Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Aron Ralston)

Friday, 8/15/08
We stayed Thursday night in Grand Junction, CO, and got a relatively early start to head into Utah the next morning. Utah is amazing, covered with vast open plains and high rolling hills for as far as the eye can see in all directions. It is so harsh, dry and desolate, an unforgiving environment that is largely uninhabited. At times it looks just like you are driving through an incredibly wide gorge of the Grand Canyon. We talked about how difficult it must have been for the explorers who first came through here many years ago. At the Utah Visitor Center we climbed the steep and narrow path up a hillside for some spectacular views. Dan chased lizards and grasshoppers, while Melody filmed. We got to thinking about what a challenge this hill would be on a bike, so Dan put it to the test.

We met Jim Bitton who was traveling through Utah with his wife, listening to a CIA book on CD. His first question was if we were government agents. Dan told him if we were, he’d never know it. He told us that this area was once called Thompson Springs. “You used to stop here if you needed water for your radiator“, he said. He told us a story from 40 years ago when he went out to Sego, an old ghost town that had been a mining town. There, he saw a fire pouring out from an old mine shaft creating a pillar of smoke that was visible for miles. Back then, half of the area was government land and half of it was on Ute Indian grounds. You could visit, but you had to get permission from the tribe in advance. He coughed as he told us of his allergy to a non-native plant, which he called tamarack, that grows on the side of the road where water collects. When he heard that we were headed to Las Vegas, he said, “You guys don’t look like Vegas people. You should stay in Zion or Hurricane.” We explained that we wouldn‘t have adequate time for most national parks on this trip, but we‘d like to hike through them and earn a patch for the backpack someday. “Well, then, you should go to Hurricane. There’s a great bike path out there that you’d probably like.”

We stopped again for gas in Green River, Utah, where we met Lonnie. He had one arm in a cast and a brace from his wrist to his shoulder. He had a large motorbike in the back of his pickup truck. When Melody asked if it was responsible for his injury, he just smiled and said that he was helping a friend move a piano, actually. He lives in Salt Lake City now, but he’s originally from Portland, Oregon. He and his family had just been to the East Coast for his sons rugby tournament, and he commented that Virginia was beautiful. They were now on their way home from a bike swap with a guy from Denver. We told him about our Eggroll and the blog, and he offered us a place to stay if we needed it.

Headed south, we passed through the San Rafael Reef, a wall of slanted rocks that stretches from the east to the west. Back in the 50’s, people flocked to this area to extract uranium for our nuclear weapons program. In the 70’s, some 3.5 million cubic yards of rock were removed to make way for Interstate 70. Driving through the reef was eerily like our trail from Bright Angel to Cottonwood in Grand Canyon, except in a car.

We took Jim’s advice and stayed in Hurricane Friday night. This gave us enough time for a nice dip in the pool and hot tub, a good Mexican dinner, and a restful night of sleep. On the way into town, we passed a tree that had been decorated with shoes. It reminded Melody of the electrical wires near the apartments at George Mason. This must be some right of passage for groups of friends or at least the best known practical joke in town.