Redfish Hunter Goes West!

[Redfish Hunter]

In Las Vegas we turned North on Hwy 518. I chose Hwy 94 to Mora instead of taking 518 all the way in. I wanted to have some diversity on my return route. 94 was very twisty in some sections but was not really that great for us. Part of it was the extreme poverty of the people living along it, part of it was the extremely slow vehicles in front of us. It was here that I first noticed a strange phenomenon. In Texas almost everyone drives fast. If a Texas vehicle is outside of Texas, they will not even do the speed limit. Anytime we got slowed up in traffic in New Mexico, Colorado, or Arizona it was someone with a Texas license plate. Very strange.

Out of Mora we took Hwy 434 north to Angel Fire. If you have not heard of it, write it down. If you have heard of it but have not ridden it, make your plans. We really enjoyed this road.

A pause here to acknowledge and thank the incomparable HotRodZilla. The man took the time to talk to me on the phone to try pointing me in the right direction and offered his help in every way he could. I really should have made an attempt to meet the man while I was in his home state. I truly did benefit from his advice and help. Thanks Zilla.

At the one pulloff big enough to accommodate all 3 of us, we paused to discuss things and take in the beauty around us. It was pretty but we kept smelling something dead. We soon discovered the carcass of a small black bear. I always thought I wanted a real bear claw but somehow it was not the right thing to do. I think the pic will sum up the entire situation.




In Angel Fire we had a decent lunch. While I was looking at a sign indicating the "burn ban" I was watching the storm clouds and rain move over the mountain top. Following me. Following my faithful Honda, Dances with Rain. The irony of the flashing sign with the rain visible was too much. Unfortunately I could not get them both in one photo. We left just minutes ahead of the storm.



Hwy 64 West from Angel Fire through Palo Flechado Pass was breathtaking. The scenery, the road, the smell, the road...

Taos looks very artsy and interesting. Which is nice because the traffic moves so damned slow you will have plenty of time to look around as you sit in traffic. And sit. And sit. The speed limit is mostly 25 but everyone has a top speed of 9mph. Just because the red light turns green don't expect to actually move forward. The lead vehicle is never ever in any hurry to get anywhere. God help you if there is a Texas license plate in front of you.

Hwy 64 out of Taos crosses the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It is 565 feet from the bridge to the water. A very impressive structure. There are parking lots on both sides of the road and folks are all over the road taking pics. On the west side there is a very nice Rest Area with restrooms, plenty of parking and easy access to the gorge. Definitely worth a stop.

At the gorge, David and I marveled at how DRY everything was. How can such a dry area sustain life? I could see the sky darkening to the West. I noticed it starting to rain a bit. In our intended path. We got back on the bikes and started west on 64. Then the rain really began to fall. There was a major downpour on either side of the road but it looked as though our path ahead was clear. Of course I knew better. Pop's voice in my headset said, "Are you gonna give it some throttle and get us the hell out of here or do I need to lead?" I put the spurs to Dances with Rain and we accelerated.

Have you been through a desert thunderstorm? In South Louisiana we get rain all the time. Thunderstorms are a way of life. That did not prepare me for a desert thunderstorm. The wind. Oh DAMN! THE WIND! We made it through with just a bit of dampness but it left an impression. As soon as 64 crosses 285 it becomes a wonderful mountain road again. When we stopped David was not happy. "That damned wind blew so hard it sucked my spit bottle right out of the holder! It left out like a torpedo and I know for a fact it ain't hit the ground for at least a hundred miles." Since I don't chew or dip I don't have lots of sympathy but apparently it is difficult to spit while riding a motorcycle. Who knew? Anyway, I asked David had he lost anything else in the crosswind. "I don't know what else I lost. I nearly lost my life and that's a fact!"

Note the darkening sky in the left side of the pic.


That rain in the background is out over the desert.


64 remains nice for many miles. The pavement is kinda sketchy in some places but at the pace we were riding it was not an issue. It turned into 84/64 and then went north to Pagosa Springs Colorado.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Nice report & pictures Redfish!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Kind of drifting here... How about some more pics?

Another shot of the Rio Grande Gorge downstream:



The "Cleaning of the Faceshields". A strange ritual performed by motorcyclists after heavy rain or insect activity...



David describing the Wind Velocity to Pop. "You see that # on your speedometer? It was faster than that."



Finally, Colorado.



Here, in the gravel, Pop dropped the FJR. He was just sitting on it while I was taking pics of David and the kickstand folded up. Loose gravel, not leaving it in gear when he killed it, whatever. He could not get off due to the gravel so he was just sitting on it. It embarrassed him and worried me. I knew I had pushed him hard the last 3 days and I was feeling guilty. He assured me he was fine. The Good News? The extended frame sliders and the rear crash bars did their job. The left mirror now matches the right mirror, but other than that, nothing. Very good investment of money and time. I did thank him for finally crash testing my handiwork...

We found ourselves a hotel and had supper at Hog's Breath Saloon and BBQ. The service sucked. The wait was long. The service sucked. The food was adequate. The service sucked. This will come back up later...

 

[David Foley]

Excellent RR Redfish! Been waiting on this one since your trip to the smokies last year - Keep em coming!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Tuesday 7/9/13

We opted out of the continental breakfast at the hotel and took off looking for Real Food. A splash of color caught my eye and I acted on a hunch. Always play a hunch my Dad taught me, always trust your instincts. It worked out pretty well this time.

The "splash of color".


The result.


We headed up Hwy 160 for Wolf Creek Pass. Before the climb starts in earnest, there is a pulloff on the right for Treasure Falls. Two things really stand out for me at this pulloff. First, the Chipmunks. There are a lot of chipmunks. They run right up to you before you even get off the bike. Well, it depends on the bike I think. They ran right up to us anyway. They will nearly run up your pants leg looking for a... well looking for something to eat. I had some peanuts in my saddlebag and this led us to some great but short lived friendships.



The next thing is the falls themselves. While we were there several Harleys and several different cars pulled up, looked around, and left unimpressed. The falls were not that great for them.

This is what they saw:


This is what we saw:



Dad was furious at the Loud Piped Harleys. When they would pull up all the chipmunks would run like hell and disappear. Everybody walked over, looked at the pretty but unimpressive stream, make a sarcastic comment and leave. This happened over and over. I never once saw anyone look up at the spectacular beauty that was Treasure Falls. Except us.

Pop was getting madder and madder about the Harleys scaring the chipmunks. "They are getting what they deserve." I told him. "Their loud pipes are robbing them of the enjoyment of the chipmunks and that same level of ignorance is robbing them of the full beauty of this wonderful place. Calm down and enjoy your day!" This soothed him and we continued our ascent of Wolf Creek Pass.

The road is excellent and smooth. It is almost too wide and certainly too good for the low speed limits involved. We were sightseeing anyway so it did not matter. When we got to the top the Harley riders were taking pics. I talked to one of them and they turned out to be really nice guys. We continued to play tag with them for the rest of the day and actually enjoyed them as the day wore on.

Pop at the summit.


We headed down the back side of the pass but sadly we could not take any pics of that entire beautiful area. The forest fires were being fought just out of our sight behind the mountains. There were signs telling us not to stop so as not to interfere with firefighting activity. Right or wrong, I chose to show some respect for this. We did not stop.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Haha...The things one learns after the fact.

It was you that finally brought the rain? We have had almost ZERO rain since last year. We finally got some the last two weeks. Not nearly enough, but I'm not gonna complain. Every drop is welcome. Donno how hard it rained on you, but our weather can be brutal.

You just found out why most of us hate Texans. WTF is wrong with those people?? 10 under in the left lane...everywhere. either that or 30 over. Oklahoma is bad too, but TX takes the cake. Our drivers are drunk a lot, but we're used to their shenanigans.

You missed some good food and excellent beer in Taos, and some even better riding just north out of Red River. You were 20 miles from Patch's house. One of these days, ask him how many dead bodies he has pulled out from under that bridge.

You missed gppd food in Chama. Thankfully you hit Hopewell pass. Did you know you were close to 11,000 feet there??

Colorado speed limits are notoriously low. Gotta learn to simply risk it. Losers.

Pagosa is small, expensive, and the service at the Hog's Breath has always sucked. Not even in a charming way. They're just ********. Walked out once a few years ago and I'll never go back. Their food is not that good.

Those chipmunks were cute, but they're terribly destructive to farms, horse fields, and everywhere else they live. The only redeeming thing about them is the way they vaporize when you hit them with anything bigger that a .223. 100 rounds of .308 varmint can make for an expensive day, but its crazy fun.

Now...I wanna hear the rest...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Hwy 160 was beautiful but we turned left (NW) on Hwy 149 toward Creede. Another spectacular road. Creede does not have much to offer anymore but the setting is fantastic. For you history buffs, Creede was where a guy named Robert Ford was killed. Who was Robert Ford? He became "famous" for shooting one of his cousins in the back. His cousin was named Jesse James... Anyway, Ed O'Kelley walked up to him and shot him dead in a tent saloon in Creede. Now you know.

Part of the old mining activity outside Creede:


The river at Wagon Wheel Gap:



About this time we could see a slight haze of smoke from the forest fires. The smell of burning pine is actually quite pleasant, it was a shame it was so destructive. We were again confronted by a sign telling us not to stop because of fire fighting activity. Of course it was in a spectacular section of that road. So, no pics.

We came upon a very impressive yet very sad spectacle in the valley. An entire Tent City of small one and two man tents where the firefighters were living. There were large Circus Tent looking pavilions serving as mess halls and a large group of Porta-Cans. It hurt me to think of those brave men risking their lives and having to rough it like that. Remarkably similar to the way our combat soldiers have to live... I wished I could have done something to help those guys. They got my respect.

Anyway, we headed north until...


I was especially bummed because I knew that there was a turnoff to something I really wanted to see and I was afraid it would be right in the middle of the construction zone. Thankfully, the construction ended about 400 yards before my turnoff. A good thing since I was able to see this:





We were very high up at this point. Almost this high...



We pulled off at another spot and Pop decided to make the little loop and come back for a better angle on his parking spot. But, he kept idling around the loop over and over. David and I were trying to talk with a very confused gentleman who had ridden to that point on his 4 wheeler. We were quite distracted by Pop idling around and around that loop. What the hell? Had the altitude gotten to him? The thin air? I put my helmet back on so I could communicate with him and asked him what was the problem. Come over here and SMELL! he commanded. You gotta come smell this place! Turns out they had been cutting and trimming the trees around that little turnaround and the smell was All That and More.

Pop making loops:


A few miles of wonderful road later I rode up to Windy Ridge Lookout.



We made it to Lake City in time for lunch. I foolishly pulled into the busiest (and first) restaurant I saw. This cost me over an hour and a half. The food was adequate...

We headed North again and encountered more Road Construction. This time OH BOY! Fresh Chip Seal! Can it get any better? Well, yes. You could get stuck behind 3 loud piped Harleys stuck behind a row of cars stuck behind the slow truck slowly picking up the orange cones from the center line for about 6 miles. My timing is so good sometimes.

At the end of this road we stopped for a water break and so did the Harleys. It was here that we had our conversation about riding jackets and helmets vs. T-shirts and Bandannas. I asked them if they remembered Fist Full of Dollars or The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Did they remember Clint Eastwood wearing that poncho in the desert heat? Why did they think those Arabs out in the desert wore those thick robes? It was an interesting conversation.

Running out of time, I had to switch to plan B-2. I had to skip Monarch Pass. Dammit. I turned West toward Montrose instead. But, it was not all bad.

The Dillon Pinnacles and Blue Mesa Reservoir:




Me at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. No, I am not mad, the sun was very bright.


The Canyon:


We found a hotel, enjoyed a delicious McDonald's supper...

David's electronic keypad failed on his hotel door. After we explained to the staff that we were Going To Get Into That Room, they were able to get it open themselves. They upgraded David to a slightly nicer room. We were wiping the bikes down (Yes, we do that!) when we spotted some mule deer feeding behind the hotel. Of course my camera was in the hotel room.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

A little add on here, and I certainly am NOT making light of the firefighters risking their lives out in the mountains so nobody go off on me yet. I made it rain on the forest fires. I could not stop to take pics but the rain was definitely falling in the right places. We could see it happening while we were riding. I want so badly to continue my little joke about making it rain but this is too serious to joke about. We stayed right ahead of it for most of the day.

Oh, and for anyone that wants to know, I have magical powers in a boat as well. I can make the wind blow! (I can sense the sarcastic comments about to hit me here...)

 

[David Foley]

Laughing about cleaning the bikes at the end of the day (or multiple times per day

) - suits me to a tee. New bike, new rider but I am a bit OCD about my cages as well - so who knows.

 

[gixxerjasen]

HRZ, we can't win. If we go too fast your cops target us, and if we go too slow, you *****. I swear!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Wednesday 7/10/13

First thing that I saw this morning was HotRodZilla:


After a mediocre Denny's breakfast, we headed north through Montrose and Delta. We were headed for Hwy 141. There is no hint from the main highway what an awesome jewel of a road Hwy 141 is. I really don't even feel comfortable telling you guys about it. It should really be kept a secret.



















And of course, the Hanging Flume. This was built between 1888 and 1891 to carry water for a mining project. 5 miles of this clung to the canyon wall. I could not imagine needing a job badly enough to have worked on that with 1880's technology and safety standards.



Under the flume you may notice a couple of wrecked vehicles. I assume that they just recovered the bodies and left the cars. Who knows?

Oh, did I mention that Pop said we needed a GoPro for this trip? Since he insisted, I made it happen. I made every possible mistake with it, but I did use it some.

Next up, Hwy 145 to Cortez CO.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Sorry, but most of you knew this was coming sooner or later in this report.

Recent events in my life very forcefully reminded me that there is no guarantee for tomorrow. There is no guarantee that you will even see the end of today. As I age and I watch Pop age the thought of "the end" starts to surface a little more often. I realized that we all subconsciously have a bucket list. We may not think about it much, we may never discuss it, but we all have certain things we would like to see or do before it is too late. I planned this trip with the thought that a Bucket List should have almost every item checked off.

As FJR pilots we take certain things for granted. How many people do you walk by every day that secretly wish they could ride a high performance motorcycle? Or ride any motorcycle really? How many at one point had some dream about riding a motorcycle somewhere, anywhere? What sets us apart is that we took the chance, assumed the risk, and dare I say it? We had the courage to throw a leg over the seat and twist the throttle.

I hope you good people get some enjoyment out of watching me check some very big items off of 3 bucket lists here. I sure enjoyed doing it.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Dad and David were in awe of the beauty of Hwy 141. I was too, but I had the advantage of "knowing" what it was supposed to be like. They were following blindly. Neither of them had ever seen the red rock of that area. They were expecting the scenery typical of the Wolf Creek Pass area. The ever changing landscape had caught them by surprise. A very pleasant surprise. David had actually stopped hating me (temporarily) and was saying nice things to me at every stop. We were sightseeing so much that we did not get to enjoy the racetrack aspect of that wonderfully curvy road. I will admit that I would sometimes have all three bikes move single file right to let some fast rider go by. I know of some curvy roads at home where I can scrape my pegs, I wanted to see the sights here. Pop and David were in agreement on this. I have no regrets.

Hwy 141 took us into lunchtime and we stopped in Norwood at The Happy Belly Deli. Not bad really. In fact, we enjoyed it pretty well. I will say that in Colorado no one seems to be in a hurry to do anything. They move at their own happy unconcerned pace. The service was quite friendly, the food was good and we did get in and out in less than 45 minutes which was an improvement.



Hwy 145 took us past Telluride and back into the reality of Traffic. Once we got South of Mountain Village most of the traffic thinned out. Amazingly when we got behind a very slow moving vehicle, it always had Texas plates. Still confused about this. Anyway, 145 is a very beautiful road with very beautiful curves, 145 is well worth riding. I was almost in "Sensory Overload". We had seen so much wonderful scenery that it was getting difficult to process it all.







This was taken from Lizard Head Pass:



Any picture with me in it looks good don't you think? You may also notice the dark sky behind me. Yes, we did get a smattering of rain.



We made our way south all the way to Cortez CO. We found a hotel with a "Family Suite". 3 Queen Beds, one bathroom for under $100. I sweet talked on of the cute girls in the office into letting me use their water hose to wash the bikes. I tried to talk her into helping me but... You can't win 'em all.



We went right across the road (Hwy 160) and ate a surprisingly good supper at Hunan Chinese Restaurant. A quick trip to Wal-Mart for a case of water, Bayer Back and Body for Dad, and some different underwear for David and we were all set. We came back to the hotel and sat outside at a picnic table to enjoy the evening. 3 things captured our attention. 1)The prairie dogs that had infested the grounds. 2) The remarkable # of foreigners at our hotel. More remarkable was the way the European guys don't have any shame about wearing a Speedo at the pool. Yuck! 3)The Rain moving slowly across the mountain top towards us...

 

[gixxerjasen]

In Texas those cars will fly down the road until the highway starts a slight bend, and then they slam on their brakes. Put that same person in the mountains and their brain goes into hydro lock. Those of us on motorcycles and in MINI Coopers get frustrated when we can't rail our one twist in 30 miles on our way home because of these folks piling up in that one corner!!!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Thursday 7/11/13

In the planning stages I had come up with several alternate routes and destinations in case things went south at some point. Like the forest fires around Wolf Creek Pass and Creede for example. I was not sure until the last minute if that ride would be open to us. I figured that timing and fate would play a hand in our final outcome. It always does. I had in my little notebook plans for The Big Ditch (Grand Canyon) but knew that I was not going that far. That would add 3 days to an already long and expensive trip. Funny how life throws kinks in a smooth plan sometimes...

I decided that our "Family Suite" room was ideal and in the perfect location for plan # C-1. I walked to the lobby, re-booked the room for that night and went back to inform the others that we could just leave our luggage there, no need to re-pack the bikes.

The Plan: Head directly to the 4 Corners Monument. Turn back north, go west into Utah via CO hwy 41 which changes to UT 163 at the border. Make our way to the UT/AZ border at Monument Valley and pick up a couple other bonus locations on the way. Return via the same route, then head back into the heart of Colorado the following day. Good plan right?

The front desk called. There is a problem with re-booking. I go back to the office and the boy says our room was already reserved for the night. After trying several alternatives which only confused the lad further and seemed to be costing me more and more $$$, I told him to forget it, we would just leave and take our chances.

As soon as Dances with Rain came off the centerstand I felt something was wrong. I had rolled about 20 feet when Dad's voice in my headset confirmed my fears. Dances with Rain had a flat rear tire. There was a large fuel station about 200 yards down the road and I knew they had an air pump there, so I limped over. Fortunately, just for this trip I had bought a tire repair kit. You know, the one with the CO2 cartridges and everything? With the air compressor at the gas station I would not have to use my cartridges.

The culprit and the fix:


You guys can say what you want, that tire had 1100 miles on it at that point. I feel pretty confident that I made the best choice considering the situation and money already spent. Oh, and it is still holding just fine right now.

Acting on the advice of the girls in the hotel office the previous evening we ate breakfast at Pippo's. This is on Main Street (Hwy 160) in the middle of downtown Cortez. An excellent choice, thanks ladies!

Here is where a higher authority really began to pull the strings on this puppet. We had parked the bikes at the curb out front and as soon as we walked in 3 older gentlemen engaged David in conversation. The usual, "Where you headed?" and "Nice bike." pleasantries were exchanged then... "If I had a motorcycle like that I believe I'd ride out to the Grand Canyon!" Followed by, "I used to ride BSAs and Triumphs when I was younger. If I was still young enough to ride..." At that point I was looking at a group of men who were only about 5 years older than the man sitting across from me. Then, "If you do go, go to the North Rim."

I could feel the web pulling tighter around me...

David came over and said, "I just love old people."
"Really? How do you cook 'em?" I asked back, desperately trying to shake free of the web...
Then, the final straw. "No Jack-***. That man said what you did about the North Rim. It's a shame really. How far is it over there?"

I was staring at Pop and knew that I might be the lead bike but I was not really the one in charge. I said nothing. I just got up and walked out to the bike. In my little notebook I had listed 3 hotels in every town I thought I had any possibility of staying in. I thumbed to my entry for Page AZ. And made reservations for that night.

 

[airboss]

Hurrah for old pharts we're going to the Canyon!

Lovin' the pictures and commentary, keep going.

 

[gixxerjasen]

In my little notebook I had listed 3 hotels in every town I thought I had any possibility of staying in.

I take it back, he might bring rain with him, but this is the guy I want on my trip. Besides, I have a magic rain suit. It's been worn but never in the rain. I might have to loan it to RH and see if we can't bend the space time continuum.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

We headed south to the 4 Corners Monument. Of course, I blew it and failed to make the turn and headed due South instead of South-west. I had to make a U-turn and go back to the right road. It's not like there are a bunch of roads to choose from out there. But, I am dumb like that.

David showing his disgust at my navigating skills as well as amazement at my rain-making ability:



We made it to the 4-Corners. It is kind of a shame really. Everyone seems somewhat let down by the whole thing. Pop and David had really wanted to see it, were actually excited about it.

Pop checking off another item:



I told my companions we needed to pull out, the rain was coming.

"Nope. I asked one of those Navajo ladies. She said it never rains here." David told me.
"Well what exactly is that?" I asked, pointing to the clouds and the smattering of drops hitting around us.

As we pulled out on the highway and the rain started falling more seriously I found myself laughing inside my helmet. Pop and I chuckled over that rain for at least 3 miles down the road.

David getting another state:



I really enjoyed Hwy 163 through SE Utah. Lots of scenery, nice curves, really perfect for us. Plus, it had some surprises I had not shared with my companions. Pop and David were really enjoying everything and that made things even better for me. The crushing weight of decision making and costing other folks time and money were wearing on me heavily by this time. Had I made the right choice? Was it fair to drag my dear old dad and my cousin across half the country just to see a big ditch, just some dusty hole in the ground? What was I thinking?

We pulled onto the shoulder for a water break. As most of you know, the FJR kickstand is a little long. Sometimes it is hard to find a good spot to get off the bike. I had to use my boot to carve Pop a spot for his kickstand.



Pop was really excited and happy to be doing something so grand.



Eventually we reached the sign for Goosenecks State Park. This led to a short detour then roughly 5 miles of narrow 2-lane through the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing. As you crest the last ridge and look down on the very small, almost grubby looking little parking area, you start to wonder whether it was worth the trip. Since Pop and David had no clue why we were there, that made it even better.

On every ride I ever made with David as soon as he gets off his bike, he grabs his phone and starts taking pics. Always. Pop usually looks around, picks a direction and starts looking things over. Not this time.

Expecting them to look happy and excited, I was crushed. They both looked as though I had just done something really dumb. David just walked to the edge and sat down in disgust. (I thought) Dad wandered aimlessly toward a seat at a picnic table and sat in the shade. No expression of any kind at all. I snapped a few pics and worried. Why didn't they like it?

I finally approached David and asked what I had done wrong.

"This." he said waving his hand at the scene before us. "I never even knew... I mean in the middle of all this, how... How did you do it?"
"I didn't build it." I replied
"I know Who did." he said. "I know Him well. I just gotta sit here and think about this for a while. You are doing great, thank you."

Pop was talking to a group of young Germans who were very impressed with his FJR. When they left he said, "I never even knew this was out here. That fellow was from Germany and he knows more about this country than I do. That's a shame."

You hear this a lot, but... Pictures just don't do any justice to Goosenecks State Park. I hit a home run with this detour for sure.

David, still stunned.



Dances with Rain



The Red Rocket



Heading back to Hwy 163 we took this:

 

[Redfish Hunter]

We headed south on Hwy 163 again. My next stop was going to be:



Pop and David had no desire to wallow in the sand and gravel. They were also kind enough to point out that I had already plugged my tire once that day...



I went anyway.



Our next stop? Well, it is right on the Utah/Arizona border. Forrest Gump stopped running there, many movies and pictures have brought it to mainstream America. Still, there is nothing like seeing it in person.



We got to the Valley View Hotel and it was COVERED with tourists. The parking lot was mostly full, people everywhere. And it was lunchtime. I knew we would never get a table in the restaurant with all those "tourists" running around and it being 12 noon. The Gift Shop was so full we could barely fit between the people. I went into the restaurant anyway. WOW! Only 3 of the tables were occupied. We got seated right at the windows. And we were the only American customers there.

Pop telling David, "I am seeing things I've dreamed about since I was a kid. I never ever thought I'd actually do it. And on my motorcycle too!"



Very Very Good Stuff here. I could only eat half and that says a lot.



Oh, guess what? Right! I did make it rain in Monument Valley!



Of course once we turned South...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

We passed through Kayenta and pointed ourselves West toward Page AZ. We had to sit for about 15 minutes for some road construction and the rain was all around us but the ride was good. An underrated section of road really, the scenery is very good.

Just East of Page AZ is the Navajo Power Plant. Right outside that is Antelope Canyon. The road into Lower Antelope Canyon is mostly sand with a little gravel and rock for variety. I whipped in there and led my companions toward the parking lot. Right away, Pop started fussing at me. He got increasingly angry as we progressed. I tried to be encouraging but he was getting madder with each yard of sand he covered. By the time we got the bikes parked in the lot Pop was furious. David was pissed as well, his GoldWing does not like sand and gravel either. Dad and I had a very tense and ugly conversation there in the sand parking lot. He was tired, it had been a long day in some hot, dry country and the ride through the sand had not been the right thing to throw on him at the end of the day. David as usual said nothing, he let Dad handle it.

I finally told them both, give me 30 minutes of your time and if you are still mad then we'll talk some more. All of us were unhappy by the time we got to this point:
The nasty sand lot. The road in is not really long, but it is no fun on a heavily loaded sport tourer. Note the Navajo Power Plant in the background.



When we got to this point, Pop got mad all over again.



If you notice the attractive young woman in the pic with her two daughters is carrying a purple purse. On the other side it said LSU. She was from a town less than 40 minutes from us back in Louisiana. The rest of the group was from Germany and France.





They were planning their revenge on me...





The Eagle Head:









We are gonna beat the hell outta you when we get done with this you know that don't you?



After a miserable uphill walk back to the bikes and a much happier ride back through the sand, we made it to Page Arizona. Yes, I did treat them to some "dual sport" riding with my ST. I stood on the pegs, spun the rear tire to throw sand and generally aggravated them all the way back to the asphalt. No, they were not still mad at me.