Boulder, Utah and Chotochrome Basin

We have been WiFi deprived for the past couple days- so I will try and catch up but we have a weak signal currently so pics may have to come later.


From our Bryce Canyon campsite, we packed up and road out toward Boulder, Utah. Boulder is an earthly town of 180 tucked away in an outdoorsman’s paradise. Several people in town live in yorts- 10-16ft cylindrical homes tucked away in the woods. We climbed enough elevation in the morning to spend the second 20 miles just coasting through a beautiful valley. We then climbed again and twisted cautiously through the bends and turns down Chotochrome Basin- so named because of the many colors of soil and rocks native to Utah.

The residents of Boulder were excellent hosts and put us up in homestays for the night. Jesson and I stayed in a minimalistic ranch home overlooking 2 million acres of preserved land. Ace, who currently lives on the property, cooked us a nice meal and made us feel at home. The ranch home was like a rustic ski cabin that made sure you felt detached from reality while staying there, but had enough amenities to not feel like you were roughing it. Ace has lived in town for a couple years, but spends several months per year internationally in Somalia, Tibet, etc. where he works as a photographer of medical mission trips. He also does some adventure shooting for brands such as the North Face and Marmot. Ace’s place didn’t have a television and he spent most of his time worrying about international affairs, his next backwoods backpacking adventure, and making sure Gingus Khan (his dog) was happy. During dinner, we watched the horses prance by and deer jump his fence to graze 15 ft outside the window.

In the morning, we woke up to the slightest snowfall. We headed to the town lodge which hosted us for breakfast. The local expert outdoorsmen/cyclists informed us that there was zero chance of us riding over Boulder Mountain today as heavy snow is expected until Friday. So after breakfast, we delivered a lecture to Boulder Elementary School (12 kids) and packed everyone and everything up into the vans as the ground became snow covered. Disappointingly, this was supposed to again be an incredibly scenic day of riding.