The Eclipsing Monumental BIG TRIP!!!

[Grnarrowe]

The Lurker wanted a ride report, so without further ado.......

Let's get to it!

The Prologue

This will be another Grnarrowe/Ears lengthy ride report.

We will cover 13 states, 10 Tour of Honor sites, 9 National parks, 4 National Monuments, 1 National Historic Site, 1 State park and a giant Chicken.
(These numbers may change as I write this and remember that we stopped elsewhere.)


So, you may be asking how this trip came about.

Well, I'm glad you asked.

2016 was a bust, quite literally, and we would need to get away from all of the negativity of 2016, so a quick review.

Blue had succumbed to the Buick bounce:
https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,116033.0.html#.Wb8ljNGX2Hs

The, and I use this term loosely, lawyers I hired were in my opinion a bunch of Uncaring, INCOMPETENT, Ambulance Chasing sacks of Monkey Shit! (No offense to any lawyers here)
And I used those exact words on their questionnaire. One of the other questions was how can we help future clients? I told them to go out of business.
But enough about that otherwise this wont be a ride report, it would be a RANT report.

Now without a bike I was in the Impala and in October, two con-rod bearings failed at 77K. (3600 series GM).
Covered under warranty, right?

WRONG!

It was a demo, last 2011 they had and the warranty starts on the "In service" date. The salesman never explained the warranty.
They wanted $7200 for a new engine. I pitched a bitch, they, GM, covered half of it
The money I got for Blue went for a re-furbished engine, $3600 to be exact.
This left me $400 for the property damage portion of the accident.
Five weeks later the transmission went out. I WAS REAL MAD NOW!

I got madder when one of the service writers said "It just happens sometimes"   was my response.

Then on October 25, 2016 after cashing out something I was able to buy Number 5:


It had all of 6 miles on it:


Several weeks later a new Sonic was in the driveway and it also had 6 miles on it. NEVER will I buy a demo model again.

I was able to put 1433 miles on Number 5 in 2 weeks then the cold weather set in and it was time to go stir crazy, or start planning 2017 vacation.

Since I would then get 3 weeks vacation lets do something EPIC!!!!

I saw a commercial for the National Park service and the 5 parks in Utah, BINGO!

This also would allow me to finish the Border to Border run we tried in 2015:
https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,111425.0.html#.Wb8sOtGX2Hs

So a plan was hatched, a committee formed to study the possibilities and feasibility of such an undertaking.
Actually, I looked at a calendar and our savings account, put in for the appropriate days, which was granted, and all was deemed good. YEA!!

I then made all the reservations at the hotels online but I actually called the Wyoming Inn in Jackson, WY to see if I could get a better rate.
They said they were full up for the day I wanted. I then went back to the Interwebs, to their site and I did get a room.

The Wyoming Inn has become my favorite hotel. It is expensive, as is Jackson in general, but this place is by far a first class operation.
I'll review all the hotels at the end of this.

Now the route planning needs to happen. As with our last vacation I also incorporated some of Vicki's Tour of Honor stops.
None were really out of the way and she enjoys doing the ToH so why not?


And thus the planning is done.

The hotels are booked.

And the waiting begins!

That and hoping I don't get tagged again.


Number 5 came with Bridgestone Battlax BT023 Tires and let me tell you, these gave the Continental Road Attack tires I had on Blue a run for the WORST tires EVER!!
On two separate occasions I almost lost the front end going thru a round-a-bout.
The right to left transition almost did me in both times.

So first order of business, Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires for both bikes.

Vicki's 2006 FJR was first to get new shoes as hers needed them more. Her old PR3's were shot!
Then my 2016 FJR got new shoes and I brought it home, in the rain, and I could tell these were a big improvement.


The Bikes:

Vicki's 2006 Yamaha FJR1300:


Starting mileage:136070

My 2016 Yamaha FJR1300A


Starting Mileage: 9418
That's not a typo. Nine thousand Four hundred and eighteen miles.

Both bikes got fresh oil and new filters, the lawn was mowed  the dog sitter booked and instructions were given and it was time for:

DAY 1

Naturally Day one for us is usually just a day to get out of Northeast Illinois.

So off we went and within an hour we were crossing into the land of Cheese, Wisconsin!


US-12 crossing into Wisconsin from the Land of Lincoln, Illinois.

Normally we don't take many pictures on the first day but this time we made a exception.

We followed US-12 to I-90 and started heading West. At one point I thought I had missed an exit as we had not got to the I-94 split but that was up the road a piece.

We stopped at a rest area near Black River Falls and found this:





After a short rest we were back on the road.

We picked up I-94 near Tomah, WI and continued on crossing the Mississippi River:


Into Minnesota:


Tonight's stopping point would be Alexandria, MN.

We found our exit and headed to a Culver's for dinner.

While there I saw an elderly couple sitting a few tables away. The gentleman needed a walker to get around.
His wife, I believe, helped him to his feet and held onto his belt as they walked out.

Culver's has 2 sets of double doors, the first set someone did hold the door for them but when they did not come out the second set, we were sitting by a window, I started to worry that they may have fell. And all the while people were coming in, yet no one was helping them! WTF?!

This made me angry that no one was helping. I got up to go and help when I saw that a man and women who had been coming in were now helping.
These two people helped them get to the curb and they waited while the gentleman's wife went for their car.

When she arrived they also helped get him to and into the car.

In my opinion, they were heroes at that moment!  

After this and after our food was consumed we went to the hotel to check in for the night.
And the declined my credit card, really?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?11???  

I used my other card then called my triple A card and they said because I was out of my "zone" they thought it was fraud.
Well I told them we were traveling and listed the places we would be staying so there would be no more problems, until we got home anyway.

We then parked the bikes and unloaded them and turned in for the night.

Total miles for today was 501.7 with 3 gas stops.

Tomorrow would also be a long day but we would be off the slab before noon.

to be continued..........

[Sport-Touring]

[Grnarrowe]

And now....

Day 2

Today would be another day of riding to get to where we needed to be.

About half the day on the slab and the rest on U.S. highways.

We got up and started our hotel routine, shower up, eat up, load up, mount up and GO!

The day started out a bit over cast.




From the parking lot of the Best Western


The bikes are loaded and ready to go.

So we head out, gas up the bikes and head out to the highway for Rothsay, MN.


Why are we stopping in Rothsay?

Well there is this:




The worlds largest "Booming Prairie Chicken"




I found a camera here and this was the last photo taken.........

Hey, it was a touristy thing to do so we....

Um, what are you doing???  


Chicken Proctologist ?


Ya know, I'm not going to ask what your bear was doing there.


I'm outta here. This is getting to weird for me.

After getting our fill of chicken, ba-da-bum, we were back on the slab.

I also noticed that the mileage on my 16 was about to change from:


9999 (zoomed in to see this better)

to

10,000

Yea! a milestone was reached.

We continued on, without fanfare, into North Dakota.


Across the Red River


and into North Dakota.

Going across I-94 in ND is as exciting as watching grass grow. So we motored on stopping only for fuel and bathroom breaks.
 
We exit the slab at the US-281 bypass near Jamestown, ND and head north towards US-2.
We stop in Carrington for fuel and a restroom break then back to the road.

In Harvey, ND we stop for some lunch at a Subway.

Hmmmm, what should we have?

OH! I know!!

Let's have a sweet onion chicken teriyaki sub!! Yum! That's something to cluck about right there!

After lunch we head back to the road, our stopping point is Williston, ND and we're burning daylight roosting here.

Enough with the chicken jokes, already.

Once we get to Minot I look for a gas stop, finding one we first hit the bathrooms and get more ice and water for our hydration systems.


From the Flying J in Minot, ND.

That done we gas the bikes then head west on US-2 for 120 miles about another 2 hours or so.

Everything is going good, the miles are ticking away, slowly it seems, but going.

But then I notice 2 pickup trucks up ahead. The lead P/U is no problem but the 2nd one is weaving all over the right hand lane.


What?? This guy cannot keep it straight and it looked like he almost ran into the truck in front of him.

When I finally caught up to this guy, I went to pass him but he almost ran off the right shoulder so I backed off for a bit.
I turned on the GoPro and started to film this guy.

Not sure if he was tired or drunk. It was Sunday afternoon, did he work a double shift and then have a few doubles or what?


I see an opportunity and pass Mr Weaver.


This may have been a bad idea as Mr Weaver now is awake and follows us around.
You can see him in my mirror.
At least there would be evidence in case he did anything stupid.

I kept the throttle open a bit longer to put some distance between us, then backed down just a hair and Vicki was then able to get in front of me:


I kept this position for a bit to keep Mr Weaver away from Vicki.


I moved up and he's still back there and its looking like he is gaining.
And he still cant keep it straight.


I  moved to the left but he stayed put.
Still too close for comfort.


Weaver turned off at this cross road.

The rest of the run to Williston was uneventful.

We pulled into the hotel, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Williston, ND about 7:00 PM.

Got our room, no problem with the credit card and it's a first floor room around the back so the bikes are parked by the window.

We unload the bikes then head over to Doc Holliday's Roadhouse for dinner.

The food was good but there was only one waitress and she was being run ragged. So we left her a larger than normal tip.

Then it was back to the hotel so we could get ready for tomorrow and get a good nights sleep for tomorrow would eclipse today.

Tomorrow would start phase two of the trip, going to the north end of US-191 to finish off the Border to Border run then heading south to start this years vacation.

Total mileage for day 2 was 512.0 miles with 4 gas stops.


Until next time.

[sleazy rider]

 

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 3

Day 3 started the usual way, we woke up. Then we showered and went for some noms.

The only thing different today was that I was not listening to my Ipod as my ear buds were begining to hurt my ears.
I bought some new music for this trip and I had my foam ear plugs in now.
There's 40 bucks spent well.

After breakfast we packed up our belongings stowed and or strapped them to the bikes, checked out and took off.

Mileage wise today would be almost as long as the first 2 days but there was purpose to the miles today.

First, we would need to get to Morgan, MT to the north end of US-191 so we could finish 2015's Border to Border run.
Then we would head south, on US-191, to begin this years vacation plans in earnest.

First up after leaving the hotel was to gas up the bikes.
Then we would head west on US-2 for a bit then south to Buford, ND to check out a National Historic Site, Fort Union.

But we needed to navigate the detours of US-2 as there was road construction. So follow the detours and traffic off US-2 onto a side road,
then to the frontage road then back onto US-2 then over to ND-1804.

We follow 1804 into the vastness of the country side until we see it off in the distance.


Fort Union.

Now if you look at this site on the map you'll see this is located in North Dakota, but their overflow parking is in Montana.

Here --> https://www.nps.gov/fous/index.htm

It is a cool place to visit and if you are near Wiliston, check it out.






This is the front gate as it faces the Missouri river.


The Missouri river is over there somewhere, it used to be much closer to the gate from what we were told.


Pelt press to compact the various skins for shipping.


The Main building.


From the Porch of the Main building.






I found another camera and this was the last picture....




Model of a river barge of the time (Between 1828 and 1867)


There were a few of these running around the grounds.






Out back of the fort.


Up top over looking the fort.


You can see the river off in the distance to the right. It used to be where the trees are right at the edge of the grass.


In the tower, the guns are not real.


Empty, I checked.




The entrance road and the sign are in Montana while the fort is in North Dakota.


Taken from the MT side.

We spent about an hour here, I figured we would as there is a lot to see.

Like I said, if you're near here stop in, history is all around us.

after getting our last pics it was time to hit the road. We took 1804 back to County Road 5 which led us back to US-2.

Now I would have taken MT-327 but it was 15 miles of dirt and gravel. No thanks, not on an FJR.
Not yet anyway.

So back to US-2 we go and back into Montana.

Now US-2 through this part of MT is desolate and about as exciting as watching paint dry.


US-2 in Montana.


Hey, there are some trees here.

It also was getting darker. The cloud cover did have something to do with it but it was mainly the eclipse.

We pulled into Glasgow, MT about the same time as the eclipse was peaking.





We stopped for gas and took the above shots without looking directly at the sun, we know better.

Then a guy pulls in and as he gets out of his truck he hands us his welding mask so we can look at it. The clouds obscured it but we did get to see some of it.

We gassed the bikes, got some more ice and water and we headed off again.

When we got to a place called Sleeping Buffalo I realized I wanted to stop here, US-2 and MT-243, but I flew right past.
I motioned to Vicki that I wanted to turn around but we were on a rise and we could not see oncoming traffic, if there was any.
So we move up the road a bit and find a safe place to turn around to go see the Sleeping Buffalo Rock.




Looks like a rock to me.







We then head into Malta, MT where we gas up for the run to the border.
And then off we go to the north, eh., for 54 miles until:


Port of entry, Morgan Montana.


Looking back into Montana.


Looking up into Canada.






Mind the traffic!

After getting the above pictures it was now time to head to our stopping point for the night in Lewistown, Mt, a mere 188 miles south of us.

Now US-191 had a few curves in it:


Here's one.


Here's another.

Then it was back to the Conoco station to top off and grab a snack.


We were here longer than 10 minutes, we're such rebels.

Then it was time to get along.


Big sky and big open lands.



We got to MT-19 where US-191 turns west, we continued on 191 and a ways down the road in a bend to the right this deer head pops up!
Holy venison batman there are 4 of them on the side of the road!

This spooks me and I move to the left into oncoming traffic to avoid any forest rats running into the road.
Luckily there was none right there but there was a semi just a couple of hundred feet away and going in the opposite direction we were.
I dove back to the right to avoid becoming a hood ornament.
Dammed forest rats!

We made it into Lewistown without any more drama about 6 PM.

I find the hotel and we go to check in but they do not have a reservation in my name.
we give the guy at the front desk the confirmation number and he says "This isn't one of our confirmation numbers. It should be 4 charters long"

Well I got it from your website sparky.

He asks for our ID and then says its under Vicki's name.

Oh Really? And how did that happen?

I made the reservation and it came to my email address?

My guess is they didn't have the room I booked and made up an excuse about the room.

What ever, we got a room got checked in. Parked and unloaded the bikes and headed down the street to a Mexican restaurant.

After we got back we got set for tomorrow, Day 4.

We will try to leave early tomorrow as there was no free breakfast, plus we were going to stop for one of Vicki's ToH stops.

Total miles for today was 491.4 with 4 gas stops.

Time to turn in and rest for tomorrow, less miles but more to see and do.

Until next time boys and girls.....

[kver]

 

[sleazy rider]

I loved my visit to that fort.  I spent a wee bit longer wandering about and taking pictures.  Can you imagine living back there and then?  And they're *still* working on 2??  I went thru in 2010 and they had a big chunk ripped out at the ND/MT border.

[Grnarrowe]

US-2 was not that torn up this time. Looked like they were in Williston from where 2 curves back west. Not sure how far as we bypassed most of it.

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 4

The day started in the usual way except there was no free breakfast.

We Loaded up the bikes, got ice from the ice machine, as we still had some bottled water from our last stop yesterday, then we were off.

I figured we would stop along the way for some food.

Before we left town we gassed up the bikes, then we went to use the air hose but it was out of order.
Vicki went in to talk to the attendant and they said the tire store could help.

The tire store was just across the street from the hotel so we doubled back a block.
They were busy and we had to wait 5 minutes or so but we got the tire pressures set and we took off, finally.

We followed US-191 out of town a to Eddies Corner where 191 turns south.
We stopped here for some gas station breakfast cuisine, bottle of O.J and a pastry for me and a bottle of Starbucks and pastry for Vicki.

We also did some merchandising here. Vicki found a Moose and a few other things to take up space.

We then went outside to nom our noms and to enjoy the scenery of Montana.


Curb your dog.


From Eddies Corner gas station & restaurant.

Then it was time to head south to pick up I-90/US-191 to US-89. But first I wanted to make one more stop to top off.


More ice and water was purchased, restrooms were used and gas was also purchased.

We merge onto I-90 and the speed limit is posted at 80 MPH, 86 will do nicely.


This would be the last bit of Slab we abused until we left Colorado in 11 days.

We motored on at an elevated pace until we found ourselves in a road construction zone, 45 MPH not 80 MPH.
Well this is puttin a damper on the day. But we get to our exit as the road construction zone ends.

We turn south onto US-89 for 3.4 miles.


US-89 south of Livingston, MT.

We then pickup MT-540:





We then get to Vicki's turn off for a tour of honor stop, down a dirt/gravel road. Chico Cemetery road in Pray, MT. Fitting if you ask me.

Now we need to go 2.2 miles down what the ToH site calls a "Maintained gravel road". I call Bulls#!t!

I let Vicki lead down the road to hell, I hate gravel roads.

I can see the flag for the cemetery but I do not see a way to get there, we drive past the entrance road which has a gate.

Vicki stops and motions me up to her and asks if I'm OK. I say "NO!! I don't want to be here!".
She says OK and keeps going, to the end of the road. We need to turn around, oh goodie.

I do a 47 point turn and get pointed back the other way and wait. Vicki is checking her phone for a map, I think, if she has a signal.


Back that way we go.

She comes back by me and says we missed it, insert snarky comment here.

back we go from whence we came. I really hate gravel roads. It's at this point I wish I had gotten the KTM 1190. It would have handled this hellish track much better.

Then we see it. The Gate!!! I stop and go to open the gate and I tell Vicki I'll wait here.


Here! Right here is where I'll wait for ya.


Just 2.2 miles to get back to MT-540. So close yet SO FAR AWAY!


That's where the ToH site is.




The Chico, MT Tour of Honor stop.

More info here --> https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Yb3jdIg7puL9e3IBd9MM9GbyczU&ll=45.32807100000001%2C-110.72572200000002&z=8


We need to go that way for 2.2 miles. I am not looking forward to it.

I let Vicki take the lead back to 540. as she exits I close the gate and get ready to go but she stops to take a minute.

as we leave I keep saying to my self relax, easy grip on the bars and not much speed or throttle and NO front brakes!
I keep the speed to about 18 to 21 MPH until a slight bend in this rock filled hell hole of a trail.
It's here that Vicki has slowed down to about 3 MPH, or so it seemed.
I was looking for a less jarring line and almost ran into her.

We go through some not so solid areas and I CAN SEE IT!! THE ROAD!! THE REAL ROAD!!!
And Vicki has stopped in the middle of this gravel goat path waiting for me, how sweet.

I get around without falling or spinning up the rear tire which then could lead to a high side which would be bad.

Back onto MT-540 we speed towards US-89 and Yellowstone's north entrance.






Back on real pavement on MT-540.


Then we are back on US-89 heading south to Yellowstone.

I also want to pull over to get a pick of:


All for one's.



We continue on south towards Gardner, MT where I want to top off before we get into the park.

I believe the speed limit here was 60MPH and the car that I had just caught up to was doing 60-65 when this happens:









The SUV almost pulled out in front of the car in front of us. I saw it start to unfold and I get off the gas and moved to my left thinking there would be broken auto parts in the right lane.

The SUV did stop and back up but come on. Pay attention.  

We make it to Gardner and stop to top-off the tanks and empty the bladders. Then it is onto the Roosevelt Arch and the North entrance of Yellowstone.

That is if we don't have someone pull out of a parking lot in front of us while looking RIGHT AT US! Dumb cagers.


We have now gone thru every entrance to Yellowstone.













(Edit to add)
While we were getting ready to leave the arch a bus load of Asian tourists pulls up.
One of the lady's from the bus was walking towards the arch when she stopped to get a picture with Vicki.
Not sure why but she did.
My guess would be that she has not seen many women on bikes.

Then it was on into the park.


One of the old buses at the entrance.

To be continued................

[Grnarrowe]

And on with.....

DAY 4

As I stated earlier with us coming in the North entrance we have now entered or exited every entrance in Yellowstone.
The plan is to head south to the Grand Tetons National Park then into Jackson, WY.
We stuck with the plan but there were a few things that slowed us down and I'll get to those.

The last time we were at the north end of the park there did not seem to be many people.
I was hoping that this would be the case this time.

I had purposely planned to be here in late summer thinking that the crowds would be less and traffic light.

Nope.

On the way to Mammoth Hot Springs the road is nice and a bit twisty but not bad.

There were rented RV's that were over the DY. I came around several curves to find these rolling chicanes partially in my lane.
I had to adjust my line through a corner at least twice.

An there were the slowpokes. The ones that couldn't get out of their own way.

But the scenery was worth it.








On the way to Mammoth.

We got to Mammoth Hot springs and we stopped at the visitors center here to get a few things and to cool off as it was starting to heat up.








Who?

Once inside the store I asked Vicki if she was going to get her park passport stamped.

She forgot it. It was still at home. So I bought her a new one so she could get the stamps.
The one she picked out did not have places for the National Monuments, just the National Parks.
We would find this out later.

We also got the park tokens and some other things. When I went to pay for all of this they asked if I would like to become a "Friends of the Park".
We asked what it was and the cashier said it's a donation you make to the park and they give you a card that takes 10 to 15% off of the things you buy at any of the national parks and monuments.
Well OK I say, this would end up paying for itself by the time we left Utah.

We then made our way back to the bikes to find someone had parked partial in the spot we were in and partially in a spot occupied by a van that had parked on an angle.
The guy from the car was still there and as we were storing our purchases he asks if we would like him to move.

My first thought was a rather snarky comment but I held my comments and said yes.

This guy said he was a local just waiting on his wife.
Vicki said, after he got in his car, that if he was a local he should know better and park better.

As we waited for him to move I told Vicki we would need to bypass Old Faithful as it would take us at least 4 hours to get through the park and another 2 to get to Jackson.
She was fine with that.

Anyway, with that little annoyance behind us we were back on the Grand Loop Road.




I then found a place to stop for some pics that wasn't to crowded.















After taking the above pictures we mounted up and headed off



only to come to halt for road construction.

Had I known what was in store for us I would have detoured to the east side of the park and run that route.

But there were places I wanted to stop at on this side so we waited to be released.




Traffic was filling in behind us.

As we waited I kept looking around for any wildlife that may just wander up to us.
I did see a buffalo using a tree as a scratching post after I put my camera away, but Vicki still had hers out.
I just had to get her attention, I had left a bit of room between us and the car ahead of us in case we needed to make a quick getaway.

The tree he was using as a back scratcher had to be about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and it was shaking as if it were a small branch in a breeze.


You may be able to see him to the left.

He stayed down there as we got moving and as we passed the flagger I told her to watch out for the buffalo.

Now we head into the road construction and it does not seem to be to bad.


Just a bit dusty.


Ok, how rough?


This looks muddy.


OK, that looks rough!






More mud, the bikes were filthy after this.

There were spots were I had to slow down and the cars in front of me gaped us pretty good.

I would catch up only to slow down again.

At first the dirt portion seemed like it was just a short portion, we were back on pavement but not for long.
The video I shot of this is 11 minutes long. About 9 to 10 minutes of it is in the dirt.





Wait, what!?!


Pavement ended.


Pavement really ended!




The guy sitting down might be the boss.


Could it be?  YES! The pavement has returned!

Now we can go a bit faster that 21 MPH!


Not so fast there sparky!

Before we get to the Norris Geyser Basin and Norris Canyon Road we STOP!

Traffic is not moving so we shut down and when we can move its only for a few feet then we shut down again.
This seems to go on for an hour maybe less. But by the time we got to Norris Canyon road we could see 3 park ranger police SUV's but no reason why the back-up.

It could have been an accident and if it was why weren't they directing traffic?
We finally get thru the traffic jam and head to Firehole Canyon Road where we turn off for a more scenic view.









We then pulled up to the Firehole falls for some more pictures.









And once again it's time to go, we're burning daylight. And we ain't got much left.
So we mount up to continue down Firehole Canyon Road, and as we pull out of our parking space this car come along and stops in the road:


Really?

So I stay to the left to go around him and he waves us through:


I was going to anyway, dumb-ass.





And its pretty smooth sailing until we get to the swimming hole where we have to slow down.





Then it opens up and we're off again.

We get back on the Grand Loop Road and we start making time.
After a bit I find a spot to pull off and use a rest room.
It's here that Vicki tells me she may be having a problem with her bike, uh-oh.

She said the meter she has that shows the charging is not showing she is getting a charge.
She does not want to stop for any unnecessary stops.
This means no stopping at the divides or the south entrance to recreate a photo I took with my 2005 FJR.

So we decide to make a beeline to Jackson.

Vicki wants to keep the bike in a lower gear to keep the revs up so she takes the lead.



We FLY past Old Faithful and keep the speed up when and where we can.




Past the Divide we go.

We then exit Yellowstone and traffic seemed to clear a bit so Vicki waves me to the lead.



I keep the speed up as much as I dare. This leads me to miss the road for the Grand Tetons but it's OK as I know how to get to Jackson as we've been here before.


Jackson Lake on the right.

We continue on until we pick up US-26 and we head to Jackson, WY.


Sunset over the Tetons.

As we close in on Jackson Vicki motions me to pull into a gas station.
We pull up to the pumps and after shutting down she tells me that the meter for the charging system is bad.
The bike seems to be charging fine. Her meter went blank a while back but it kept running never missing a beat.
So nothing to worry about, but we will need to come back to get the pictures we missed.

After filling the tanks we head into Jackson and traffic.




What's with all the traffic??

We had planned on going to the hotel, dropping our stuff off and going back downtown for some photos and dinner.
But this traffic was a bitch!



So at one of the stop lights I motioned Vicki to make a right turn. I had been looking at a map of Jackson since I planned this I figured we would go around this.
After going 4 blocks over I turned left and ended up at US-191 where I made a right and headed to the hotel.



 We got checked in and unloaded the bikes.


Moose hams it up for the camera.

After getting our gear into our room we went across the street to Sidewinders for dinner.


The French Onion soup is delicious!!

We then went over to Albertsons and got some water and some coffee for home, Jackson Hole Coffee Roasters.
They have some of the best dark roast coffee!

http://www.jacksonholeroasters.com/

Buy it, brew it, drink it and enjoy!

Then it's back to the hotel where we get everything ready for tomorrow.

And it's time to turn in, it has been a long day.

We only did 361.5 miles with 4 gas stops today but we spent 11 hours on the road.

Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.

[Oddball]

Thanks for taking us along!  Enjoying your report.

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 5

Ah yes! Day 5.
I remember it as if it were yesterday.

There we were, adrift in a life raft with a slow leak and surrounded by sharks.
All was bleak until.............


OH! Wait.

Sorry, wrong ride.

Let's see........um.......day 5, WYOMING!!!

Yea, that's it.


Day 5 started as most days do, we woke up.

Then after showering we packed up the rest of our gear and headed down to the bikes to strap things in place.
We also got ice for our thermoses. Topped them off with water, checked the room for any stray belongings then checked out.

Today's stopping point would be Salt Lake City, UT.

Bu first we would need to make 2 Tour of Honor stops.

One in Alpine, WY and one in Paris, ID.

Our departure was quick as the Wyoming Inn does not have a continental breakfast but the ToH stop in Alpine had a doughnut shop next to it.

As we left I looked at the thermometer reading on my bike and it said it was 48 degrees, chilly.

We follow US-89/191 to the split where we continue on US-89.



Never being down this road before was a first for us.
I saw a sign that said US-89/26 closed, Uh oh.

Then I see another sign but I catch the whole sign:


Closed if flashing, it was not.

So onward we went.




Sunrise in the mountains. What's not to love?

We pull into Alpine and I can see our first stop of the day.


Vicki's Tour of Honor stop.



And the doughnut shop.


Well, we got a picture of the sign.

But if you find yourself in Alpine, WY in the morning stop here and enjoy the doughnuts and the coffee, we did and it lived up to the name.

Then it was time to hit the road again.

Back onto US-89/26 we go and a bug has hit the GoPro and decided to stick around.


Bug on the housing and rain clouds off in the distance.


Steep grade coming up, or down.

There were quite a few trucks on this road, but they were going the other way.


Still threatening rain, but it was dry here.


But not dry here.


Crossing into Idaho and it still looks like it could rain at any second.


And it does. At least the bug got washed away.

It rained until we got to Montpelier, ID. Here it had quit and the streets were dry.

We got thru Montpelier following US-89 as it turned south to Paris, ID.


Rain to our left and clearing sky to the right. Guess which way we would need to go.

We got into Paris without any more rain falling on us and got to the second ToH stop.


This looks like it was placed here when the building went up.


Not sure what the bell is for.



And it's time to hit the road again, south on US-89 once more.


Bear Lake on the left.

As we skirt Bear Lake we cross into Utah for the first time today.

We stop for gas and a bathroom break.


Clouds are still over there.


Looking nice over that-a-way. Yea, we're not going that way.

Where US-89 turns west, right there in the picture above we continue south on UT-30.
Now, I could have followed US-89 all the way to Salt Lake City but where's the fun in that.

We head south on UT-30 past Bear Lake where it turns to the east.

There wasn't much to see until we got through Laketown, UT.











Looks nice and inviting, don't it?

Well it wasn't. It might as well have been a washboard!

I happen to glance at my GoPro when I went over a rough patch of pavement and I see it taking video of this:



WHO WANTS TO SEE THAT!!!??!?!?!?!?!?111???

So I reach up and point it in the right direction so I can video the road, not my hands.


Yeah, that's better. UT-30.

As we continue east on UT-30 we can see storm clouds in front of us on both side of us.


Threading the needle.

We then get to UT-16 where we need to turn south. There is also a pull out to the left, which I didn't see.

I pulled to the side of the road for some photos. I see Vicki motion to the left and will you look at that!
A pull out, lets go there and take some photos.










More storm clouds, and we have to go that way.

We get going again, south on UT-16:





Which is a bit smoother than UT-30 was, ever, and it turns into WY-89.


UT-16 becomes WY-89.


And they warn you about critters.

We follow WY-89 to Evanston, WY where we stop for a bathroom break and some more ice and water.
We also grab a snack and take a break.

While it has been hot its not blast furnace hot so far it wasn't cold either. It was warm where I thought it would be an hot where you would expect it.
To this point the weather was co-operating.

We left our pit stop area and got back on WY-89 which then turned into WY-150.

Originally this corner of Wyoming was not part of my planned route. I was going to turn off of UT-16 at Woodruff and follow UT-39 to UT-167 and follow that to Morgan, UT.
Then I would head south on UT-66 to UT-65 then to Emigration Canyon Rd and take that into Salt Lake City.

But Vicki works with someone who is in SLC and mentioned WY-150 which turns into UT-150 so I changed the route.
And from the looks of the clouds to our west when we passed through Woodruff that was the right call.

So, after we got south of I-80 in Evanston, WY the clouds begin to build and we catch a glimpse of some lightening way off to our right.

Now as long as it stays that far away we're good. But it doesn't. The next lightening bolt is MUCH closer and it scares the bejebus outta me.
We can't stop to wait it out there is no place to hide!


Where you gonna hide? WY-150

As we get further along into this storm we can see a line across the road. On this side just a bit of drizzle.




See that line of rain? I dare ya to cross it.

And we did.

But is wasn't just rain, oh no.


Hail Hail the gangs all here!  OUCH!!! That hurts!!!


Oh, good it stopped.




AW!!! CRAP!!!  Just snow on us why don't ya!!


Maybe I will.......

Probably should keep my mouth shut. But it did not snow on us.



It actually cleared up as we got back into Utah.

The sun was out and the roads dried up nicely.

And it looked as if we would be able to open it up a bit. But then......






Aw, sheep!

Lots of 'em. This seemed to go on for a few miles.





We even caught up to this car, not sure where he came from but he was in front of us. For now.

We then cleared the sheep dip and a short time later the SUV was dispatched, clear twisty road ahead.




Pass Lake, from what the map says.




A little further down the road from the first 180.


Bald Mountain Pass


That's 10,759 feet above sea level. We got high!


It's all down hill from here.





Oh yes, UT-150 was a fun road to be on. No traffic in front of us, for the most part. And a fairly smooth road.

We did run up on 2 pick-ups later on but they both moved over for us, thanks!

A short while later we pulled into Kamas, UT where UT-150 ended and we picked up UT-32 to UT-248.

I found a gas station and we stopped for a bathroom break and some more ice and water.
At this point it's getting late so we head on into Park City where we will stop for food.

We stop at Sammy's Bistro, another Triple D find. This one lives up to the hype.

The food we got was very good, we had the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Texas BBQ Shrimp, OH MY GOD!!
They were both so good, but the shrimp was, more, gimme more!!

While we were sitting outside I was watching the clouds off in the distance. They just happen to be in our intended path,
we were going to take UT-224 to Guardsman Pass Rd to UT-190 to I-215 then to our hotel.

And I just realized I need to make a disclaimer here. We did use the slab here in Utah before we got to Colorado. My bad.

Anyway, as Guardsman Pass Rd is not completely paved, it's partially dirt, I decided to go north on UT-224 to I-80 and on into SLC.

Traffic was heavy but not bad on 224. We got onto I-80 and I believe the speed limit at first was 75 MPH. We were getting passed, not a big deal but as we got closer to SLC
it got crazier!  

Those people scared me!! The speed limit was dropped to 65, with 4 lanes of traffic, trucks to the right in a lower gear because of the grade and everyone
was doing their Mario Andretti impersonation!

HOLY SPINOUTS people slow the frak down!!

And you had people in the far left lane decide "Oh this is where I exit" and its 8 feet to the exit!

at one point Vicki took the lead as she had her phone set up to give directions.

We found our exit, safely, got thru traffic to our hotel and got checked in.

A couple of the people that work with Vicki on the help desk are located close by the hotel. They came by and we chatted fo a bit.
One of the guys, Dave, owns a cabin off of UT-150, he recommended we take UT-150. And Gary, wanted to take a photo of Vicki's bike and send it to his wife saying he was thinking of buying it.
Gary's wife does not want him to have a bike. It would have been a funny joke but......

Anyway after they left we went to a small sports bar & grill down the block for a quick bite and brew.

After returning to the hotel we got things ready fro tomorrow, re-packed the bags and turned in.

Total miles for today was a short 341.2 on 2 gas stops.

Tomorrow would be less miles but a longer day.

Until the next time..........

[Grnarrowe]

Thanks for taking us along!  Enjoying your report.

Glad you could make it.  

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 6

Welcome back boys and girls to Day 6 of our odyssey.


Today would be a short day mileage wise but hour wise it would be long.

As always the first thing we did was to wake up then shower up. We then headed downstairs for some noms.

After the noms were nomed we got our stuff and loaded up the bikes.


Loaded up and ready to go.

Our first stop was a ToH VFW flag.

We doubled back to the slab and jumped on the same place we exited the day before.
It seemed a little milder this morning.

We exit the slab and wind our way through the streets of Slat Lake City to Vicki's first ToH stop


VFW post and Tour of Honor flag site.

Then it was over to a small place I wanted to see.






If you see this on a future episode of Bitchin Rides, remember, you saw it here first.

They looked pretty busy so we did not go in. I did see Kev-dog. He was directing one of the guys in something.
There were no cameras here today but mine.

After this it was on to ToH site #2.


9/11 Memorial, Hope Rising in Sandy, Utah.











From here it was onto the 3rd ToH site.

We made our way back to I-15 and headed south. Traffic was heavy in spots but civilized, for now.
I found our exit and departed the slab in an orderly fashion at Ut-154.
We headed west until we got to UT-68 and we turned South.
After a few miles we turned into ToH site in Bluffdale, UT.


U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret Memorial


The flag by the headstone to the right had fallen over because the stick it was on was cracked. I put it back in a little deeper so it would stay upright.
It did not seem right to me to just leave it on the ground.





As Vicki was taking her pictures I was going over my directions and found that a big part of them were missing.
It seems I made a mistake in the route, what I had did not match what I wanted to do.

When I did this route my intention was not to use the slab again but my directions said "Use the slab".
But since I had been, shall we say obsessing over this trip, I knew where I wanted to go and how to get there.

So we got back onto UT-68 and headed south to UT-85 and headed east. This then ended at I-15 and turned north which took us to UT-92.

That is where I wanted to be and we headed east on UT-92, but first I found a gas station where we took a bathroom break and got some more ice and water as it was warming up.
I also topped off the bikes with fuel and we were on our way again.


Eastbound on UT-92.

Looks like a nice wide road, right? Well it is, here. other places, not so much.




Mountains on either side, yea!

This is also the entrance to Timpanogos Cave National Monument, I have a National Park pass and we used it well this trip.


What!? I gotta worry about this too???


Did the road just get narrower?




I wonder if this is one of the snowplows you have to watch for?

We came up to the visitors center and we stopped for a bit of merchandising and to take some pictures.


Across the street from the visitors center was a short trail with a bridge going over Cattle Creek.








Over there, thru the trees (They say the oaks are just too lofty. And they grab up all the light) sorry, got off track there.
That's UT-92 over there.


Vicki taking a picture of...


This, I think.


Or this.

But it was cool here, temp wise and you could barely hear the traffic go by, peaceful.



After taking a few minutes to enjoy the peacefulness we returned to our bikes and mounted up and returned to UT-92.


Our bikes await us.


Narrow UT-92

Until...


Here too? I hope there's pavement up there otherwise I'm turning around and going back to the slab.


Time to stop and wait.


Beautiful sights even while stopped.







Then it was our turn to go.


FRESH PAVEMENT!!!! YEA!! Never pass up the opportunity to ride on fresh pavement.


Then its back to the old pavement.


Follow the signs.


We will be staying on UT-92 the rest of you can go the other way.


And they do, but what does that sign say?


Narrow switchback rd next 20 miles. Not recommended for vehicles over 30 ft.

Well they don't mean us so lets go!


What do see in this still and what don't you see?

Right! There is no center line and did the road get narrower?

Oh, and the deer. I didn't see that either until I watched the video. YIKES!




The nice little forest rat stayed there and we all went about our day.

So we have 20 miles of narrow switchbacks to navigate, no problem.




This road goes from forest to open meadows quite quickly.
Sun, shade, sun,shade, sun, shade.


Oh, and no winter maintenance past this point.
Good thing it's summer yet.


Did this get narrower again?


It opened up here and we also found the elusive Lancearmstrongestpedalist.
Almost as bad as forest rats, but not this specimen.




Did I mention this is a narrow 2 way road?


Does this truck make the road look narrow?


How about this Spark?


Openness, let's see if we can do 40 MPH.


Switchback time, no problem.


Problem.

He was where I wanted to go so I had to slow down more and tighten up my line which caused Vicki to slow almost to a stop.


You can see in the mirror she had to put her feet down to keep her balance.
Expect the unexpected.


More Lancearmstrongestpedalist, these two stop in the right lane forcing us into the other lane.
Thanks guys.


Don't mind us, we'll just go into the other lane around a blind corner.
Wouldn't want you to expend any more energy by MOVING 3 FEET TO THE RIGHT!!!!
Worthless...........


Continued.....

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 6 Continued

Anyway, this seems to be a nice wide open spot.


But not for long. At least it's only 9 more miles to go.






Two way road, remember.


Left then right.


The paper clip.
Probably not called that but it looks like one to me.


From here we start going down hill.


Hard right.


Another blind corner.


More downhill.


Narrow?


Sundance Mountain Resort, I believe.


Expansive road! What happened to the narrows?


Oh yeah, here they are and a hairpin to the right, nice touch.


Hey, here's one more for ya!


But the road starts to widen out.


180 to the left, thank you.


Downhill then to the right if you would.


Oh for the love of........
This Lancearmstrongestpedalist though they could make a left turn in front of me.
HEY! I had a Buick try this last year and it didn't workout to well for me.
It WON'T workout well for you.

I was on the brakes as I knew they would try this.
They may not have seen me but come on!


Back to your right.


Dumb ass.

And we still have 3 miles to go, watching for snowplows.


Oh, and look! The center line is back.


The end.

Of UT-92 that is. That only took us 90 minutes or so.

Now its time to turn south onto US-189 and follow that to US-89 and US-6.




Through a tunnel and we are on our way.



We pass by Brigham Young University then pick up US-89 and follow that south through Provo, UT.
I see a 7-11 on the left and I turn in for a bathroom break and to get some more ice and water.
It's getting hot now.

And it's getting late. By late I believe it was about 2 PM and we needed to get to Moab, UT, so I decided to change the route on the fly.
We would follow US-89 to US-6 and stay on that until it met up with US-191.
We would then make one more ToH stop in Price, UT.

My original plan was to follow US-89 to US-6 then turn off at UT-96 and follow that to UT-264 then to UT-31.
We would then follow this to Huntington, UT to pick up UT-10 and take that into Price to Vicki's ToH stop.

Time was not our friend here so we bee-lined it to Price.


US-6


How sharp?


Oh, not to sharp.


You're in the way.


TEN-HUT!!!






And we're gone


Still on US-6


I couldn't pallet this.


We now pick up US-191. This is where we turned off in 2015 for the Border to Border run.


Some more downhill running.


This I can pallet. He has to turn off to be inspected.

We run a little faster and head to Price, UT.


An open road ahead of us.

And I miss the exit I need. No big deal. We hit the next exit and double back.
I then turned the wrong way on Main street and we have to turn around.
We turn right down a side street and make 2 more to make a left and we get to the ToH stop in Price UT.






Now I did not notice this at the time Vicki took this but the word Congressional should not be there.
It is the Medal of Honor and it is "awarded" by congress. <-- Vicki hates it when I get on this rant so we'll let it go for now.


There was this as well. It was not here the last time we were thru here in 2015.



While Vicki was taking pictures I got talking to a woman about Utah.
I told her we had been here once before in 2015 and I was really liking what we had seen so far.





After the above pictures were taken we head back to US-6/191 but first I top off the bikes, take a bathroom break and top off the ice & water.

From the gas station it's a mere 116 miles to our hotel and it's about 4 PM now, no problem.


Heading south on US-6/191.


Problem.

Ran into some more road construction and had to wait again.
Come on, we're burning daylight.


Still waiting.


At least the scenery is nice.


Looks like we may get some rain.


We need to be over that way.

Then it's our turn to go and OFF we go. As soon as we cleared the construction zone I open it up to a speed somewhat north of the limit.

We then merge onto I-70 for a 23 mile run to the east to get to US-191 south and Moab.
Before we exit we make a stop at a rest area for a bathroom break.




The rain never did reach us.

After taking care of business we got back on I-70 and exited almost as quickly.
We were heading south on US-191 and in 31 miles we would be at our hotel.

I believe we pulled in about 6 PM, got checked in and unloaded the bikes.
We had talked to the lady at the front desk about dinner and she recommended a Thai place on main street, Bangkok House Too.
The food there was very good.

Before we went to Bangkok House Too we stopped by the Desert Bistro to make reservations for tomorrow night as the lady at the front desk also recommended we do.

While we were eating the rain showed up. It was a quick rain that got everything wet.
Including the one car with its windows open.

After dinner we walked down main street for a bit. We went into one shop, Hogan Trading Company, and saw some cool stuff.

Dining room table and chairs made from old barn doors from the looks of it and pricey.






They had quite a few of these ranging in size from small to way up there.


Moon over Moab.

Guess this means it's time to turn in for the night.

Today we only did 283 miles on 2 gas stops.

Until the next time when it will be Day 7.

[DbleDutch]

Looking forward to day 7. Those back country State Hwy that are not wide enough for a center line are always fun.

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 7

Sorry about the delay, we were chasing Dragons this past weekend.


And Day 7 was a short day, over to Arches then to Canyonlands.

But first, after waking and showering we go for breakfast. Your standard fair, then it's off for our only gas stop for the day.
Ice & water are purchased and we head off to Arches for the morning.

We arrived and at the gate we are told that they are celebrating the National Park Services 101st birthday, admission to all National Parks is free today, yea!!

We stop at the visitors center but they are closed, don't open until 9 AM.

So we head to the back of the park as planned, we wil then work our way out.








This is just in the first few turns in the road above the visitors center.



Traffic was a pain as they were also repaving the roads in Arches. The road to the Windows arches was closed completely.

The cars in front of us had pulled off and we had an open road ahead of us.




The open road awaits.


Well this was bound to happen.


We caught up to these two and had to slow down.

But the views were still great.




We made it to the end of the road to Devils Garden.


We pulled around the parking area and found a spot close to the trail-head.

Since we had nothing in the bags we stowed our gear and what did not fit was secured with a cable lock. With that done we took a hike.








Up the trail we go with the masses.


Narrow passage.




We took the time....



We took water with us as it was starting to heat up and as we are not avid hikers we took our time.

If you are in Moab and have the time I would recommend exploring Arches.






















The trail back to the parking lot for Devils Garden.

I think we went as far as the Tunnel Arch then we started back.

If we were both in better shape, round is a shape just not the shape we want to be in, we would have gone further.
We may need to return and spend at least 3 days in Moab. One day for Arches, one for Canyonlands and one for rest.








Dead end.




ALIEN!!!! Oh wait, it's a tree of some sorts.


Fossil?


Animal or plant?


After returning to the bikes it seems as all of the spots have filled up.

We then geared up and started for the exit. We would make a few more stops for pictures and to take in the majesty of our country.







We went down the road to Sand Dunes Arch for a few pictures.









Then it was on to the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint.





Pulling into the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint I waited for the white car to back out.

The blue van had no clue I was there because they didn't look. Don't turn around or anything wouldn't want to inconvenience you.
I honked the horn and both cars stopped. It looks as if the van has no backup lights.









It was time to move along again. We continued to Panorama Point, I believe, for a few more pics.







It was time to go again. We would wind our way down to the visitors center seeing more sights on the way out.
It's amazing how the same road can take on a different character in the opposite direction.






Windows were closed.



The two photos above were not planned. I had my GoPro running and Vicki had here camera out. We both got almost the same shot.










Another 2 unplanned shots. There may be others.





There are.













We snake our way back to the visitors center for some merchandising.




The Arches visitor center.




From the parking lot to the visitors center.

We head in to cool off in the A/C and to get a few things. Vicki gets her passport stamped and we find some t-shirts and the Arches token.

We look around the center and find information on the park and it's beginnings.





It is now time to leave, we're burning daylight.
Back to the bikes, gear up and one final picture on the way out.



And it's on to Canyonlands.................

next time, to be continued..........

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 7 continued

Leaving Arches we head north on US-191 to UT-313. The last time we were here the road was covered in tar snakes.


UT-313 in 2015, Tar snakes galore.


UT-313 2017, no tar snakes. Just looked as if it was chip sealed.






Weeeeeeeeee!!!!


Same corner in 2015. Different bike.


On the way to Canyonlands still on UT-313.

UT-313 turns off to the left to Dead Horse Point State Park, we're not going there. We continue straight to......


Canyonlands National Park, free entrance today only.



When we got to the entrance station the ranger told us that it was free today as they were celebrating their 101st birthday of the national park service.
Which was cool but we also had a national park pass.

We then stopped at the Island in the Sky Visitor Center to do some merchandising and to get out of the heat.
The weather was hot but not oppressive. With our hydration systems and the cooling vests we were good.

The last time we were here we did not go very far into the park.
This time we would go all the way in and workour way out as we had done in Arches.







The speed limit in the park was 45MPH. and that was about the perfect speed to take the road all the way to the back of the park.







For a while I had the cruise control set at 46 and it was a blast! Almost no traffic here and the surrounding countryside was stunning.



One mile to the end of the road.


Still some twistyness to be had.


And we have arrived.


See the black SUV? Tourist.


He waited until I was about here and then took off without looking. Must be to difficult for him to turn his head.

Anyway, we parked the bikes, removed helmets and jackets then walked around a bit.














Taking pictures of each other taking pictures of each other.




A local came to see what the commotion was all about.











It was time to hit the road again. This time we wanted to go to Upheaval Dome on Upheaval Dome Road.
We had passed it on the way in so we would take a left once we got there.

It was starting to get later in the afternoon, maybe about 3ish, so off we went.


And we would need to deal with this almost all the way back, YES!








OH MY GOD!! This was brutal. I almost turned around and did it again, that's how brutal it was.



But we soldiered on.


Yes, to the left please.


Not as brutal as the other road.




Hang on, I may have spoke to soon.






Whale Rock.


And the end of Upheaval Dome Road.




Beautiful sky here.



And it's time to head on out again.


Well, someone's gotta do it.












Roads this fun must be illegal in some parts of the world, just not here!

It's then back to Grand View Point Road to exit Canyonlands.










Is this a wonderful country or what?




From my GoPro.




From Vicki's camera, symmetry, kinda.





As we make our way back to the Island in the Sky visitors center we need to slow down, speed bumps ahead.


We choose to go between them to avoid the bumps.


Back on UT-313 we head back to US-191.














Wow! Just wow!




We then turn onto US-191 and head towards Moab but first a side trip on UT-279.


UT-279 along the Colorado river.




There's the river, to the left.


In the sun the temp was 89 degrees.


87 in the shade.








Ran all the way here to Intrepid Potash.

I was going to go to a boat landing a little further up but decided to turn around here, the road wasn't looking good or feeling good.




Yea, let's go back that-away.


Looks like I still had the GoPro running.





On the way down to Potash I saw something I wanted to take a closer look at, some petroglyphs.


Up there on the right is where we'll park for a few.



And there were a lot of them.























We must have spent 45 minutes here taking pictures and talking to a couple from Ashville, North Carolina about this and riding.


New friends from N.C.

This was a neat side trip, I almost bailed on it as it was getting late and we had dinner reservations at the Desert Bistro.

So once again we were burning daylight and it was time to leave.






We made our way back to US-191 and headed back to Moab.




When we got back to the hotel we got cleaned up and then we meandered over to the Desert Bistro.

Normally I try to go to one nice restaurant during vacation, this would be it.

http://desertbistro.com/

This was also expensive, $120.00 for the two of us. It was a bit more than I was hoping to pay but the food, the service and the back patio where we sat was the best I have had in a long time.
Pricey but well worth it.

A short stroll back to the hotel and the day was done.
We only did 172.5 miles on the one gas stop.

We had an excellent dinner and we started packing for tomorrow as we would be on our way to Capitol Reef National Park.

Tune in again next time for more......

[Grnarrowe]

DAY 8

Day 8 would be a short mileage wise day but a long day in the saddle.

Day 8 would also be the halfway point in this years vacation. After today we would be getting closer to home.
Maybe not mileage wise, at least not yet but closer none the less. So on with the day

After our morning routine we get the bikes loaded, make a final check of the room then we get ice for our thermoses, check out and we hit the road.

Today's end point will be the Capitol Reef Resort on UT-24 just west of Capitol Reef National Park.

Mileage wise it's 237 miles from our hotel to the visitors center, about 4 hours maybe 5.

First stop will be for gas before we leave Moab. We also want to check the air pressure but no one has the right air chuck on their hoses.
So we head south on US-191 to.....




I had seen this on our 2015 run but did not stop. Today I did, hey it's a touristy thing to do.


Remember to sto and sniff the flowers.
Just don't get to close to this one.

There was a lot of interesting junk around here. And some funny stuff.




A bull made out of tools.

I looked for any Snap-on tools but did not find any.








Bad puns were here too.




Now this would be a cool Hot Rod project.
Leave the body alone and stuff an LS9 in there.


There was a zoo there as well.
But we didn't have the time to go in so we looked around a bit more.




Think I'd rather be management here.



Interesting stuff but we gotta go. S o we continue south on US-191 and at one point we get stuck behind an RV with it's blinker on.
For quite a while, I keep my lights in his rear view mirror hoping he sees the dash while looking back and realize his turn signal HAS BEEN ON FOR THE LAST 5 MILES!

But NOOOO. we finally find a place to pass this blinking idiot and we set sail to Blanding, UT.

Vicki pulls up alongside and points to her gas tank, we will be stopping for a break.

I find a Shell station and pull in. I park in front but the angle is wrong so we move to the side of the building.
As we get our helmets and jackets off this guy comes up and starts talking about bikes and he just wont shut up.
His wife & son come over and they won't shut up either.

Now this is starting to get creepy, I don't want to leave the bikes here unattended with these 3 here and neither does Vicki.
This goes on for about 20 minutes. I'm trying to end this and he keeps yapping.

Finally the wife & son walk away and Vicki goes inside, I stay out until they leave.

I don't mind talking to people while were on the road but this just had a weird vibe to it.

I then went in for a pit stop grabbed some more water and we took off, there went half an hour I'll never get back.

We turn off US-191 at UT-95 and start heading west....


...on fresh pavement!





Twisty sections AND fresh pavement?! What more can you ask for?


Kinda had a feeling there would be road construction.






They finished the east bound lane but not the westbound lane.

But still, no traffic in front of us.




Just don't cross the double yellow and all will be fine.






And here's the traffic.

There was a light up ahead, one lane road.
After we got the light and went thru, the RV pulled over and let us through, yea!

We continued west on UT-95 without any traffic in front of us. Just open spaces.







Ahem, open spaces....


Here we go.





Utah is fast becoming a favorite place to ride. We continue to UT-275 to Natural Bridges National Monument.

This was a planned stop so the first order of business, a restroom. Then some merchandising.
Then a ride through and some picture taking.



The road is a one way which is cool, you don't have to worry about oncoming traffic.




Nice curvy road but a ridiculously low speed limit of 25MPH.

I did keep the speed down as there was a large hole on one side of the road.





We did find a place to park and walked over to the viewing area for some other photos.






I believe this is Sipapu Bridge. This is the first parking area we came to.






Then it was on to the next stop at Kachina Bridge Overlook.

We met a couple from Baraboo, WI here. They told us of one of their favorite coffee places in Baraboo.
So I called a coffee meet afetr we got back for Coffee Bean Connection, 701 Oak St, Baraboo, WI 53913 and it was good.

We also took photos here.






On the walk back to the bikes.

There were also markers to tell you where you were.










Stopped at the last turn out and instead of pulling in I was able to do a u-turn to face out for a quick getaway.

We then said safe travels to our new friends from Baraboo and headed to the exit.


This is the only turn onto another road in the park, miss it and you have to go around again, one way.
We stopped at the visitors center for a quick stop and to wet down our cooling vests and we were off once more.

But first.....




Then it was back to UT-95 for the run to Capitol Reef and what a run.






Where's his ladder?


Twisty road and a high speed limit???










We did not stop here but we did stop up the road a ways.




A bridge? Out here in the desert?


Yup, not a mirage.


Well. that "splains" it.


There are times bridges like this bother me.

I always think that one of those beams is going to fall and hit me in the teeth.
This time, not so much.




Maybe because this is on the other side.


Take a bath!


Dude, you have a Camaro, move it!
Unless its a 6 cylinder then I'll go around you.


And we did.


Sensory overload, but what fun!






Who ever laid out this road should be given a medal!!




This is where we turn off for a bit.


I hope there's a road over that rise.


And a parking area to boot. The Hite Overlook off of UT-95 looking over the Colorado river.








The bridge we rode over earlier.








Selfie time!



And it's time to go, we're burning daylight and it's getting late. Where does the time go?



Back on UT-95 we go, I want to get to Hanksville, UT for gas, water and ice.
While at the overlook it was 104  

The water in our thermoses was cool, barely.
Time to push.










I don't remember what the speed limit was through here but I do know I wasn't doing it.





We get into Hanksville and I stop at the last gas station in town. We park by the pumps and go in first to let the bikes cool down a bit.
The temp did drop form the 104 at Hite to 91 here.

We ended up buying a bag of ice. By this time we were out. We ended up giving the left over ice to a couple that had pulled in after us.

Now from here to the Visitors center is 37 miles. I don't know when they close and it's after 4 PM local time.
Time to go and push hard.


UT-24


Its about here I realized I had F@#!ed up.


Big time!


Let's gather it back up..


..and get back where I belong.





We continue west on UT-24 after my gaffe. I watch the clock thinking we wont make it and we'll have to go back in the morning.




Still I pushed on and we seem to be making good time.


Crap!




Bye-bye!




Wow!












8 miles shouldn't be a problem but it is close to 5 PM now.




Awww, come on!!

Up to this point I thought we had a chance to get to the visitors center before 5, but now????



Well I found a spot to pass and I did.

We pulled into the visitors center at Capitol Reef at 5:10 PM local time. They close at 6:00 PM. Made it.





We remove our helmets & jackets and head in for some merchandising and A/C.




Outside of the Visitors center.








When we got here the parking lot was fairly full. As soon as the center closed "POOF!" everyone disappeared.
We did not go into the park like I had wanted to, where did the day go?

So it was a quick 7 miles to the hotel.




Vicki took some pics on the way to the hotel.








And here we are, Capitol Reef Resort. And yes they do have Tee-Pee's as rooms.
I did not get one of them.


Check in to the right.

We pull in, shut down and in we go. Me to check in, Vicki to the restroom.

They have a restaurant on site so I guess we'll go there for some grub.
Our room is around back and it does have views.


Some of the cabins and sunset.


Sunset and an ominous looking cloud.


Da moon.


Behind the resort are the Red Rock Cliffs.






Our room is the 2nd on the left. The trike under the tarp was next to us.
They were from Alabama working on week 6 of there little jaunt.
We would meet up with them again.

We then went for dinner then we got our things ready for tomorrow and turned in for the night.

For today we did 270.8 miles on 2 gas stops.


Tune in again next time for Day 9........

[kver]

 
we're all envious...
 

[Grnarrowe]

 
we're all envious...
 

Glad you're enjoying it.