Zion National Park – Advinspiration

Today was HARD! I had a vague thought that I might try to ride a century. (that’s 100 miles in one day for you non-biker types). Turns out that wasn’t going to happen. It ended up being a day full of an amazing downhill descent from Bryce to Zion, however it also ended up being exceedingly windy. I ended up making it to 67 miles with a few rides in the van along the way. A tad disappointed in my lack of mileage but seeing as that was 7 miles above my previous personal record, I really can’t complain. Especially given how FREAKING AWESOME the ride was. Seriously. I think the reason I have so few photos from today’s ride was just the pure visual overload. I just wanted to pedal my bicycle and soak it all in.

The first part was a super fun paved bike path through red canyon.

Checkerboard mesa. See how the patterns in the rock make it look like a checkerboard?

It was like looking at a string of postcards for a few hours in a row.

I had to carry her up a rock to get this shot. Worth it.

In front of Zion Arch. Way larger than it looks in the picture.

Another beautifully paved traffic-free bike path

View from our hotel room. Not too shabby!

There were cacti blooming all over the desert this week. There were pink blossoms as well, but I didn't find any of those when I had my camera handy. — There were cacti blooming all over the desert this week. There were pink blossoms as well, but I didn’t find any of those when I had my camera handy.

Zion national park is adjacent to the town of Springdale, UT. Both the town and the park have a network of free shuttle buses that make scheduled stops along the main drag through Springdale that made exploring this cute little town really easy. There were more than a couple bike shops, outdoor stores, and quaint little restaurants jam packed onto the main street.

Counter at the bike store. I should have bought a hat or something. Maybe next time.

Clown sticker at the bike shop. I liked the color of the door the most I think.

They were selling these wind ornaments on every street corner. They get spinning pretty good sometimes!

I think the Majestic View Lodge was my favorite hotel of the trip. Maybe I was just super tired, but the beds were amazing and the hot tub had an out-of-this-world view of the mountains. Today was some of the most fun I’ve ever had road biking. Can’t wait to come back out here and do it again sometime!

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