Road to Zion

We were up early tearing down the tents and the guys made pancakes for breaky. I stopped in tropic for gas and coffee as usual while the guys booked it for Zion to meet a friend at 10. I took my time, probably a little too much, before continuing on after them.

I reached the park gates at 9h57. Then there's a 12 mile drive to the visitors centre, beautiful drive! But I was focused on the time. Worried I'd be holding them up. I messaged Albraa as I arrived the panned meeting place only to find out they couldn't get parking, so they'd gone into Springdale (nearest town) to park and shuttle from there. I got priority motorcycle parking! No shuttle for me. I snacked, checked out the gift shops and refilled my water while I waited.

With the guys and their friend we grabbed a shuttle to the Grotto to begin out chosen hike up to Angel's landing. All the while wary of the dark cloud that had been following us since Bryce.

The hike is 5 miles (8 km) and 1488ft (454m) elevation gain. The last third of the trail is along a ridge with full drops on either side and chains so one has something to hold onto. Twas challenging! And we were being chased by that cloud, but it was still sunny, though quite windy, when we finally made it to the top.  Going down was more fun as I treated the chains like a repelling line,; holding on and bouncing my way down.

As we made our way down, I joked that someone in our group has a horseshoe up their bum given the luck we'd had with the weather (sunny for rafting despite snow the previous day, no rain on us in Bryce). We did a second hike up to Emerald lakes, before heading back to our respective vehicles and going in search of dinner.

We stopped at a very random roadside stop with a petting zoo and some sort of exhibit. There was a gift shop that reminded me of the scene from Zombieland where they destroy one. Our meals were massive and the bread addictive! I had ribs. Much needed protein after that hike!

The trick with Utah is that this restaurant only served food, no alcohol. The Tamales had complained about this, but I hadn't encountered it. The guys wanted to grab a final beer with their buddy, so off to find a bar we went. Thanks Google for directing us towards whatever the palace we eneded up at could be. It was an Eagles club; kinda the place you night expect to be a motorcycle gang's clubhouse. They welcomed us in, signed us each up with a membership so we could stay and buy beer. They had pool and, much to Henriks excitement, shuffleboard! One of the older fellows had to explain him the rules.

Our hotel down the road in Saint George was...  Well Albraa put a hole in the wall with the door. Enough said.

Las Vegas

It's been over a week since the guys flew home /away, and I'm still updating you guys on what happened in Vegas! Nothing we had to leave there, except some cash!

The ride from St George to Las Vegas was brutal. The wind though the desert was awful. Have I mentioned recently how much I hate wind? Alot. I dislike it very much. Sometimes I wonder why I chose a sport that exposed me to wind. Constantly. The interstate highways always exacerbate this.

I broke off the interstate west of Vegas to ride though the Valley of Fire state Park. I would have like to try some hiking there to break up the ride but the guys were already waiting for me. I got into Vegas after them, and planned to stop by the motorcycle shop that had my new rear tire (the Tamales had convinced me I needed one, as if Mike's advice wasn't enough). The thing about being on a bike though is that directions are hard. I'm good with directions and I can usually memorise my route well enough but in the heat and with my data failed, i panicked and headed towards where the guys where at (an outlet mall!). In the end I was only about a block from the shop when I turned around. Patience is a virtue I'm still learning.

In the end, I wound up costing the guys about an 1.5 hours while I dropped my bike off for service. For this I felt guilty, so I bought a round of drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe on the strip.

We spent our first night at the Tropicana and wandered the south strip after attending a comedy club, and our second night at Bally's where we wandered the northern end. Both nights I gambled about 10$. Didn't win anything. Didn't break even. Oh well, there's my contribution to the Vegas economy. Like it needs it.

Our first day, the one at the Tropicana, we spent time at the pool chilling (aka burning) in the morning then drove to check out the Hoover dam.

The next morning the guys left early for LA. I took an uber to the shop to pick up my bike with its NEW TIRE!!!! That took absolutely no getting used to. I understand now what the guys at cycle city meant when they said my old one was planed and would ride funny. So much better! This is was corners are supposed to feel like!

I hit Macdonald's on my way out of town. The interstate between Vegas and LA was as bad as into las vegas, I had to pull over to recover from the wind. I stopped at a gas station where they were calling  numbers for shower slots. I ate something from the hot foods kiosk; not sure what but it was yummy!   I reached LA at rush hour, but the traffic, surprisingly, didn't phase me. (see next post....)

Bryce

My first Bryce post was epic; too bad you'll never read it. My tablet shut itself off before I could save. Oh well, you get this version!

I left the fancy Bryce hotel and headed vw k the way I'd come in search of breakfast and coffee. In Tropic, there was a great place at the bryce canyon Inn. From there I headed back down the highway and randomly turned towards Kodachrome Basin State Park. I started the day with  short hike off a gravel road (I'm getting better at these!) then headed dealer into the park fora longer one. This was a mistake.

The loop hike I did through the Basin was probably one of the most boring hikes of my life. At one point, I dropped all my gear so I could jog to check out the final cave to try to make the hike end quicker. I don't know if it was the heat, the scenery or my mood, but it was a slog the whole way through. Getting back to the parking lot was a huge relief.

Back in Tropic I grabbed lunch (an epic steak taco salad!) then drove back towards the Bryce, stopping for a hike at Mossy Cave. I made a bit of my own  trail here,qnd enjoyed dunking my feet in the cool water of the falls. By the end of the hike I'd finally heard from Albraa.  They were at the KOA and headed for Bryce. I agreed to meet them there, but as I was getting back on my bike, they drove by! So we played follow the leader into the park, and walked from sunset point to bryce point.

The next morning we grabbed breakfast in town so we could do a quick 4 hour hike before the rain that was predicted to start at noon. There was a big black ominous cloud, but the rain  never hit us. It did hit our campsite, but everything stayed dry in our tents. We just chilled out around the campground for the afternoon while the guys did laundry.

The next morning we packed up quickly and headed out to Zion!

Lane splitting

Sorry mom.

It comes rather naturally. When one is stuck in traffic on a motorbike, and one can clearly see the line between cars extend out to the horizon, it's only a matter of time before one starts to ride that line. It's a little nerve wracking at first, but the vehicles here are used to it. They give you space and if not, you just pick the fastest Lane until you pass them. It's fun actually, mentally taxing and engaging. Plus, I got through traffic way faster than a car would have! No clutch stop and go constantly. Just a pretty solid pace.

Once again, sorry mom. It kinda just happened... You can feel better knowing I am now in a state where Lane splitting is not permitted.

Free falling!

Nope, not  a skydiving post....

I woke up far later than Mike, he was all packed up and ready to go. He kindly made me coffee as he'd promised the night before and we agreed to meet up later that day in Hankville. Then I was alone once again. Packing up with the beautiful view made me smile.  I got everything hooked to my bike. Ready to go. Oh yeah, but I'm not strong enough to get her off the centre stand. Damn. I had to unpack, get her down to the kickstand and repack. The on my way! That delayed me at least a half hour. The ride down from my campsite and through through Hite to Hanksville was good, baeutifylbuy somewhat stressful. I like travelling alone so I dont feel the need to cater to anyone else; like ime holding them up.

About 10k before Hanskville, I came upon a rollover. A completely straight road, but the driver of  truck pulling A camper made N error in judgement thinking the cattle truck in front we slowing for her when he was free Ally making a left turn. The older couple was alright, and the  were plenty to of people there to help out. I continued on with the intent to send help but passed an ambulance on my way. I guess someone finally got cell service.

I had lunch at Blondies with Mike,as planned. He hadn't been waiting long as he'd had a flat tire. That changed his plans somewhat. Instead of  coming to Capitol reef with me he headed off to get a  new tire. He was the  first to suggest I get a new rear tire.  I'd been too cheap to do it in  yyc before I left. Oops.

I headed off to capitol reef national park. As I hit the road I instantly be a e grumpy. I was riding through the hottest time of day, it was super windy, I was uncomfortable and frustrated. I was itching to get to the Visitor centre in capitol reef. It had water and air conditioning. Id parked my bike among some other motorbikes, even  asking if I was in their way. I came back outside to see one of them placing my helmet on my seat. My first thought as that had fun but as  get closer, one guy, Mark, noted he'd bumped it as he drove by. My first thought: f*** not again! My clutch handle was severely bent by left blinker now matched my right one (from the drop in Lethbridge) there was some plastic on the ground, but my bags appeared to have somewhat protected the back.

The group of 4, the Tamale Motorcycle Club, offered to ride with me for the day, they were headed to Bryce, my destination for the following day. I agreed, at least for the time being. We rode highway 12, one of the designated "all American" roads. The ride was amazing! Up onto a Ridge above one of the phenomenal canyons which fell down on either side of the road.

That morning Mike had recommended a BLM (aka free) camping spot on hole in the wall Road. We paused near there briefly to let Adam catch up. I considered going off that way, but they'd offered to put me up for the night, and a shower and hot meal sounded great at that point as I think all I had in my bag was beef jerky. I'd have planned better and my bike not fallen over.

We booked it through the remaining distance to Bryce to make it for the sunset. The sunset over the Hoodoos in Bryce was epic! Then headed to the guys hotel, the Ruby right outside the park, for dinner and bed. Dinner was great, I ordered first. We all had steak! Along with some much needed beer. The guys Mark, Adam, Eduardo, and Gonzalo were from Denver or Mexico respectively. And all from the art industry. This made for some different conversation from what I had with the group of mostly engineers I've been travelling with! The Tamale Motorcycle Club left early to make a daybreak ride through Zion.  I took my time then headed off to look for somewhere to hike /kill time till the guys arrived from The Grand Canyon.

Adventure!

990 Soon after leaving Moab Friday morning, it became apparent to me that the decision to split from the government has for a few days was a good one for me. I didn't feel pressure to keep up with them on the big highways, and I was free to take the back roads that have proven to be more scenic and bike friendly. I felt free again!

I stopped for coffee in Monticello and met Dylan, a guy waiting for his car to be fixed so he'd make and interview. I got lube for my chain! Apparently I should have been doing this every day, not just after riding though rain and snow.

I cut West towards central Utah just after Blanding where I didn't get gas like I normally do in every town I go to. At Bridges National Monument I checked in at the visitors centre and discovered this was a bad thing. I had about 50-60 km left in my tank (without tapping the reserve) and about 50 miles to the nearest town. Oops. The road looped through the monument for 9 miles, I decided on a hike with views out to 2 of the bridges.  Starting from a point on the drive loop downstream of where I planned to come out of the canyon meant I cut about a mile off my loop hike by hitchhiking back to my bike. This was a great idea as I met a group of guys from a local university and didn't have to hike though the unshaded top portion of the canyon. The hike itself was a steep decline to the canyon floor then about 2 hours walk through the canyon before a steep climb back to the road.  The scenery was lovely and the hike was a good way to clear my head.

I got back to the visitor's centre in time to do some errands. I talked to a couple getting water about my gas situation and they offered to tip me up if needed; however, the ranger's station had an emergency supply they could give me. Nevertheless, the couple, Susan and Mike, were lovely to talk to. They had quit their jobs and we're living in their motor home for the foreseeable future with lots of destinations in mind. I think they were spending about a month in the area I was just passing through. Before we parted ways, Mike handed me a beer which I enjoyed later that night, as he suggested, after setup up my campsite. It was warm, but supremely satisfying!

One of the rangers had suggested a BLM (aka free!) camping area just outside of the park. I made my way up the dirt Road (I am slowly getting more comfortable on these, though I nearly dumped my bike ridding into the KOA here in Bryce tonight) until I got fed up with myself and just picked a spot. It was beautiful, exposed but with a great view of the valley and the national monument I'd been in earlier that day. It was quite windy when I arrived, but that died down over night.

As I was making dinner, a man from the campsite below mine began a walk and came over to talk to me about my bike. Mike rode when he was younger, and now has just a 200cc dual purpose for putzing around. I made dinner while Mike was on his walk.  Annie's with some buffalo sausage I'd picked up at Chile's in Moab. I then followed Mike's footsteps, and headed up the hill behind my site to get an overlook of the valley and drink the beer Susan and Mike (other mike) had given me. At the top I was halfway thought my beer when I noticed the Surveyor General's monument in front of me! Something I may have noticed but not really cared about before Kent started geomatics.

When I got back from my walk (and nearly being lost in  the woods and seeing many different animal prints) Mike had gathered wood and we were ready for a fire! (once the sun set)

Moab, Arches & Mountain Biking

On Wednesday we continued West from Montrose towards Moab. The guys were moving quicker than me, I had to stop for gas and coffee in Naturita to warm up. I've been kicking myself since the day before for not biting the bullet and getting myself some heated hand grips. They would make my ride much more pleasant. I arrived in Moab just before noon. I stopped T the visitors centre to wait for the guys.  I found out that I'd passed them while they played Frisbee to pass the time while waiting for me. We checked out the centre for some info on canyoning and hiking then headed for our campsite at Slickrock campground just north of town. We set up camp, had lunch at a piled in the Van to head for Arches national park. We did a lovely long afternoon hike around the park then drove to another lookout on our way out. By this time we were all hankering for food, we bought sausages in town and made spaghetti again. It was dark by the time we sat down to eat, and we had some beers and headed straight to bed.

Thursday I did laundry in the morning (I'd bumped a beer into my lap the night before, and I only have a set of clothes) making us all a little late getting out to go rent mountain bikes. We headed to Chile Peppers for bike rentals. I had to put a 15000$ hold on my credit card for the bikes (joke is on them, my limit is lower!) and we  bought Snacks there. Henrick and Yannik got into heir bikes and started the 8 mile ride to the Brands where we'd spend the day biking while Albraa Francisco and I hoped into the car with our bikes.  We dripped them and Francisco off at the Brands and I rode back with Albraa to pick the guys up. They'd already made it as far as Arches! The 4 of us grabbed sandwiches at  gas station and booked it to the trail head.

We did a couple green loops as  warm up, then I followed the group into a "physically easy but technically challenging" loop. Oops. I took my time thought and the guys waited for me without  complaint. We lunched under a giant bush, huddled in for shade (there wasn't much to be found). By the end of the day I was feeling more confident but the dehydration made the route seem that much harder. Going uphill was pretty OK, but downhill I would often stall and have to walk it. The bikes were sweet though as the seat is adjustable with the touch if a button so you can raise /lower it depending on if you're travelling up hill or need to move it out of the way to lean back as you go down hill.

We had originally planned on returning the bikes late, around 7pm; however, because of the heat and the difficulty of the trail, we were all exhausted and finished around 330. We returned the bikes to Chile's the same way we got them to Brands; Henrick and Yannick on their bikes and Albraa, Francisco and I in the car.  Only this time, Henrick and Yannick beat Albraa back to the shop, so Albraa drove around looking for them for awhile. We had some much needed Macdonald's ice cream for a snack before returning to the campground and hopping into the pool. As the guys started to plan the next leg of their trip,  down to the grand canyon, I slowly realized that I wouldn't be  joining them. A saw the Grand Canyon as a kid (I think) and the roads that way looked long and not fun to ride. I opted for a more northern route...

Rafting

Monday (almost a week ago now) the weather broke just in time for out day-long rafting trip in Browns Canyon just south of Buena Vista. The rapids were OK, nothing compared to Akurery in Iceland, but we did see a golden Eagle overhead! After rafting, we headed into town for some groceries and stopped at a brewery for some beers and bocce (petang?). Dinner at the campsite was quick and we had a campfire with a beautiful sunset into the distance.

Tuesday morning we had pancakes in the cook shelter at the KOA.  I had to push start my bike because of the elevation. Thanks to Henrick for getting me started down the hill! We shot South then West towards Montrose, stopping in Gunnison for lunch. I had baked enchiladas, so yum! We also hit Black Canon along the way where we did a short circle trek. We couldn't drive to the base of the river cause the guys needed gas! (I'll later get my cumuppins for making fun of them for that...) We stopped at the first gas station we saw and booked a motel in town for the night. Yay showers! We ate out at a sweet pub that night with an interesting crowd and Monopoly cards lacquered into the table!

Enroute to Colorado

I've learnt a lot about what I'm capable of riding through I  the last few days. Mainly snow. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I saw my first wildlife before even leaving the yyc city limits. A hawk flew over the calf rope bridge carrying a medium sized fish in its talons.  I had my first hiccup in lefthbridge. I stopped at the Shell for gas, and decided to park and eat my lunch break there. While getting my bike off its centre stand, I promptly dropped it on its right side.  Oops. 2 guys rushed to help me pick it up, so I don't even know if I could do it on my own. Minimal damage and not running issues yet (5 days and 1500km later). My campsite in Lewis and Clark national forest in Montana that first night was great. Right next to a buntings access road, but with little traffic, and it had running water. (aka a river)  I had Kraft dinner, chocolate pudding and a campfire. Then tied all my food and smellies in a tree and hoped the bears wouldn't come nom them. It was  pretty rough sleep that night!

Day 2 I made it to Cody WY. I stared off going to a a all cafe in White Sulfur Springs where I  checked the weather and made the final decision not to go via Yellowstone because of the high pass (~8700ft,this is now a joke, you'll see why soon...) I decided to stay in a hotel because of the tumultuous weather.

Day 3 I headed for Saratoga to stay with an old friend from my NZ exchange days. The ride out of Cody through Windy River Canyon (aptly if not inventively named) was really quite beautiful. After that the ride got arduous. There was a very desolate stretch to Riverton by the end of which I was wet, cold and miserable. I got gas there and hit the interstate only to have the weather get worse. I hung behind a semi going 100km/hr, and very nearly cried tears of joy when it came my turn to exit South towards Saratoga. The ride was pretty though icy hills. I hit town around 7 and had to charge my phone a  little to get Griffins address. Him and his girlfriend Megan made a delicious pizza dinner. we hung out till after dark then headed to the hot springs located right in town they were sweet and nearly boiling. We jumped in the icy river before going home to bed.

Day 4 (arrival in Colorado) entry to come!

Arrival in Colorado

Day 4 started slowly as I put off leaving into the cold rain for as long as possible. Griffin made eggs while I dried all my clothes by their beautiful fire place (and my shoes in their dryer, mucho thanks for that!). I got ziplock bags for my hands and feet which I'm convinced saved me. I continued South towards Muddy Pass, dreading it all along because of the cold rain a d the elevation of that pass. In Walden I filled up tank as a stranger on a BMW rode by. He waved. I had planned to grab a coffee there but when  the best recommendation I could get was for the bowling alley, I decided to pass. I chased the other motorcyclist for a bit until I lost sight of him in a full on sleet storm. I wouldn't see him again for a few miles after the sleet let up and I hit some wonderful curves. At the junction just before the pass he pulled over and I pulled in behind him. Him name is Bill, he picked up his brand new BMW RS1200 I  Seattle, rode to his mom's in Wisconsin and was now heading back to Alaska. He'd already put 4000+ miles on his bike. With  few extra days to kill, he offered to accompany me to Silverthorn, the next town where I'd agreed to meet up with Albraa and crew. I agreed and just as the snow started we turned onto the highway heading towards Muddy Pass; me in the lead. Having Bill behind me (and chasing him earlier) gave me the courage I needed to keep riding though snow and a second sleet storm. We emerged to sunshine (and roadwork) on the far side of the pass. In Silverthorn, Bill bought me lunch hour at Wendy's while we waited for Albraa.

I had originally thought I would leave my bike in Silverthorn and hitch a ride with the guys to buena Vista; however, after experiencing sleet and snow on the bike, I felt ready to handle anything.  As soon as we hit the interstate, a full on snowstorm forced us into a roadside rest area where we were graciously invited onto the #scootinAmerica chase school bus. Adam Sandorval has been on the road for 18 months, the first 16 were just him, his Harley and his dog, Scooter. Now he aims to break the world record for longest charity ride. The storm passed within a half hour and we were on our way again.  Between us and Buena Vista was an 11000 ft pass and Leadville, the highest town in the US. The drive was beautiful; crisp, but not wet or cold, and in Leadville we stopped for beers at a very eclectic random Irish pub. We made it to our KOA camp-site by 7pm.

Departure

I'm leaving today!  I have no idea how I would have gotten to this point without the time I've had to focus on preparations (aka, if I had a job, and if you're from EI, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING). Hopefully I'm all set. I will have textual access (read: SMS) and you can call me, but I only have 50 minutes, so I might not answer. I definitely have more food than I need, so that's a plus!

Additionally, to keep my mom's blood pressure down I am borrowing my dad's SPOT. It will track my movements (assuming I remember to turn it on), and I can send I'M OK or SOS messages. Hopefully no one out there is planning to stalk me. At least my roommate will still be kicking around, so my shit is not free to steal, people!

SPOT GPS Location

Lastly, here's the (anticipated) route again (it should update if I make changes through the app on my phone):

MotoTrip 2016 on Roadtrippers

See you on the other side!
-LJ

PS. Look, Rosie, I used IFRAMES for the first time since high school!!!

Nerves

The premise behind this trip is that I invited myself along with a friend, Albraa, and his buddies who were already planning the leg between Denver and LA. Basically, I have the time because I was laid off in March of this year. Another victim of Calgary's current economic climate in the Oil and Gas industry. So far my job search has not been fruitful, and it feels like a perfect opportunity to take on a trip like this. (Read: Albraa mentioned it, I laughingly said "Hey, I'll join!" and now I'm committed.)

I am so excited to see Albraa! We went to UBC together, and I haven't seen him since before I left for New Zealand in 2012. (Long before then because I was working in Calgary before I left for that trip).

Now, the title of this post refers to my current feelings regarding this trip. I'm nervous. I've spent the last few hours plotting the first 4 days of travel (this is where I've focused so much... How am I getting home? A road I guess?).  I don't yet know what I'm capable of. I have a tent and plans to camp along the way, but I don't really know where my kilometer wall will be. How far will I be able to ride each day? I think it will take until at least the third day to know how far/fast I'll be able to travel.

And then there's my budget, which, as an unemployed person, is rather tight. I've got a spreadsheet (yay, enGineer!) going with the amounts I'm expecting to spend on gas, food, lodging and the fun stuff (skydiving & rafting and museums) and frankly, it's probably too much. Is this where I put the donate here button? Kidding, I'll make it work! But I wanted to get this off my chest because I feel really guilty spending money right now; to the point where I second guess myself and don't enjoy the purchases. I'm hoping this confession to the void will help alleviate that.

Off to do laundry! (gonna be stinky soon)
-LJ