlier than we expected.  New asphalt was laid earlier this summer.

Had to stop for a picture of this rock.

We spotted a number of different Petroglyphs along Nine Mile Canyon.

Fantastic way to end the day.  The asphalt was full of turns and twists which made for a great ride.  We ended up in Price where we had drinks and dinner at Groggs Pinniacle Brewing Company.  After a quick search on Trip Advisor we ended up getting a great deal at the Legacy Inn which was down the road from the Brewery. Basic but clean and just $60 for the night.  We both slept well after such a crazy day.