After our final morning at Curt Gowdy, it was off to Laramie for lunch and supplies. We had to stock up for several more days of camping. Our destination was the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area on the Wyoming-Utah border. My parents visited the area last year and had nothing but good things to say about it so we decided to check it out for ourselves. We passed through Green River, WY in the afternoon, but did not have enough time to stop and ride this year if we wanted to set up camp before dark. With the back of the truck loaded with stuff, I really didn't want to just leave it sitting on some desert backroad unattended while we rode.
It was a little disappointing not to ride Green River, but we were rewarded when we got to the Flaming Gorge. It is the typical Wyoming landscape as you leave Green River, then the hills start to get bigger as you approach the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. You can see the water in the distance for most of the drive as Hwy. 530 parallels the long, narrow waterway. As you cross into Utah and turn onto Hwy. 44, you get the first taste of the gorge. There's a great descent through gnarly rock formations, followed by a massive climb out of the gorge to one of the best overlooks I have ever set foot on.
The western end of the Flaming Gorge from the Hwy. 44 overlook
One of the bends on the climb to the overlook. This was instantly added to the ride list after the drive up.
We enjoyed the afternoon sun on the gorge for a while, then proceeded on towards the Canyon Rim Campground, our home for the next few days. Hwy 44. features many signs for cow crossings. When they post a sign, they mean it. There was a herd of cows just beyond every single sign we passed. We found a nice, quiet spot near the back of the campground and set up just before dark.
We were up the next morning before the sun popped over the mountains. We went for a quick hike around the campground and found out why they call it Canyon Rim Campground. We were literally camping on the edge of the gorge. There were beautiful views right across the street from our campsite. We hiked to a few viewpoints and saw some bighorn sheep on the way back.
Looking out of the tent into the Flaming Gorge forest. Quite the landscape change from the Wyoming desert we drove through coming in.
The morning sun about to top the mountains on the east side of the gorge
View of the gorge from the edge of the campground
Bighorn sheep
Another gorge viewpoint along our hike
I had noticed a big wobble in my rear wheel on the Remedy when we were unloading the bikes. I used our bike rack to set up a makeshift truing stand in the back of the truck. Wheels are definitely my weakest area in bike maintenance, but I am getting much better at them and was able to true the wheel up and it held up for the rest of the trip. While I was working, we were visited by a large group of bighorn sheep. People in the campground were going crazy over these sheep! Our campsite became a gathering point for sheep watchers. People were parking in the middle of the road and just sitting there watching the sheep. At first glance, the sheep seemed wild, but then I noticed GPS tracking devices on the neck's of some of the bigger sheep. They were free-range farm sheep. Still cool, but not as much as seeing something wild.
On-the-road truing stand
Sheep visitation
Bikes and sheep
After breakfast, it was time to ride! We drove down to the first entrance into the gorge on Hwy. 44 and I hopped out for some road miles, starting with the Sheep Creek Geological Loop. It's a highway tour through Sheep Creek Canyon, which is filled with different rock formations and passes by the Uinta Faultline. Then you climb out of the canyon to the top of the mountain through several different landscapes with views everywhere you look. The loop starts rough as it goes through private land, then you enter the National Recreation Area and get smoother pavement. That's also when the climbing and views appear.
Starting into Sheep Creek Canyon
The landscape changes from rock cliffs to forest as you climb
One of the best signs you will ever see as an adventuring bike rider
Me climbing out of the canyon
I took my time up the initial climb, enjoying the views and the twisty road. I saw maybe two cars on this road. It was 9.8 miles of climbing to the top, gaining 2118 ft. of elevation from 6208 ft. to 8326 ft. The road flattened out through the forest on top of the mountain, then I was treated to a brief, but fast descent back to Hwy. 44.
From the top of the Sheep Creek Geological Loop climb
Forest on top of the mountain
Back to Hwy. 44 and another great view
I decided to turn left on Hwy. 44 and go back towards my starting point. I had a short descent and climb to negotiate before getting to the Sheep Creek Overlook we had stopped at the day before. The plan was for Shannon to drive to the overlook and watch me descend into the gorge. Then I would turn around and climb back out, passing by the overlook again. It was a great picture spot because you can see nearly the entire climb from the overlook. I guess I was faster than expected. I got over the small climb and was onto the main descent before she got parked at the overlook. So, she missed me going into the gorge. The descent was fun. I held a steady 42-45 mph and had a little fun in a few of the corners. There was little traffic so cars were not an issue. I had the GoPro on, getting some great video on the way down.
Still shot from the GoPro as I descend toward the water
The descent took me back to the north end of the Sheep Creek Geological Loop where I initially started my ride. I was planning to turn around there, but remembered there was one cool little climb ahead if I continued on Hwy. 44 toward the town of Manila. I decided to go on up the climb as it was only 1.3 miles long. My legs felt good so I hammered the whole thing, taking 4th overall on Strava, just 16 seconds off Jeff Louder's time. I tried to text Shannon at the top to let her know I did a little extra, but I had no service.
Climbing toward Manila through the rocks
Descending back into the gorge from the GoPro
Once I dropped back into the gorge, it was time for the long climb back up to the overlook where Shannon was waiting. Again, I felt good and went hard up the climb. It was a steady 4.2 miles up to the overlook, with a steeper section right at the end. I was again 4th on Strava, 1:02 off Louder's time. I was happy to be that close to a real Pro on a climb like this. The climb gains 1438 ft. in those four miles.
As I passed by the overlook, I saw Shannon walking away towards the truck. I assumed she had taken plenty of pictures and was heading for the truck so she could meet me at the top. It was a hot day and I was really sweating on the way up. I got to the top and it was very windy. I started to get cold as I waited for Shannon. I wanted to continue over the next two smaller climbs and continue riding back toward the campground. I waited. And I waited. Shannon never came. I tried calling and no service yet again. I did not want to descend back to the overlook, but I had to do it to see where she was. I found her there waiting for me. Turns out she thought I had not even descended yet because she missed me on my way down. When I saw her walking away, she was going to the truck for a map to help some people that were lost. She had taken a picture of me after that when I was on the steep finish section, but did not think it was me.
There I go in the distance. guess it is kind of hard to tell that it's me from this far away.
I was still feeling good, so I went back down and did the climb again so she could get pictures. It hurt more the second time up, but at least I knew she could see me this time. Then we continued on over two more smaller climbs before I finally got in the truck after a total of 41.1 miles and 7692 ft. of climbing.
Descending into the Flaming Gorge on Hwy. 44
Climbing out of the Flaming Gorge
I ate and got changed as Shannon drove us over to the east side of the park to the Flaming Gorge Dam where we took the dam tour. We learned a lot about dam construction, a lot of dam facts and even saw some dam fish. All dam jokes aside, it was an awesome tour. The Flaming Gorge Dam really is one of the man-made marvels that leaves you wondering how we ever pulled off this sort of monstrosity. The Green River was originally a small river about 20 feet deep. It passed through a deep canyon in the gorge that turned out to be a perfect location for a dam. The dam is massive to say the least. The amount of concrete it holds is enough to pour a four-lane highway from the dam to Salt Lake City, which is about 130 miles. It takes 100 years to cure that much concrete. The dam is 50 years old, so the concrete is not even hard all the way through yet. The guide told us that lovely little fact as we stood on the top edge of the dam hanging over the gorge. She then followed that up with facts about it leaking. Turns out the dam weeps 256 gallons per minute. And it's actually moving down the canyon from the immense water pressure. They have guide posts embedded in the cliffs throughout the canyon that are used as reference points to measure the movement of the dam. Scary stuff to think about when you are standing on the edge. JFK authorized the building of the dam. It took 12 years for the water to back up and form what is now 92 miles of reservoir that is over 250 feet deep in places.
We found it interesting that they brought up environmental issues often during the tour. The guide said that the EPA would never allow such a dam to be built today due to the many regulations now in place. The dam does produce a lot of power and provide a lot of water storage for places that do not receive a lot of rainfall, but it did drastically change the environment. All the native fish that lived in the 20 feet of water in the river could not survive in the frigid temperatures now seen in the 250 feet of water in the reservoir. They defended the need for the dam by talking about how dam functions are "all for the fish." Trout thrive in colder water and were released into the reservoir after the native fish died out. It was a weak defense when you consider the fish that they are "all for" are there because all the other fish were wiped out by the changes the dam produced. Trout are a much bigger money-maker for the area as well. They bring in lots of fisherman. I think it's less "about the fish" and more "about the money." But saying it's "all for the fish" and talking about trout sure does sound a lot better than telling the story about how you killed all the native fish.
The upper side of the Flaming Gorge Dam
View from the top of the dam
Looking down from the top of the dam
Inside the dam
From the bottom
We found it interesting that they brought up environmental issues often during the tour. The guide said that the EPA would never allow such a dam to be built today due to the many regulations now in place. The dam does produce a lot of power and provide a lot of water storage for places that do not receive a lot of rainfall, but it did drastically change the environment. All the native fish that lived in the 20 feet of water in the river could not survive in the frigid temperatures now seen in the 250 feet of water in the reservoir. They defended the need for the dam by talking about how dam functions are "all for the fish." Trout thrive in colder water and were released into the reservoir after the native fish died out. It was a weak defense when you consider the fish that they are "all for" are there because all the other fish were wiped out by the changes the dam produced. Trout are a much bigger money-maker for the area as well. They bring in lots of fisherman. I think it's less "about the fish" and more "about the money." But saying it's "all for the fish" and talking about trout sure does sound a lot better than telling the story about how you killed all the native fish.
Trout below the dam
Bridge on Hwy. 191 from an overlook near the dam
After our dam tour and checking out a few more overlooks, it was back to the campground for dinner. But riding was not over for the day. After dinner, I pulled out the Racer-X and hit the Canyon Rim Trail that passes through the campground. It was labeled as a family trail, great for all levels of mountain bikers. I wanted to scout it so Shannon and I could ride it the following morning. It started with some rocks, but the views made the rocks more than tolerable. You literally rode the rim of the canyon.
First overlook on the Canyon Rim Trail
Bumpy trail
The further the trail went along, the less I liked it. The course began to take me away from the canyon and the nice views disappeared. The trail was all rocks. And I mean all rocks. There was no section longer than about 30 feet that wasn't a rock garden. It was far from family-friendly and definitely not something I would take Shannon on. I pressed on to see the full trail, but came up a little short of making it. I flatted on a sharp rock and had to turn back because I was losing daylight. I took a spur off the main trail and it turned out to be much better, taking me by the beautiful Greens Lake with some great mountain and sunset views. I didn't mind missing that last bit of trail. This was the rockiest trail I have ever been on and I was glad to be done.
Day 2 at Flaming Gorge was a bit more mellow. We went to church in the tiny town of Dutch John near the dam, then I went out for an easier afternoon road ride. I rode from our campground to the dam, then past Dutch John toward Wyoming on Hwy. 191. Then rode back There's a nice six-mile descent when you turn onto 191, dropping 1400 ft. to the dam. Then you get a small climb before and after Dutch John, each with some nice views. I also added in the climb from the boat ramp that is located below the dam. It's a short, but steep little addition to the ride that made the legs hurt. The descent was a bit frustrating today due to cars. The speed limit was 40 mph. I was doing 43 mph and still a car shot by me just before the twisty curves began and I had to follow them all the way down. Cars can be so annoying!
Storm clouds raced me back to the campground, but the rain never came. We sat outside around a campfire and enjoyed another beautiful evening and sky full of stars. I still can't get over how clear the sky is here and how many stars you can see.
Greens Lake
View from the Canyon Rim Visitor's Center where the Canyon Rim Trail ends
Day 2 at Flaming Gorge was a bit more mellow. We went to church in the tiny town of Dutch John near the dam, then I went out for an easier afternoon road ride. I rode from our campground to the dam, then past Dutch John toward Wyoming on Hwy. 191. Then rode back There's a nice six-mile descent when you turn onto 191, dropping 1400 ft. to the dam. Then you get a small climb before and after Dutch John, each with some nice views. I also added in the climb from the boat ramp that is located below the dam. It's a short, but steep little addition to the ride that made the legs hurt. The descent was a bit frustrating today due to cars. The speed limit was 40 mph. I was doing 43 mph and still a car shot by me just before the twisty curves began and I had to follow them all the way down. Cars can be so annoying!
Climbing to Dutch John
Rocky landscape on this side of the gorge
Other side of the dam
View of the dam from the boat ramp
Green River
Climbing up the steep boat ramp access road
Storm clouds raced me back to the campground, but the rain never came. We sat outside around a campfire and enjoyed another beautiful evening and sky full of stars. I still can't get over how clear the sky is here and how many stars you can see.
Dark clouds moving in
I filmed most of my descents during the two road rides around the gorge. Highlights are posted below if you want a taste of the fun I had.
Video: Highlights of riding around the Flaming Gorge
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