Day 8: It Never Rains in Utah?

We arose early in Mesquite and hopped back on I-15 with the intent of reaching St. George, Utah after breakfast at the most healthy establishment in the land, McDonalds.  This was a crucial part of the journey and we had been given strict instruction from our cousins to stay away from Red Gorge Road.  Apparently there was no shoulder and trucks flew past us.  This was our goal, we failed.  We drove straight into the trap that had drawn us.  We had discussed route options with several locals that morning but everyone gave us the ok, and even commented that it was done all the time.  After traveling about fifteen miles down the interstate we could see the cars disapearing into the mountain in what appeared to be a Red Gorge.  This alarmed us so we pulled over at Desert Springs Arizona to asked a few men a tow truck shop and they too, waved us on with confidence.  The sign soon red Virgin River Gorge, but not Red Gorge Road, and we were still on the interstate so things had be alright, right?  Nope we soon realized this was the gorge and as our shoulder slipped away a light rain began to fall as if in some kind of Hollywood film.  We narrowly and cautiously wound our way through the gorge until Lyle noticed he again had a flat tire and it was at this point that the cold rain and wind began to whip through the gorge that bound us.  Trying to fix the flat proved quite challenging while shivering so we intended to hitch hike our way into Utah.  After being rejected for about and our a man named David who owned a fuel distribution company came storming to our rescue in his big Dodge pickup truck.  He couldn't have come at a better time as all of us were feeling very very drained at our ordeal.  After being dropped off in St. George we warmed ourselves up inside of Burger King while grabbing lunch a well making a some contacts for later on.  When we had finally dried off we headed back out only to realize that the gorge had also given Steve and Jody flats as well.   We began changing these tires while the rain once again ensued.  Since St. George was a sizable town we hit up the local bike shop to resupply ourselves with tubes and patches.  Steve also for the second time bought new pedals for his bike which had once again been giving him trouble.  Our progress had been very slow and at times depressing but one thing we have been learning is you just have to get back on the bike and ride, things will get better, just keep striving onward.  The rain began to fall again as we headed on towards our new goal of Hurricane or Urrican as the locals call it Utah.  We had met a couple named Jim and Sondra and they lived in Hurricane.  We arrived at their doorstep around 6pm very cold, wet and tired, but we were soon warmed by their generosity and hospitality.  They made sure we were well fed, showered, and we slept in the warm, dry comfort of their living room with hope of reaching Zion National Park in the morning.
Miles 63, Cold and Rainy 3 Flats