Cave Dwellers/Mexican Hat

Today was good. We left the hotel and headed to Canyonlands National Park. With it being only about 30 miles NW of Moab, it was an easy ride to the park.

Islands in the Sky is a good description of the area. Beautiful!! Canyons all over the place. Colors that were astounding. Just fantastic! We went to every vantage point there, and all were fantastic.

From there, we went to Dead Horse Point State Park. Again, just beautiful. These areas out in the West are something to see. A good visit.

After Dead Horse Point, we headed back to Moab. Riding down towards town, I could feel the heat waves as we went lower to the main road. It felt like opening the door of an oven and feeling the heat rush out. In Moab it was hot as we stopped for an unremarkable lunch.

After lunch, we headed south towards Natural Bridges National Monument. The highway south of Moab was under construction in several areas, and we had to wait on traffic several times, each time broiling in the sun. The construction ended and we made good time then.

We didn’t know what to expect there, but found that the natural bridges were actually arches. Don’t ask me why they are arches in one park and natural bridges in another.. There’s probably a reason, but it escapes me.

After the park, we headed south towards the Grand Canyon. The roads were fast, and we stopped at a couple Indian ruins along the way. One of them was pretty interesting; cliff dwellers who lived in small caves in the cliffs. Pretty neat, but a hard way to live.

We turned south to Hwy 261, a two lane road that ran for about 36 miles. It was a good road to make good time, but about 2/3 down the road, it turned to dirt for a 3 mile section. We knew about the dirt and I hoped it would not be too difficult for me. In the end, it was easy, with the 3 mile section being downhill with switchbacks that were paved. No problem.

We rode on towards the Grand Canyon but decided to stop Mexican Hat, Ut. It was a neat place, and we chose an old motel, the San Juan Inn. It was carved out of red rock, and sat above the San Juan River, on a sheer bluff. Very picturesque. Had all of the amenities we needed except Internet (hence no post for Tuesday night until Wednesday).

Good restaurant on-site, and good dinner and breakfast (3 of the biggest, thickest pancakes I’ve ever seen!). A good stop.
286 miles today.

Arches National Park

Today it was HOT!! We left Salt Lake City and headed south towards Moab. The ride there was easy, but man was it HOT. The temperature hovered between 95 and 100 degrees after we left I-15 and got on Hwy 6.

We rode to Arches National Park and decided that a hotel room was more important than seeing the park, so we rode into town and decided on the Best Western in downtown Moab. It was a nice place with great air conditioning. We talked about staying in the room and drinking beer, but decided that we hadn’t ridden over 3,000 miles to stay in the room and drink beer.

So, we geared up again and rode back to Arches and went into the park. WOW! There aren’t words to describe the park. It was beautiful and magnificent at the same time. The arches were neat, but the rocks, in varying shades of red, brown and yellow were something to see. And it was HOT!

We walked to several of the arches, but soon tired of walking in the heat. It was worth the effort and time to go to Arches.

After Arches, we jumped in the pool, showered, and decided to eat at the Moab Brewery. I asked the front desk clerk how far it was to the restaurant, and was told it was 7 blocks. So, we started walking. Seven LONG blocks later, we arrived at the restaurant. It was least a mile from the hotel. The beer and food was good, but it consumed all of the evening, and I ran out of time and energy to write. Hence, this blog is being posted late. We were there on Monday, June 25.

We did 315 miles today.

Day Nine

Today was an easy day. Stayed in bed until 7:30 and had an easy morning in the room.

Got to Miller Motorsports Park just before 11:00am, in time for the first race of the day. We decided to buy an upgrade on our tickets so we could sit in one of the grandstands. We chose the grandstand at turn 1 and took our seats. The grandstand was great. From there, we could see several turns and had a big screen TV straight in front of us. Since Speed was carrying the races, we could see the action live and on the big screen. IN THE SHADE!! At least 20 degrees cooler with the breeze and shade. Some of the best $15 I've spent on this trip.

The races were better today, with my man Miguel Duhummel placing 3rd in the Superbike race in a tight match with Matt Maladin. A very good race.

After the race, we came back to the hotel to wash some items and relax and do the pool.

Tomorrow we leave Salt Lake City headed south towards the Grand Canyon and other sights. After we visit the UPS store to ship some unnecessary items home. As I said earlier, I brought more than I needed, so I'm going to shed some items and create more space in the bags.

73 miles today. So far, it's been 3,394 miles for me. I had projected 6,000 miles for the trip--now I think it will be more like 8,000 before I get home. Hope the chain and rear tire hold out. If not, guess I'll do it along the way.

More tomorrow!

Miller Motorsports Park

Well, today was a fery easy day, riding-wise, having ridden only 107 miles. We rode around a while looking for the local BMW dealership for oil for Gary's 1200GS. After several phone calls and detailed information, we found it. The reason the GPSs would not find it was that it is located in North Salt Lake City, and we were looking in Salt Lake City, an entirely differet place!

Then rode to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Ut. The park was not hard to find, and we bought tickets and went inside the facility.

All in all, I don't like it. It's flat as a pancake and BIG. At 4.5 miles, it's a long track, and with it being so flat, it's hard to see much of the track. The facilities are pretty nice--the place is in its second year, so it's well maintained. One of the strange features is that the racers ride through the same area as the spectators looking around the place; someone's going to get hurt by unknowingly stepping in front of a racer. Bad layout.

The races were mixed. The Superbike race was boring. Spies ran away from the entire field, and Maladin was second and way in front of #3, Zemke. Boring. Race two, the Formula Extreme was better.

It was HOT! Somewhere around 95-98 degrees and no shade anywhere except the stands (and we didn't have tickets for the stands). We were HOT!

Nothing else important happened, so I'll stop.

Tomorrow back to Miller Motorsports Park

Dinosaur National Monument

Well, day 6 was a good, but long day. We rode from Steamboat Springs into Utah, home of the Dinosaur National Monument. It was a nice ride on a 2 lane road with rolling hills and mountains off to each side. A very desolate area, with houses and buildings miles apart for most of the way. Actually, we've been through many miles like that--very sparse population. Guess it's just too dry to support higher population??

Dinosaur was great. We went first to the Canyon Area Visitor Center, still in Colorado. We asked about the park and learned that the main center has sturctural damage and is off-limits. So, no real dinosaur bones to view! Darn!. But since we were there, we made the most of it.

We rode into the park to the Canyon Overlook viewing location. A nice ride, with lots of ups and downs and sweeping curves along the way. It was already hot, but we got pretty high and it cooled off to a comfortable temperature. The ride was great.

The overlook was over the Green River, one of the major river systems in the area. It had carved a canyon through the region and was pretty with green vegetation outlining the water. Very pretty!

We rode the 17 miles back to the center and headed to the Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center, in Jensen, Ut. The ride there was unremarkable except for some fool woman who decided to try to pass a car, not observing that we were coming towards her in our lane. We had just stopped at the Utah state line for a picture and pulled out onto the road. We were on the road for probably 30 seconds when she decided to pass. Gary swerved to the right, which apparently caused her to see him, and she pulled back into line. Stupid! All is okay.

Inside the park, there were two options. One was a 1.5 mile walk to observe some fossils still in place. The other was to ride into the park to the end. We did both.

The walk was good, but hot. We filled up with water and walked the route. Saw a few things that mght have been fossils. Actually, several things were defintiely fossils. And many others might have been. But it was a good experience.

Then we rode to the end of the road, to Josie Morris cabin. It was built by Josie Morris and she lived in it for 50 years, doing it all herself. It was pretty interesting.

The last 3 miles to the cabin were unpaved. Except for one spot, the ride was easy. The one spot was SAND!! Going to the cabin, the spot was squirrley. No problem going to the cabin.

However, leaving the cabin, I can't say the same. We were riding along, in the dirt, gravel and dust (and it was all very dusty), suddenly the bike turned right, then left, then right and again back left ALL BY ITSELF!! I was totally out of control, wondering what all would be torn up from the imminent fall. Hoping I would not be one of the torn up things. Somehow it corrected itself, with my only input to hold on and to make one quick jab with my left leg (which I don't think was smart, but was completelt autonomic--I can't think that fast!) In any case, all was okay, but it was due to God looking after me, not my riding skills.

The rest of the ride back out of the park was pretty and easy.

Having left town, we decided to ride Flaming Gorges National Recreational Area, to the north. A BEAUTIFUL ride, one to do again. I can't describe it to do any justice at all, so I won't try. But it was a do-again ride.

Then on to Salt Lake City. We rode a 2 lane road, pretty fast, with lots of ups and downs and sweeping turns to I-80. Got a hamburger at Burger King and rode into Salt Lake City and the motel.

A long, but good day. 469 miles. Got to the hotel around 10:30pm.

Tomorrow--races at Tooele.

Rocky Mountain National Park

This post is being wrtten two days late, so it will be short. Today we did Rocky Mountain National Park, northwest of Denver.

On the way we stopped at a Home Depot and bought a new bulb for Gary's Motolight. They had one and it was changed in the parking lot. No problem to deal with it.

All in all, I was disappointed in RMNP. It was pretty, and lots of beautiful scenery, but I think it was a case of my expectations being too high. Bear Lake was beautiful--clear water fed by melting snows.

Road construction on the main road was a pain. We sat in one place for half an hour, waiting for our turn to ride. Paving during the tourist time of the year doesn't make sense, but that's what was going on.

Went through one pass at 12,110 feet-cool and pretty.

Like I said, it was nice, but not wonderful.

Saw several Elk near one of the summits, and another single Elk, but just barely. It was several hundred yards away, so we couldn't see much detail. Also saw a large herd of mule deer at one other location.

Having left the park, we rode to Steamboat Springs, Co.

In Steamboat Springs, we rode through town looking for a place to stay. We decided to check out the Western Motel. The owner greeted us and we learned immediately that he was a character. He kidded with us, telling us that one of the house rules was that we couldn't let any girlfriends into the room! That was no problem. He was originally from Switzerland but moved there in 1969 and has owned the motel for 17 years. A nice guy who loves to kid with folks.

The room was adequate. No Internet, but all of the usual things in a motel room. Not bad at all.

295 miles today.

That's it!

Day Five

The Great Sand Dunes were just that--Great! Huge, and weird in that they are at the base of mountains. They are pretty amazing, sand dunes hundreds of feet high in the middle of the mountains.

We left and headed north, towards Pike's Peak. Along the way, on Hwy 17, we had to stop riding to wait on a cattle drive on the highway. There were 2 drovers and one dog driving maybe 200 cattle up the road! While the delay was short, the uniqueness of such was quite a treat. I don't believe you'll see that very often in North Carolina.

Along the way, we had to decide what route(s) to take to get to Pike's Peak. There was one long route that was certain, and another that appeared to have some unpaved road, but much shorter. After some debate, we opted for the adventurous route. A good choice indeed.

The scenery was fabulous along the way. No traffic, just winding 2 lane roads through the forests and farms and ranches. In the end, the maps were wrong--there were no unpaved roads (although we truly used a combination of maps and GPS devices). But we had a great ride.

Pike's Peak was a dream I've had as a kid. I've watched the hillclimbs held there every chance I had, being awed watching the racers fly up the mountain. I've wanted to ride up that mountain all my life. Today I realized that dream.

The fee was $10 to go to the top--a small fee to realize a lifelong dream. We paid and started up the mountain. The road is 19 miles long. I knew some of the road was paved, and some unpaved, but I didn't know how much of either or how difficult the unpaved sections might be.

I don't' particularly enjoy gravel roads. Dirt is fine. But gravel tends to roll under the tires, and the bike is already very top-heavy with me and my gear on it. So, while I do gravel, I don't get a thrill out of it.

All my fears were unfounded. The roads were fairly easy. Fairly steep, too. But no problem. Almost a disappointment--I was thinking it would be more of a challenge, but it was fairly easy.

We rode to the first tourist stop and put on our dry-liners because we knew it would be cold at 14,110 feet. Then we rode on to the top.

About 1/3 of the road is unpaved, but there are several stretches of paved and unpaved surface along the way. AND very few guardrails along the way.

At the top, it was blowing pretty hard, and pretty cold. About 45 degrees! And the air is THIN! The air at 14,000 feet holds 1/2 the ozygen as air at sea level. So, walking across a parking lot made me out of breath and a little light-headed. Not sick. Not in any trouble, but the old hear was beating pretty fast just standing still! A unique experience.

After taking some pics, we rode back down the mountain. Just after leaving the summit, we heard a loud thunderbolt. A few minutes later, I felt the first drop of rain. Great, it is 45 degrees, and it's raining. Then the first ice ball hit my windshield! In another minute, it's hailing on us. I can say that heated grips are great for times like this. Just turn them on and the hands are okay. They were today.

The further we went, the rain and hail ebbed and flowed, but never really bad at any time. The road didn't get slippery, so otherwise the ride down was uneventful.

We rode on into Colorado Springs and jumped on the slab north. Rode to Castle Rock and found a motel with Internet. Had a steak dinner and now finishing the day.

All the gear is in chargers, so bedtime is here.

Oh, 323 miles today, and I think I'm over the gastrointestinal issue!