Jeremiah Watt

Yup, thats right we are headed for a place called Loa today. I have a long uphill valley to ride before I make the turn towards my last stop of Loa on the high plains plateau country of Utah.


The valley coming up out of Otter Creek Resevoir is great, not much traffic and just nice temp and scenery. I stopped in a little place called Koosharem, I ate some grub and talked to some kids about town, life, school and life in general. It's a funny thing, but I have noticed that kids are more physical over here than in California. I have seen a lot of kids out jogging, and a couple of what must have been teams. You just don't see as many of the 2oo pound ground pounders as we do back home. The Grass Valley Mercantile, is a great little store to stop and take a walk around in, and it had real cool grphics on the outside from days gone by.


But all good things come to an end, and it was time to ride once again. Just a 1/2 mile down the road and take the long drop to the valley floor, then the big climb that follows. That store owner thought for sure I must be nuts to have left a perfectly good home and take off on a bicycle to ride across USA
Ya'know, he's got a point.


Still can't find a place that my Cingular works except in the store when I bought it.
Boy are those clouds boiling up on the ridge above me, and ae they ever black. I have 8 miles of climb at 4-5% so best get into a rythm and get it done. I stay with it to almost the top, and figure its time to eat something now, rather than later in case it starts to raining. SO I spread some peanut butter on a Bagel as soon as I remove the pennicillin........RIDDLE, whats white/green/brown and fuzzy. Take yer time, it's a tough one even for the Menza crowd........yup, Jeremiah's Bagel. Hey, but it tasted good all the same.
Finally topped out at 8500 feet approx, and the rain came. I noticed my bike temp dropped to 63 degrees and I was sure feeling like a smarty pants for not shaving my legs like all those other bikers do. But I would like a rain jacket. JUst ride was the best thing that I know to stay warm. Once you are on top of this country,its huge rolling hills and I think I done about 400 of the beggars before I could feel that drop right off the top. It warned me that 8% was coming, so I grabbed the brakes to slow things down a little. The road is narrow, the wind is up, and the pavement is slick so I am being as careful as I can with it all.

Finally I could see some Elm trees down in the bottom, and I knew that Loa could not be far off. The rain slacked just a little when I pulled into Loa, I noticed that all of town had gathered at the local Ranchers Cafe so I did too. Boy howdy, let one cowboy decide to wear his spandex to town and you should see the reaction........I think its a medical thing. Or maybe it's a fabric reaction to all the "CAMO" that folks seem to wear now adays. Shoot, I even seen a gal packin a baby in a car seat that was camo colored. I did notice that she set him down by the side of the road when she was getting in her car and drove off and left him....................not sure if she couldn't see him becasue of the Camo or maybe he was just one of those baby's hard to look at???
Anyways I done my best to fit in while at the Loa Cafe, but no matter what I done I couldn't strike up a conversation with anyone but the waitress. SO I ate out royal this day, had an Omelette and toast.......(gotta have that toast , right Jordie, a little side joke here) some hot black coffee and a piece of there home made apple pie. It sure hit the spot and I noticed that the sun had come out as well. It was about 4:30 by now so I mounted up and rode out of Loa towards Capitol Reef.
I went another 20 miles os so, and found a nice quiet canyon that offerd a retreat. Set up my tent and went for a little hike up this canyon for fun. They had just had a huge rain the day before, some 2 -3 inches worth. There was plenty of water damage to see up the canyon, and still water running but to late for a swim. Let me see whats for supper when I get back, Noodlles, yer right. I think when I go thru Grand Junction, I will try to find a few other edibles to put in my haversack.
Tomorrow we fall off of the Capitol Reef and descend into what I do not know.
Good Night and God Bless