atxrider
Well-known member
In case you missed the first leg of our trip:
Western US Trip
To sum it up quickly: About 8 months ago, my father and I set out on a five week, 11000 mile tour of the Western US together and had an unforgettable epic journey. Near the end of the trip in Nevada, we parted ways so I could run the Utah canyonlands, Colorado, and Northern New Mexico before getting married less than a week later. When I hit Kanab, UT, my FJR's ignition went out and after hotwiring it, I decided to limp home rather than risk missing my own wedding (my wife later confirms what a life saving idea that was).
Eight months later, I find out my father's friend Steve and his wife (from Washington State) will be in the Utah area visiting some friends. Dad is thinking about meeting him and wants to know if I can go. As luck would have it, I just found out that my job would not start until the beginning of July, so I have the time. He takes off on a Sunday, and I decide to monitor his progress and leave a few days later.
Although I have had some long days in the saddle, I have never ridden over 1000 miles in a day. Austin to Bloomfield is a little over that number, so I thought, why not. No, it is not IBA official or anything like that...I just wanted to see if I could do it comfortably. I leave on Tuesday morning.
The ride up was not under the most optimal conditions. I got three hours of restless sleep. I rode through deer infested areas, 5 or 6 hours of rain in West Texas and Southern New Mexico crosswinds. I caught up with Dad at the Motel 6 in Bloomfield after 1076 miles and 17 hours. I felt great, seriously, and learned alot: plan your route carefully to avoid time consuming obstacles, get lots of rest, and watch the weather. I think I will do an official IB ride soon...maybe the Bun Burner Gold. Any of you Austinites up for it?
The next morning, we set out on US64 towards Lake Powell. My father has never seen it and we plan tentatively to camp there for the night.
Some great sights on US64, here is a picture of ship rock:
My two wheeled support vehicle and I taking a break in the New Mexico desert:
We move onto Arizona on US160 and later SR98. The scenery gets pretty interesting on the way to Page:
I had been to Glen Canyon and Lake Powell on my last trip, but we went ahead and stopped so my dad could stop and take a look. The Dam:
You can see the "bathtub ring", which represents the high water mark and is made up of calcium carbonate deposits.
We talked to some rangers to get the lowdown on camping prices and were not pleasantly surprised: $30 for entry ($15 per bike) and $48 for site with electrical. $78 bucks for camping? Geez. It was an easy decision to keep moving. We set our sites on Kanab, UT via US89.
A shot right outside of Powell:
The Grand Staircase Escalante never gets old to me, amazing:
Once in Kanab, I pull into the Gas station where I broke down and get gas from the same pump. I guess some people would say I am tempting fate, but I did get the recall done, and I am not particularly superstitious, so...
The scene of the crime:
The hardware store across the street where I purchased the material to hotwire the bike:
I wish I had taken more pictures when the event happened. I supposed I was a bit distracted and worried, so did not bother. Oh well. We stay down the street in rv park for $18. It even has a little grass to pitch my tent, definitely a luxury in Southern Utah.
NEXT: Zion National Park
MORE LATER...
Western US Trip
To sum it up quickly: About 8 months ago, my father and I set out on a five week, 11000 mile tour of the Western US together and had an unforgettable epic journey. Near the end of the trip in Nevada, we parted ways so I could run the Utah canyonlands, Colorado, and Northern New Mexico before getting married less than a week later. When I hit Kanab, UT, my FJR's ignition went out and after hotwiring it, I decided to limp home rather than risk missing my own wedding (my wife later confirms what a life saving idea that was).
Eight months later, I find out my father's friend Steve and his wife (from Washington State) will be in the Utah area visiting some friends. Dad is thinking about meeting him and wants to know if I can go. As luck would have it, I just found out that my job would not start until the beginning of July, so I have the time. He takes off on a Sunday, and I decide to monitor his progress and leave a few days later.
Although I have had some long days in the saddle, I have never ridden over 1000 miles in a day. Austin to Bloomfield is a little over that number, so I thought, why not. No, it is not IBA official or anything like that...I just wanted to see if I could do it comfortably. I leave on Tuesday morning.
The ride up was not under the most optimal conditions. I got three hours of restless sleep. I rode through deer infested areas, 5 or 6 hours of rain in West Texas and Southern New Mexico crosswinds. I caught up with Dad at the Motel 6 in Bloomfield after 1076 miles and 17 hours. I felt great, seriously, and learned alot: plan your route carefully to avoid time consuming obstacles, get lots of rest, and watch the weather. I think I will do an official IB ride soon...maybe the Bun Burner Gold. Any of you Austinites up for it?
The next morning, we set out on US64 towards Lake Powell. My father has never seen it and we plan tentatively to camp there for the night.
Some great sights on US64, here is a picture of ship rock:
My two wheeled support vehicle and I taking a break in the New Mexico desert:
We move onto Arizona on US160 and later SR98. The scenery gets pretty interesting on the way to Page:
I had been to Glen Canyon and Lake Powell on my last trip, but we went ahead and stopped so my dad could stop and take a look. The Dam:
You can see the "bathtub ring", which represents the high water mark and is made up of calcium carbonate deposits.
We talked to some rangers to get the lowdown on camping prices and were not pleasantly surprised: $30 for entry ($15 per bike) and $48 for site with electrical. $78 bucks for camping? Geez. It was an easy decision to keep moving. We set our sites on Kanab, UT via US89.
A shot right outside of Powell:
The Grand Staircase Escalante never gets old to me, amazing:
Once in Kanab, I pull into the Gas station where I broke down and get gas from the same pump. I guess some people would say I am tempting fate, but I did get the recall done, and I am not particularly superstitious, so...
The scene of the crime:
The hardware store across the street where I purchased the material to hotwire the bike:
I wish I had taken more pictures when the event happened. I supposed I was a bit distracted and worried, so did not bother. Oh well. We stay down the street in rv park for $18. It even has a little grass to pitch my tent, definitely a luxury in Southern Utah.
NEXT: Zion National Park
MORE LATER...
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