Pics: Jolivot children Jules, Marisk and Fostine; parents Florence and Joel; Lucy and Barb at Dam Store and Snow Canyon State Park.
On April 5, 2009 Barb and I started a four-day "shake down" tour from my home in Hurricane to Mesquite, NV and back in preparation for our big cross-country adventure this summer. My bicycle and all the stuff I carried weighed in at about 75 lbs. Barb's was about the same. Day one we rode 35 miles from my house to Snow Canyon State Park in Ivins, UT to camp the first night. It was pretty hilly riding, but the weather cooperated and we made it into camp before 3:00 pm. Several of my friends from the St. George area rode up the canyon to our camp to wish us well. Day two, we rode 50-miles from Snow Canyon to Mesquite without any great issues. In fact, once we topped Utah Hill on "Old Highway 91" it was downhill for fourteen miles without touching a crank! The cacti and wild flowers were beginning to bloom along the road. We stopped at the Beaver Dam for a rest and pictures at the Dam Store, Dam Bar and Dam Deli. We stayed the night with an old friend of Barb's in Mesquite. Day three we rode back from Mesquite to Ivins. The day was much hotter and the climb over Utah Hill seemed much more challenging. Unaccustomed to riding in the dry desert heat, Barb "bonked" due to not enough water and nourishment. So we called for a ride in for her at the top of Utah Hill. As I crested the top of Utah Hill after a long climb, there were bicycles and people! It was a French family of five who are bicycling around the world. There under a juniper tree on a tarp were the three children ages 12, 9, and 5 doing their schoolwork. Naturally, I jumped into a whirlwind of questions for these amazing cyclists who spoke pretty good English. Since "daylight was burning" and I needed to get to my overnight stop in Ivins, we traded calling cards and I invited the Jovolet's to stay at my house when passing through Hurricane in a couple of days. I continued all the way to Ivins by bicycle. Day four Barb was recovered so we rode the 35 miles back to my home in Hurricane without any problems. We cycled a total of 175 miles in four days. What we learned: carry more water than you think you will need; eat and drink before you feel the need; lighten that load!
