Sept 22 – As I mentioned yesterday, we headed to Canyonlands to drive down into the canyon. We met a second ranger who backed up the Ranger from yesterday’s viewpoint and acted like it was no big deal. They gave us permits for both bicycling and driving. And off we went. THIS WAS THE MOST SCARED I HAVE BEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! The pictures cannot capture the ledge we were driving on for three terrifying miles! At that point, we did a three-point turnaround because we knew we would never enjoy riding at the bottom, knowing we had to drive that back. We met another couple coming down as we were coming back up. They were also terrified and looking for a place to turn around. Nothing like trying to inch by another car on a one-lane cliffside road.
We then went to the Moab side and drove a road that went to that area from the bottom. Why didn’t either Ranger suggest that?! I had seen it when the ranger was reviewing everything with us. It was a strenuous ride, but we enjoyed it. And not once did we feel death was imminent. We saw a storm headed our way and got back to the car just in time.
Since it was raining, we did laundry. This place had a guest laundry room. We mainly wanted our favorite bike shirts washed. We were ok with other clothes.
After that, we picked up pizza and wings and enjoyed them on our porch. Tomorrow, we head to Colorado. This nomadic life is a bit challenging. We are staying in Ouray, CO tomorrow and Thursday, then going to Durango for the weekend. They are both about the same distance from here. Ouray is a small town, and weekend prices were crazy, so we opted to visit there midweek. Right now, Durango and other nearby options are looking good for the weekend. I think I have stayed at this hotel in Ouray before, when I was on a photography trip there. And I rode the Bicycle Tour of Colorado through there in 2014, and we camped in the city park. We also biked to Durango and camped on the high school grounds there. I am looking forward to showing Dane around these cool towns. I think this area will win as his top favorite.
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