Day 13: Kanab, Utah

Breakfast the next morning was at a grocery store: Bananas, yogurt, and some beartrack donut things. This day's ride would prove to be the most incredible ride I was to experience. My destination was Kanab, Utah, the last stop before I crossed the border into Arizona. During my ride I again had asked God to provide for the day, specifically a place to stay in Kanab. It was a very hot day, 90+ degrees, with wind blowing slightly in the direction I was riding. That means I had no breeze to cool me down as I rode and any rider knows that the heat isn't so bad until you stop riding because of that breeze. I was on this somewhat significant climb and I wasn't going very fast. I stood up on my bike to stretch because my back was really cramped and as I did I slowed way down. I pedaled while standing (something I was advised not to do...) to regain my dismal speed and as I did I warped a four-inch section of my back tire due to a combination of heat and my pedaling, which I didn't know at the moment. I continued up the push and passed a couple of guys on the opposite side of the rode who were on motorcycles. They said, "Man You're crazy! You want a cigarette?" I smiled and waved and saw that the top was near. I started downhill and shortly after beginning this decent I felt a little continuous bump on my bike tire (the 4 inch section that had warped!). I stopped and looked to see that my tire was warped and thought, "Well there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't have another tire, just plenty of tubes. I'll just go slow." And just so you know, it was a wicked-awesome downhill. I continued on and got going about 33 miles an hour, using my brakes when all of the sudden...... "BOOM!" My tire blew!


I started swerving and thought I was going to fall. So I instantly started to pray. I was scared and as I tried to slow down I imagined my leg "meatloafed" from the fall. Well, I didn't fall--thankfully. I considered my options: Walk or attempt some MacGyver fix. You know I didn't want to walk down the beautiful downhill ride, so MacGyver it was. I remembered this trick that Sheila, who I had just met before the trip, told me. She said that "if your tire tread is getting thin, you can take a dollar bill, fold it four ways, and put it in between your tire and your tube and it should help you get to your next stop." I thought, "Well, my tread isn't thin, it has a hole in it, but maybe I can try a couple of dollar bills." So I tried it. I rode for about a half of a mile at about 20 some mph and then "BOOM!"again. I got frustrated and not just with the situation, but with God. Sheila told me of a situation where her tire tread was getting thin and that she made it to the bottom of this hill and then her tire blew. While looking at the newly paved road, my thought went something like this, "Why would you let her make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" I realized what I was thinking and said, "God if you want to provide for me I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." So, since I had blown two tubes, I decided to walk. I had 9 miles to get to Kanab with enough hot water to keep me hydrated and I had hoped that maybe someone might stop to ask me if I needed a ride. There were a number of cars that passed by in the first half mile and nobody stopped. Then I had an idea. I thought, "Maybe, my back tire blew again because it has that extra weight of my trailer pulling down on it. I wonder if I could make it if I switched my tires. But, if it pops up front I don't know if I will be able to control where I go." I prayed again and decided to switch them. Just as I started to pump up my back tire a gentlemen in a white Ford Bronco pulled over. I RAN up to his window and he asked if I needed any help. I said, "I blew a tire." Then he said, "Throw your bike on the trailer and I'll give you a ride into town." (An answer to my prayer of getting to town safely!). I hurried and got it to sit securely and hopped in. His name was Frank and I asked him about campgrounds. He mentioned a couple of different ones that were conveniently close to the bike shop. We talked the whole way to town and I told him a little of what I had seen. I mentioned that I had planned to go see the Grand Canyon, but that I had already seen so many big canyons that I couldn't imagine it being much more exciting. Also, I decided not to go because I was trying to hurry and get to Mesa, Arizona because Bob (whose house I was going to stay in) was preaching that next Sunday. When we got to town I said "If you wouldn't mind dropping me off at the bike shop that would be great." As we pulled into town he said, "You know, if you want to save a few bucks, I have a yard you could stay in." I said, "Yeah! That would be perfect!" We got to the bike shop around 3:30 or 4:00 and it was closed so I looked at the hours and saw that it said they opened at 5:00pm on Friday. I told Frank and he said that I could shower at his place and relax and that we could come back at 5:00. We got to his house, which he told me he and his family had built back in the 80s I think.


It was so amazing, super fancy, and it was a log house. There was a moose mounted inside that he had shot.


He showed me the bathroom that looked like a bathroom in a 5 star hotel and while standing in the bedroom he said, "You can sleep here." I thought, "WHAT!" I asked him, "In here or out there?" He said, "Here" and pointed to this bed that looked really expensive. The bathroom was right there as well and it was kept as nice as a bathroom in a 5 star hotel. Frank went outside to do some rock work (he was coming back from collecting his supply of rock when he picked me up) and I had a chance to shower. After I finished I went outside and helped frank unload some of his rock. It was about 4:30 or so and I asked frank I we could go back to the bike shop. We left and on the way I realized that I had forgotten to grab my money out of my backpack. I said, "Shoot! I forgot to grab money!" He said, "That's ok, we'll put it on my credit card. You can pay me back right?" I said "absolutely" and we continued. We got there and I got out to see that the bike shop was still closed! Frank leaned over and looked through the passenger window. He said, "I think they are closed today." The first time we went to the bike shop I looked at the hours for Friday, but it wasn't Friday, it was Saturday. I quickly apologized and he said, "That's ok. I know the guy who owns the building." So, off we went to this guy's house. When we arrived, he said "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to this guy." So about 15 minutes later he came out and said, "It's this guy's son who owns the shop. We tried about 10 different numbers and couldn't get a hold of him, but I know where he lives so we'll go check it out." We got to the house and believe it or not, the guy we were looking for got home right before we arrived. That was why they couldn't get a hold of him. So Frank went up to the door to tell him the situation and he came running down to the car and said, "Sounds like you need a tire...!" and I just said, "Yeah I do!" "Well lets go!" he said and back down to the shop we went. On our way down there we drove by a Subway so I asked, "Do you think we could stop by Subway after we get the tire because I haven't eaten dinner yet?" He said, "Do you like veggies?" and I said "Yeah." "Are you a vegetarian?" he asked. I said, "no" and he said, "Well I was going to have steak for dinner so we'll stop by the grocery store and pick you up one." I said, "Wow! Thanks!" We made it to the bike shop and the owner was walking around trying to find the size I needed. I'll be honest, all I saw were the type of tires you can get at an Ace Hardware. And the shop wasn't too modern you know, it's a small town. Actually, I'm not sure I saw any new(er) bikes at all! The owner kept sorting through tires saying "Nope that's not the right size....nope....wait, nope. I'm not sure if I have your size, we don't have a lot of road bikes come through here," but he kept looking. All of the sudden he says, "Oh, here's some." Remember that phrase from earlier in my trip? When I ran out of water right before I made it to Loa, Utah? Exactly the same! I said to myself, "I SEE YOU GOD!!!! AND I'M SO THANKFUL YOU'RE HERE!!!" I went to hand him my debit card and he said, "Oh sorry, I'm not set up for that here." I said, "Is there an ATM nearby." He told me where I could go so off Frank and I went to find the ATM. We ended up going quite a ways to this bank all the while the owner is just waiting back at his shop. We got back, I bought the tire, thanked the owner and Frank and I went to the grocery store. We were walking around picking up supplies and Frank says, "You like hominy?" I said, "I've never had it, what is it?" He said, "You'll can try it and if you don't like it you don't have to eat it." Then we went back to get the steak. He grabbed one and said, "I have an idea. What time does the sun set?" I told him that it was setting around 7:45 or 8:00. He said, "Ok. So this is what we'll do. We'll go home, I'll cook dinner and after we're done, I'll take you to see the Grand Canyon." You can imagine how blown away I was!!!! I was so excited and thankful. So we ate dinner out on his beautiful deck and it was gorgeous it. Oh and the hominy was very delicious!


We finished with dinner and headed out. We had great conversation the whole way there and I learned a lot about him, his family and the things that he's into. When we arrived at the tourist center, Frank said "You're going to have to run because the sun is going to set soon!" I did as he said and went as fast as I could. Inside the tourist center were loads of people. I wondered why there were so many but found out that it was because there was no one out looking at the canyon, they were all inside.... It was so perfect. I reached the end of Bright Angel Trail right in time for the sun to drop below the top of the canyon.


It could not have been better. No people. Perfect timing. Accident? Yeah right. Thanks God.







I walked back feeling like you do when you wake up from a great nights sleep. Man, I love thinking about that moment. I found frank, with his camera strapped over his shoulder and we headed back down to his bronco. I could not believe all that had happened leading up to that point. I thought back to when my tire exploded when I said "Why would you let her (Sheila) make it down the fun part of riding, but allow my tire to explode at the top of the hill?" then, "God if you want to provide for me, I will trust you for that. I'm sorry." Do you think He took care of me? Sure He used Frank to bless me abundantly, but how do things like that just "fall" into place. I think they don't. Frank and I returned to his house, said goodnight and goodbye, and I left early that next morning, before the sunrise.


Coming tomorrow...

Red rock, blue lakes, and another Page turned.