Feeling refreshed after a night in a hotel we get an early start to the day, it doesn’t matter much as it’s still over 30 degrees by 11. The ride is made much more enjoyable by the stunning scenery and more interesting with our mile by mile history tour. The 25kms to Urivan campsite is easy enough and it turns out there was plenty of space left but apon reading the history of the area we decide that skipping on the extra radiation was probably a good choice regardless. The information board tells us there used to be a town of over 400 that worked in the uranium mines but due to reclamation and environmental clean up the residents were evicted and the town shredded and buried underground, there are still signs up warning of radioactive materials....
The former uranium mines behind us we carry on to the hanging flume, the regents of a 13mile wodden flume that was designed to produce the water pressure needed to mine gold. The flume is in disrepair but it’s stil possible to see sections cloning to the cliff face hundreds of feet above the river. The whole project was extremely expensive and never turned a profit in the end.
By noon sits over 37 degrees and there is very little to no shade until mile marker 91 where we are thrilled to roll into a little oasis surrounding the spring. The guidebook says it’s been a focal point of travelers for years and I can see why. we loiter a while, take naps and enjoy a good lunch before loading up and carrying on in the hot sun to Gateway. Gateway is a really odd place in that it’s almost entirely owned by one rich television producer. Every person we see in town has a name tag from the resort... it’s a little odd but everyone is lovely and the general store allows us to hang out for hours in the shade. After a while another bikepacking group shows up who are riding the San Juan hut system. They are complaining about heat and lack of showers and seriously considering the $700 per night price tag for the resort... we give them exactly zero sympathy and they eventually head off to their fully stocked hut and we head off into the dry wash to
Don’t need to warn me to stay out
Fantastic lunch in the desert oasis
Stunningly good beer selection in a tiny town, the manager is obviously a beer guy !
Beer in the wash
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