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Another tough day ahead of us. We wanted to make it to Boulder UT, about a third of the way up Boulder mountain. From Cannonville it was 64 miles, with the Grand Escalante Staircase, a stretch called the hogback, and some 14% grades to climb in between.

It didn’t take long before we hit some very steep grades that brought us off our bikes and onto our feet. Sarah’s Achilles tendon has been bothering her, and the high altitudes have been slowing us down.

We stopped for lunch in Escalante, about 30 miles into the ride. We delayed our departure about 20 minutes, to try and wait out a rain shower. Unfortunately, the storm was moving in the same direction that we were, and we quickly caught up with it. Our new riding companion stayed with us for about 45 minutes, long enough to completely soak us.

Not long after we dried off, we came to an amazing overlook where we could see our road winding beneath us for miles, in and out smooth worn canyons. We assumed the was the grand staircase.

After winding through these canyons for about 10 miles, it was time to start climbing out. This is where we faced the much talked about 14% grades, which sent us to our feet for a mile or two.

Once out we reached the hogback, a section of road running along the top of a ridge with very little shoulder, no guard rail, and drops on both sides. It was not nearly as scary as we had read, it only lasted for a few miles, and the drops were not as shear as we had imagined.

Just as we were reaching the outskirts of Boulder, we passed a Swiss couple riding to Las Vegas. They had made it over Boulder Mt. earlier in the day and had a rough time. Apparently there had been rain and hail, the couple described it as an angry pass. Just a couple miles to go before reaching our stop I got a flat in my rear tire. It didn’t take long to fix, but the both of us were ready to collapse. We were ready for a hot shower and bed, not sleeping bag. Hopefully Sarah’s Achilles holds out for our climb tomorrow, and the pass isn’t angry.

By the way I thought the title of this post is a line in a song, but I can’t figure which one. A prize for the first person to figure it out.