When I saw these two cyclists approaching from behind me, going in my direction, I decided to try hitchhiking to save some effort (I ride while a cyclist walks, carrying my pack). I must not have held my thumb at the proper angle because the two women rode right past me without slowing down. Maybe I deserved it---before leaving home I had been too lazy to review the proper techniques for flagging down a ride!

As the men-hating women rode off into the distance, forcing me to eat their dust, I resigned myself to having to walk the whole way to my destination. I took solace in the fact that the cyclists would spend their entire day bouncing around on this rough-as-Hell track while I would be exploring smooth sandstone.

This road is known as the Poison Spider Mesa Trail, and this is one of the very smooth sections. My destination is behind the fins directly ahead.