2023-08-25: Virgin River Trail

Milestones

• Part of my 2nd Annual “Bike-A-Palooza” (SEE the Whole Trip)

Getting There

• Uneventful drive. I hadn’t driven through Las Vegas in 30 years. So much new construction. Allegiant Stadium looks impressive.
• I was starving by the time I got to my hotel room. I went down the street 2 blocks, to a place claiming to be a “Restaurant and Alehouse”. It wasn’t actually either of those things. It was a fast food joint with teenagers running the place.
• I ordered a beer, and they asked for my driver’s license. Really? Unfortunately, I had just switched over to the official CA DMV digital license. It’s an app on my phone. My physical license was back in my hotel room. I almost didn’t get a beer. I almost left. Luckily, manual data entry worked, and I got my beer, fish tacos and dessert. I indulged myself. Actually, the food was pretty good.

The Bike Ride

The Virgin River Trail follows the Virgin River through the city of St. George in the southwest corner of Utah, comprised of a 32 Mile trail, along the Headwall of the Virgin River. The trail provides spectacular views of the Pink Cliffs and Zion National Park.

• In the morning, I drove 3 miles to Sullivan Park, and unloaded my bike. The north-bound trail goes through some gorgeous canyons. The south-bound route goes outside St. George to a small town called Bloomington. Nice easy ride. Uneventful.

• I saw 4 roadrunners, 1 quail, 1 rabbit, 1 snake (4ft long), 3 horses and 10 cows.
• The morning was cool and clear. By 1pm it was 92 degrees and I was getting burnt. I wanted to ride farther, but the sun finally broke me down. 44.4 miles was good enough.

FACT: Air temperature is the same in the sun or shade. It’s solar radiation hitting our bodies which makes it feel hotter. On average, solar radiation makes the air feel 10-15 degrees warmer than it actually is. DON’T I KNOW IT!!!!!!