Jumping girls and Creamsicle drip castles

68. Today's ride was like an M. Up down up down. I woke up at 530 and couldn't fall back asleep so at six figured I would just get up and get on the road. Of course I had to fix a FLAT fist. I was on the road a good hr earlier then normal which was great, but that first hr was freezing. I was having trouble getting in a rhythm. Once it warmed up I got going. The first up hill was very gradual for 18 mi. I hated gradual hills I always feel I'm going slow for no reasons. I was getting really hungry and decided I would eat my 3 leftover pieces of pizza at the rest area at the top of the hill.as I neared the top I noticed something blue appear and then disappear. A minute later it happened again. I saw it four times at about one minute intervals. When I got to the top I realized it was two girls and one had a blue shirt. Right as I got off my bike they both jumped and then a camera on a rock clicked. The blue i had been seeing was the girls trying to task a picture of themselves jumping using a auto timer on the camera. Having experience in taking picture of girls jumping I offered to help. They would have been there all day using the timer. even with me taking the pic it to 3 more tries till we got a good one. The two girls were from Switzerland. One had quit her job to travel and one was between Jobs. We chatted for a while and they filled  up my water for me. Iv found that when bike touring the majority of the people you interact with are over 45. So it was nice to chill with people my own age. After leaving this rest spot I got a nice long  down hill. At a stop I took in Henrieville I saw a older guy getting out of a van in biking attire so I chatted him up. He and eight other people were doing a 9 day fully supported tour. He was pretty impressed with himself, his 16 pound bike, the 80 mi they did the first day and his second home in Utah. Being my father's son I had to slip in that the day before I did 102 mi. There was so much I wanted to say to this jamoke but kept by mouth shut. Like for starters why was he in his bike clothes eating power bars off if it was his turn to drive all day. Anyways the next part of the day was a really steep uphill that went though Brice canyon national park. To be honest I didn't really do much planning or research for this trip so I keep hitting things I had no clue I was gonna see brice was one of these. I am so glad I did see it because it was amazing. It is full of these incredible orange and white rock structures that look like drip castles made by giants really cool. I eventually made it to panguitch and got a camp site. There was another biker there who was just finishing a 10 day tour and was meeting his wife that night then they were going to zion. I was chilling with them around a camp fire they had made. When you are touring you spend a lot of time on your bike seat and this can really do a numbered on your ass. Im talking soreness and bad chafing. The dude and I were discussing this. I was telling him about this chafing lubricant, chamois butter that I use. He was telling me for him it was all about finding the sweet spot on the seat. Out of no where the guys wife starts cracking up. Through her laughter she says " I never thought I would be sitting around a camp fire listening to two grown men discussing ass cream and finding the sweet spot." We all got a good chuckle. Then sleep.
-NEO