Zoey and I completed our most scenic and challenging overnighter yet, at probably our favorite Utah National Park: Capitol Reef. Ditch & Stan; 27.5x2.2, 38/11-51. The tires and the gearing was about as good as it could be. We should’ve ridden lower pressure during the first half of the loop, the roads were way sandier than described. We lowered the pressure for the second half and it was quite nice, but that half wasn’t as sandy as expected which was a gift. Honestly, the toughest part of the journey was the 10 mile paved section back to our car at the end of the loop! the LONG steep grades, despite being smooth pavement, we’re killer after riding 60 miles through the desert. We started the loop at the river crossing, riding the route clockwise as recommended by most. The river was cold but simple to cross. The sand on the other side of the river feature huge cougar paw prints, which was very cool to see. The spring later on was flowing nicely. It was a hard 29 mile ride to get to the Cathedral Valley Campground but the valley and mountain fall Aspen views and the condition of the campsite were well worth it. There were mystery biting flies at the campground that were annoying, but not upsetting. Riding into Cathedral Valley the next day was the stuff of dreams. You could never really understand or appreciate the spectacular beauty of being in that place unless you are actually there. Seeing the old ranching infrastructure was neat, and pulling off to spend time at Glass Mountain and eat lunch under the Temple of the Sun and Moon was well worth it. We met a few other cyclists that we played leapfrog with, they were very friendly. We saw a handful of 4x4’s and motorbikes the second day, we even ran into the same auto tourist twice the second day, the second time he gave us delicious peanut candy! We only had one real technical issue; Zoey’s front tire became unseated just a couple miles into the second day! Luckily we had a spare tube. We had to run higher pressure then was ideal, so we swapped bikes so that I could take on the high pressure tire in the sand challenge. We packed more than enough food and snacks, and exactly the right amount of water which I was nervous about (having to carry all the water you need in the desert is harrowing but rewarding). I was also a little nervous about getting one of the 6 or so spots at the campground, since you can only camp at designated campsites in national parks and that was the only site on the entire loop. But getting there about an hour before sunset proved to be the key because more than half the sites were open. The ride and the adventure was absolutely wonderful. I’m so glad we did it! Major bucket list item checked off. I feel like I have conquered Utah. I can’t wait for our next bikepacking trip, hopefully this time on a less challenging surface and with plenty of water sources. Ha!