Colorado Cruiser: Utah National Parks Ride

We stayed at my Aunt's home the first night. I slept with the windows open, Kyle slept with the windows closed. I felt great and slept like a baby, Kyle woke up sweating 3 times. Age and wisdom has its advantages.

For breakfast, I bought a V8 and a breakfast burrito at the Gopher Mart. It really wasn't too bad. Kyle had just a bit of my burrito and an orange juice and felt ill for a while. He doesn't think it was the food, he thinks it's any food early in the morning.

The temperature was great as we left, probably in the low 60s.

We didn't take the fastest way from Blanding to Kayenta across the reservation, instead we stayed on the highway and headed for Mexican hat. Just before we got to Mexican Hat we turned right into Goosenecks state park. The San Juan river cut deep waving canyons through the soft soil of the plateau. The park is out on a point overlooking 3 of these loops.

We didn't stay long because the heat was already coming on.

We did stop as we entered Monument Valley for the famous photo of the road crossing the valley then climbing into the rock formations.

Today we are to meet up with my nephew Tanner. He is riding up from Phoenix and will meet us in Page. He got up at 4:00 Arizona time (5:00 Utah time). So he was several hours ahead of us. He texted me his progress and a couple of times even managed to get through on my cell phone. I have my iPhone hooked into my motorcycle's intercom system so I can answer the phone and talk while riding.

Kyle and I thought we might stop in Kayenta for something to eat, but decided to keep going so we didn't make Tanner wait too long.

The temperature easily crossed into the 90s as we left Kayenta. It was getting so warm and uncomfortable that I finally stopped worrying about taking pictures and just tried to get to page.

As we turned onto highway 98 we got a little relief from the heat when we climbed up onto a mesa, but it was short lived.

We finally got to Page and met up with Tanner in the McDonalds. We sat in the blissful cool for almost an hour nursing our lunch, but we had to get out eventually and continue on to Kanab.

The wind really picked up as we got out on the highway. I slowed our speed down a bit and started picking up allot of cars behind us. Fortunately there were quite a few passing zones to let the cars around us, but we still pulled over every so often to let them pass.

We found our hotel in Kanab and I went to check us in. I had a double room and asked the lady for a rollaway, but she offered to put us into a triple room for the same price. When she said triple room, she meant it. It was a hotel room with 3 beds in 3 different rooms, very nice. AND OH THE AIR CONDITIONING. We all took a good rest for a couple of hours. Of course I wasted much of my time uploading photos and writing these trip reports.

We went walking around town when the temperatures dropped at 5:30. We browsed through a clothes and nick nack store that I have been to before. Lots of turquoise jewelry, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, John Wayne memorabilia, Western clothes, and goofy statuettes.

They owners have opened a BBQ restaurant since I was last here so we decided to give it a try. They sell smoked meat by weight, laid out on a sheet of paper similar to Texas BBQ places I've been. But the meat is kept in steam heaters rather than in a smoke pit. Its not quite the same when the guy pulls a stainless steel pan out of the oven and peels back some saran wrap to get the meat.

I ordered 1/4 lb of pulled pork and a baked potato, but Kyle and Tanner got 1/2 lb each of brisket and corn. I felt stuffed when I got done but they were both struggling just to breath.

On the walk back to the hotel we passed a movie theater. Eclipse was showing for $5. Kyle and Tanner are there now, I'm sure crying over whether Bella will wind up with Edward. I went and bought Gatorade to refill the ice chest, charge all the electronics, and write this report.

It's about 9:00 and I'm heading to bed.

Tomorrow is Zions National Park and a Shakespeare play in Cedar City.

G'night.

Day 2 ready to ride