KRATZMC

22 June 2008 Sunday

Dawn in South Jordan Utah

Well it was up before dawn as we decided to leave SLC at 0715 hrs. We Ponied up at a local coffee shop in South Jordan to prime our bodies with a cup of Joe. I arrived at 0630 hrs when the coffee shop opened to catch up on my Email and get psyched up for the day.

My usual strategy on a long ride is to get out of the Urban areas early and down the road a few miles before doing breakfast. We rode south on I-35 against the commute traffic for about 4o minutes until we hit Spanish Forks and the Cracker Barrel at exit 233 for our breakfast. Everyone ordered the Blueberry pancake special making it easy on our waitress and now we were fully fueled.

As we headed south on I-15 for a few more minutes, we took Highway 6 east and connected with S/B Hwy 191, which would take us over Soldiers Summit. As we rose to over 9,000 ft the temperatures dropped to the mid 60’s and with the wind chill on the bike it was a little Nippy. We stopped at a new fuel station on the Summit to top of our tanks. As Bob Hole reminded us, never pass up an opportunity to get gas when riding southern Utah.

Our ride took us S/E on 191 as we descended in elevation and the temperatures began to rise. We wound through the canyons with gentle sweepers until we hit the low lands. We could smell the scent of the Honey Suckles in bloom which was heavy in the air as we passed through Price Ut. South of Price the ride is not to remarkable as you hit a 50 mile portion which is two way traffic, so frequent passing of RV’s and larger vehicles is in order.

As we reached the Interstate, you have to go east on I-70 for a few miles until you can rejoin Hwy 191 South again. The temperatures were now in the high 90’s so we stopped in Green River to hydrate and again top off with fuel and fluids.

With our National Parks passes in hand, the plan was to hit Canyon Lands National Park first, then work our way to Arches N.P., Moab and then Monticello for our nights stay. As we entered Canyon Lands, Gary Cooper was on a eighth of a tank and dropping leaving him worried, since we had a few miles to cover within the park itself.

Entrance to Canyon Lands National Park

With a couple of the riders Milky, Bob and Mike on quests to fill their National Parks Passport Books with park stamps, stops at the Visitors Center were made at each Park. I usually collect the lapel pins which will be displayed on a piece of cloth in my shop, showing the places I have visited on two wheels.

Canyon Lands N.P.

In the park there are various vista areas, in which you can view the surrounding geography from the Mesa and the ride through the park roads are relaxing but limited to the 25 to 35 MPH speed limits. Our no frills visit to the park consumed about an hour and a half and as we exited the park, Cooper’s fuel gauge was causing him some stress. Fortunately as the park road dumps back out onto 191, there is an RV park with a country store that has fuel.

Panoramic shot of Canyon Lands

We stopped and hydrated at the store while Cooper fueled up. Some of the others saw me coming out the store with a package of Real Licorice. The look of savory bliss on my face must have been too much, as Mike and Bob headed back into the store, reappearing with several packages of licorice for themselves.

Back on 191 south, we quickly reached the entrance of Arches National Park. Again a mission into the Visitor’s Center was quickly mounted, before we rode into the actual park itself. A short switch back road takes you from the Visitors Center over the rock rim, as you ascend into the Playa which contains the unique rock formations. We rode for an hour in the park hitting the most prominent sights while working around the huge tourist buses. Here are a few sights within the park.

Riding through Arches N.P.

GS Rock, Actually called the Judges

Mirror Image

My Buddies giving me the Salute

After we finished at Arches National Park, we made our way south to Moab, Ut. If you’ve never been to Moab, I have one word……..HOT!!!! As we entered the town, the Geico squirrel decided to play chicken with my GS. Unfortunately, the poor little fellow made a bad decision and went under my front wheel, as he saw the seven motorcycles approaching. Tony a stout animal lover was upset, accusing me of executing the little guy. Since Tony revealed his Achilles Heel, I told him I would have to kill twice as many animals, to take up the slack left by him. We stopped at a local Gelato/Coffee shop in town to cool off, which was full of rock climbers and Green Peace wannabes. Thank god they didn’t see the Suicide Squirrel incident, or they would have run me out of town.

We finished the day with an hour ride to Monticello Ut, arriving 12 hours after we left SLC. The town only had two open eateries, so the one chosen was the most convenient and located next to the Motel. The steak place I remembered four years past was now gone. With everyone full and tired, it was early to bed for the next day. B.O.B, time was set for 0600 hrs with a ride to Cortez Colorado for breakfast, before heading to Mesa Verde and the Anasazi Cliff Dwellings.

The route, 369 miles

Stay tuned for the last two days of our ride and a report on the Utah 1088 rally, which I ride tomorrow.

My plan for the 1088 is to cover 1600 miles within the 26 hour time frame.

I will be off line for the next 48 hours.

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