Today was our last day of riding which was a little bittersweet. I am truly excited to come home but I am also sad to end the adventure for now. I have seen so much, learned so much about the states we have travelled through, been incredibly supported by family and friends (big shoutout to Marie) and learned a lot about myself. More to come on all of that.

We started the day at Three Bears cafe known for its breakfast, especially the cinnamon rolls which are considered a meal unto themselves. The restaurant was quiet and a lovely young lady served us and engaged in conversation. We told her despite seeing signs for the last 100 miles about elk crossing we were disappointed that we only had had one encounter. She told us about Black Canyon Lake where we would most likely see elk and wild horses and said it was only a small detour off our planned bike route. She drew us a map and then we all enjoyed a nice breakfast and Dale got the cinnamon roll which was truly a meal unto itself.

After breakfast we headed to Black Canyon Lake. The first two miles were easy biking and then we hit the gravel road that we biked for the next 9.5 miles. It took us about 2 hours which is more than 2X longer than it usually takes for that distance. Fortunately both bikes had gravel type tires and the road was relatively flat but it was hard biking slogging through thick gravel and sand for most of the ride. However, it was worth it as the scenery was beautiful, we saw three herds of wild horses, and a large herd of mule deer while riding to the lake. Marie also saw the wild horses while slowly driving to the lake. Given the difficulty of biking on the gravel and the time it took, we put the bikes in the truck and drove the five miles out to Rt 260 to continue biking to Payson. The area was filled with RVs and campers as it is Easter weekend and we are guessing many took a long weekend and the National forest from Heber to Payson is a picturesque area to camp. We realized quickly that there was no (!) shoulder on Rt 260 heading west and the traffic traveling at 65-70 mph was heavy with RVs and trucks. We decided to wait to bike until we found a shoulder on the road which was about 10 miles west which was a little disappointing. During the drive the peak elevation was 7700 feet and we were headed to Payson with an elevation of 5400 feet. Therefore, a large majority of the ride once we got on the bikes was down the mountain with a few uphills to keep us on our toes. We safely arrived in Payson which marked the end of this leg of the adventure.

Payson and the surrounding area is beautiful and an outdoor person’s paradise. There are lots of places to hike, swim and kayak. Plus the town has a wonderful city park with stocked lakes and elk and blue heron walking around freely which we enjoyed seeing. We went out for a celebratory dinner at a recommended restaurant which was walking distance from our hotel. We all left happy and sated.