Killing Time - Utah2010 (Days 1-2)

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So here I sit about 5 months before the big trip begins. I’ve done just about all the planning I can do right now. The 2012 Milepost Guide is due out early February, so once that happens, I can get a bit more detailed planning done. Mike is keeping Santa busy with his list of Gerbing heated clothing, GPS, XM radio, and anything else he can convince Mrs. Santa is really a necessity for the trip. To help kill the time I’ve been thinking back over some of my past trips, remembering items I wish I had, or things I wish I had done, or not done.

Utah 2-4 July - The most recent was summer of 2010. I had business in Ogden, UT, so rode the bike out. A real quick 2 day run. I hit some of the worst rain storms I’ve ever ridden in on I29N near St Joe, MO. Not close enough though. Trucks and cars were pulling over it was coming down so hard. That worked well for me as I had to keep going to find some cover. Spent the night in N Platte, NE, and then on to Ogden for 2 weeks of work. I departed Ogden, and headed south for a week in southern UT hitting the National Parks.

First park was Zion. It was nice, but the twisty road down through there was torn up for repaving. I fought gravel and deep ruts all the way down, while contending with the rest of the tourists in RV’s and cars stopping for pictures every 100 feet. I’d like to do it again someday with a decent road, and not so near a holiday. Instead of going back out the way I had just come in, and where my hotel for he night was, I rode out to the south. I collect pictures of state signs, and being this close to AZ, and not getting it didn’r make sence. So I turned my maybe 30 mile ride back to the hotel into a little better than 100 miles, but got my AZ picture. Day 2 started with a great ride, great breakfast at a little roadside hole, and then Bryce Canyon. I rode the paved road from start to finish, and stopped at every overlook for pictures, and to just take in the grandure. Wow again! After Bryce, I went through Capitol Reef, which is also amazing, but it’s tough for anything to compete with the sheer vastness of Bryce Cannon. Spent the night in Torrey. Great little motel with a pizza and beer joint across the road. I had a balconey on the back of my room. I walked out there and would not have been surprised to see John Wayne sitting there. The view was just like so many from his movies. There were several other riders here for the night, and we all ended up at the place across the road talking about what we had seen the last couple of days. Day 3 was the 4^th of July. I still to this day can’t think of a more perfect setting to spend Independence Day . I was solo, on a Harley Davidson, in John Wayne Country. All that is good by itself, but it got just a little better. I have XM, but even with that you get tired of the same music. I hit a seldom used preset, channel 77, classical pops. The first thing to be heard was a John Phillips Sousa march. Followed by more patriotic music. PERFECT!!

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