Still in Jackson Hole

I am waiting on a last paycheck then am pedaling south. I plan to go all the way to Show Low AZ where I will meet a friend and then we are driving to the Salton Sea in southern California for the winter. I plan to be in Show Low about the middle of October and we will leave there the beginning of November.

My route is to go south of Jackson on 189/191 to Hoback Jct, then head southeast down thru Bondurant, Daniel Jct, Pinedale to Rock Springs which is on I-80 in southwestern Wyoming. I will then go 5 miles west on 80 to where 191 goes south again. I will follow 191 south to Dutch John on the east edge of Flaming Gorge. and on down to Vernal Utah. Then head west again on 191/40 to Roosevelt, to Duchesne near Starvation State Park, then on south on 191 to Price in central Utah.

Then on back southeast to I-70 near Green River Utah. A few miles west of Thompson Utah I will continue south on 191 down to Moab, Canyonlands,Arches N.P. and the Colorado River. Near Arches I plan to ride out to Deadhorse Point and up 128 along the Colorado River, then go to Arches and Moab before heading south again towards Arizona thru Monticello, Blanding and Bluff Utah. Near Mexican Hat I plan to ride over to see the Goosenecks of the San Juan.

Then down to Monument Valley, to Canyon De Chelly and on to I-70 then west to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest, I will take the Petrified Forest road down to 180 and take a spur road southwest towards hwy 60 east of Show Low AZ. I left some gear in a national forest area southeast of Show Low last fall when I rode from Flagstaff to Tucson that I want to go and see iff its still there. Then I will return on Hwy 60 to Vernon AZ where I will take a secondary road to Scott's Reservior where I will meet my friend Paul. He does Swap Meets in Show Low every saturday from now to the end of October before going to southern California to winter near the Salton Sea. This will be my first time out there, and the first time in California since 2001.

The weather in in NW Wyoming has really cooled off since Labor Day and I will be glad to get out in the open country traveling on my mountain bike touring back south for another winter.

This is my 30th year since 1982 when I did my first bicycle tour. Since then I guess I have ridden about 100,000 miles.

I plan to stop along the way south to do some dayhikes and overnight hikes too, going thru many national parks and wilderness area's. I have my national parks pass, which has a picture of a roommate I had in Flagstaff a couple years ago. His name (leaping into the air in Glacier Nat. Park) is Eric Toole.

Your timeing is good.  You have done this sort of thing before.  When I lived in WY we used to refer to Jackson as Aspen Hole because of the amount of clueless tourists and rich people with airplanes and fur coats.  I hope your experience is positive.  After Labor Day it starts to shape up.

I started calling the tourists "Tourons" after moron's. And we used to say" if its tourist season whats the bag limit?"

Jackson has been my working summer home since June 1982. I also came here in 1980 and 1981 for the summer to hike in the Tetons and Yellowstone. I have been bike touring 30 years and traveling 35 years since June 1977 when I hitchhiked 10,000 miles around the USA.  I ended up in Alaska for two years.

Gary you know your way around that part of the country.  Lately I have enjoyed being in Wilson, WY and Swan Valley, ID to the west.

I have often heard the term touron in WY.  We used to call the tourists on I-80 going thru Laramie "ions" and people always taking pictures were "photons."

Godspeed on your trip south Gary. You are really living life to the fullest. I was in Jackson back in August for almost 3 weeks and I wish I would have run into you. You strike me as someone I would love to buy a beer and speak with. My friend there just sent me some photos of the fire burning south of town.

I suspect you are familiar with the spot but if not, when approaching Mexican Hat just before descending the Moqui dugway, take a right onto the dirt road for a mile or 2 towards Muley point. An awesome camping spot(s) with a birds eye view of the Goose necks and of Monument Valley ~20 miles or so away. Ususally no one there as well. It left a great impression on me for some reason or another............like I could hear my soul.

Hope the trip goes well. 

msmith

Thanks for the camping spot idea, I have not been to the Goosenecks yet, tho have been thru the area a few times in the past. This will be the first time since 1996 and all my other times I was hitchhiking once in 1977, again in 1980 and the last around 1996, riding with a friend, for some reason we didn't get there. We went to Natural Bridges nearby tho.

I am really looking forward to this bike trip.

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