UTCO6 – Hanksville
Miles 1.0
Total Ascent 0 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com)
Can you say VEGETATE?
We enjoyed a prolonged and meager continental breakfast at the nextdoor Stan’s Burger Shak. We did enjoy reading the many wall hanging with cheesy and clever witticisms, e.g.:
“I have flabby thighs – it’s a good thing my stomach covers them.”
After breakfast, in the adjacent convenience market, Jack and I slowly explored every item on every shelf. I especially got stuck on all the clever little camping items you can buy, like little pooper scooper shovels and fire starting kits. I don’t shop much – it’s fun to see what people are trying to sell. There was even a confection sold as Road Kill.
Back in the room, we settled on a daylong marathon of “The Mentalist” being shown on one of the few satellite channels that worked on the TV. The desk promised to try and fix the problem, but the set only blinked out periodically, feigning repair, then went back to its limited output.
To eat up time, I decided to do a post from my iPhone, and spent some 3 or 4 hours painstakingly pecking out a brief summary of the first 5 days of riding, even managing to upload a photo from Calf’s Creek Campground. I also spent lots of time emailing, learning about my new iPhone from Jack, and playing an intriguing time-waster game called 100 Floors.
At 5PM we revisited the Bull Mountain Market and stocked up with road food for the ride tomorrow, since there are no services for 50miles. On the ride back, we checked out a steak restaurant beside the RV park as an option. It appears they’re newly opened and hoping for business. But, with all due respect, it seemed there was a weird vibe in there, a misplaced attempt at formality. The place was empty, and well, just felt off-target, as if visitors and motorists in Hanksville aren’t really looking for that type of place at all. Neither were we.
We returned hesitantly to Stan’s Burger Shak for takeout dinner and found the place surprisingly packed, a good sign. And the food easily surpassed that from Blondies. More mindless TV until lights out around 9PM.
We are planning a very early departure tomorrow to beat the heat, and in order to make completely sure we arrive at the lone store on Lake Powell before it closes at 5PM.