Well, my trip to Moab finally materialized! I wasn’t able to include UT Hwy 12 into our four day itinerary. Instead, my girlfriend Tracy and I rode two up through Moab to Lake Powell where we rendezvous with some friends on the Mary Rose, a private houseboat moored at Bullfrog.
Friday, May 30, we left Denver around 11:00A. We spotted the usual big horn sheep near Georgetown. We stopped in Vail and strolled through the Betty Ford Botanical Gardens. We ate lunch and fueled the cycle in Glenwood Springs. After crossing the Utah border, we took the Cisco exit 212 to Scenic Byway, UT Hwy 128. We followed the beautiful Colorado River into Moab where we set up camped in town at Up the Creek Campground. We rode approximately 355 miles on day one.
We woke up Saturday, enjoyed breakfast, broke camp and rode the 35 mile out and back Scenic Byway UT Hwy 279, again meandering along side the magnificent Colorado River. We then proceeded to Arches National Park and purchased the $80 annual National Park pass which we plan to make good use of. Due to a tight itinerary, we chose to ride to Double Arch. Described as spectacular, we hiked the short trail to the base of the Arch. Spectacular indeed!
Returning to Moab, we stopped at the natural spring at the junction of UT Hwy 191 and 128 to fill our water bottle and re-hydrate. Here, unfortunately, I noticed I made the mistake of trying to push the limits of my Avon Storms. I must say I am disappointed with the mere 4,000 miles I got out of the rear before showing threads. I had a new Azaro AV45 delivered before we left and was waiting on an AV46 which was on my front porch when we returned home. Well, we rolled back into Moab around 12:30P and found a Yamaha dealership. Unfortunately, they only service atv’s, dirt and trail bikes however, they were able to provide a phone # and directions to a place called Arrowhead Motorsports. There we met a couple locals, tourist, and the owner, Fred Hink, who was hosting a dual sport rally. He only had a Bridgestone BT-002 in a 180/55/17. Oh well, guess I get to rip through a road/race tire for the rest of the trip. He had us rolling again in less than an hour. We are forever grateful to Fred for saving our trip. My front Avon is now showing threads and I am searching for a used Bridgestone 120/70/17 before mounting the new Azaros. I may never purchase another sport touring tire again.
Running short of time, we fueled up the cycle and ourselves and headed south on Hwy 191 towards Blanding. Not knowing when we would get another chance, we opted to take the 70 mile out and back route to Canyonlands NP. Fun road when you are in a hurry. The park was nice but not spectacular. The highlight may have been seeing a wild turkey cross the road in front of us.
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Our plans were to make the 6:00P ferry from Halls Crossing to Bullfrog and meet our friends at 7:00P. After some triple digit touring, we stopped in Blanding for fuel, then blasted down UT Hwy 95 towards Lake Powell. It was 5:35P when we arrived at the junction of Hwy 95 and 276 where the sign read, Halls Crossing, 50 miles. We had been hauling ass but still came up short of time. Fortunately, we opted to skip the ferry crossing and take the Bicentennial Highway 95 down through Hite then took Hwy 276 south to Bull Frog. Awesome road! Fun to ride! Beautiful scenery! Crossed the bridge spanning the Colorado River at Hite and stopped at the overlook to rest and take pictures. We made it to Bullfrog by 7:00P as planned. Met our friends at the slip, ate dinner and slept on the top deck under the stars aboard the Mary Rose. The trip meter had over 700 total miles on it.
Sunday, we woke up and enjoyed breakfast. We helped our friends with some chores, then Chuck, Bob, Cailey, Tracy, and I took a scenic ride on their 16ft runabout to scope out a spot to beach the houseboat. After returning, we chose to ferry the cycle across to Hall’s Crossing while our friends ventured across the bay on the houseboat. Chuck picked us up in the runabout at Halls and we arrived back at the houseboat in time to cool off with a dip in the lake and meet some of our new reptilian neighbors. We enjoyed a steak dinner with our friends that evening and again slept on the top deck under the stars. Fantastic! Thank you Chuck and Carol Baker family and friends. Your hospitality and friendliness was exceptional.
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Monday, we left Halls Crossing at around 9:30A. We rode about 60 miles to Natural Bridges National Monument. About a 10 mile loop with several stops to view some marvelous natural bridges and fantastic scenery. Well worth the visit! From there, we made it to La Sal for a fuel stop in route to CO Hwy 141, a road I’ve always wanted to ride. No disappointments here. The road along the San Miguel and the Dolores River was made for riding and the scenery was magnificent. Here, Tony Llama was demanding a toll before granting passage across the Dolores. We stopped in Gateway around 2:00P for lunch and visited the Gateway Auto Museum. Perhaps my favorite was the 1967 Mustang Shelby GT 500 Fastback however all of them were a feast for the eyes. Highly recommended! We left Gateway around 4:00P and stopped for fuel again in Parachute. We arrived in Denver around 8:00P. The trip meter read 1300 miles. The weather was great, no rain, no mishaps nor disagreements with law enforcement. 100% fun, successful journey!
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Ride fast, Take chances!
HOBBES
