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Soon you join Panguitch Creek and follow that up to scenic Panguitch Lake. A little more climbing brings you to Mammoth
Creek Road where you turn for the twisty descent through the lava flows to Mammoth Creek Village where you will find the next checkpoint.
Leaving Mammoth you have a series of short climbs separated by spacious meadows, bringing you eventually to Hwy 14. Turning eastward on
Hwy 14 you will enjoy some rolling terrain that drops you at Long Valley Junction at Hwy 89. Here you will turn right heading south on
Hwy 89 where, for the first time today you will leave the Great Basin and enter the Colorado River drainage. You are at the headwaters
of the Virgin River though it may be hard to tell. The lakes and streams here pass through Zion National Park before joining the Colorado
River far downstream. After a short stretch on Hwy 89 you will turn left toward the town of Alton, the location of the next checkpoint.
Alton, just 4 miles off the highway is virtually unknown to the world. It retains the quiet charm of a small town lost in the grand
landscape of the west. Now you will return to Hwy 89 and then north back towards Panguitch. The chances for a prevailing tailwind on this
last leg are good. After you pass Long Valley Junction on your way north you will be back in Great Basin again at the headwaters of the
Sevier River. Imagine these last 30 miles or so following the river with a gentle downhill and a tailwind! Believe it! On your return
to Panguitch you will cruise back through town to the fairgrounds where you will finish into the pavilion. The cheers of your fellow
cyclist and the smell of food will greet you as you finish your adventure. |
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| Photo by Redbikephoto.com | ||
