Well we leathered up again this year and joined with our friends, the Bertholds (Brent and Lisa and Steve and Melanie) and headed down to Washington (the one by St. George) to start on our journey. the first day was a long one down to Kanab to drop off Steve's trailer, through Zion's and all the construction there, and finally made it to Washington at the Harley dealer there.
This picture was after a near-miss on the road. Brent hit a tar-snake and it grabbed his front tire and he handled it so well, but needless to say we all were a bit shaken after it--namely them!
A day of riding over 300 miles! My hips and legs were killing me and I didn't know how in the world I would ever make it through the next few days, know it would end up being 1500 miles of riding in 5 days! Sorry, but that is just not a normal position for that amount of time! The next day we were off to Page. It was sooo hot there and all I could think of was why in the world would you ever visit page without a boat and a swim suit? (As I am wearing jeans and boots!) We stayed in the biggest dive and I couldn't wait to get out of there! But the ride there was much shorter than the day before and we stopped a bunch of times!
This old guy had ridden out from New Jersey and was a retired Navy guy. He was really nice and was enjoying his trip.
Day three we got up early to beat the heat as we headed through the desert toward 4 corners. Luckily the majority of the day was overcast so it wasn't nearly as hot as it could have been. The Indians have outposts frequently along that route and so we stopped a few times. I bought a pair of earrings from some native Americans at a rest stop where they had a little stand set up. Our next stop was this outpost near 4 corners where they sell wool by the pound and hand dyed yarns. It was cool wandering around their store. It reminded me of the summer I worked in Jackson. The store I worked in would get all their jewelery, kachina dolls, rugs and blankets from the Navajo. We also ate lunch there. They were serving Navajo tacos (of course!) and scones with cinnamon and sugar. I was pretty disappointed when we got to 4 corners because the monument is all under construction. So we couldn't take pictures by it. But we took this picture by the sign. We did buy a couple of slingshots for our boys from the native Americans who have stands set up all around the monument. It reminded me of Spouting horn in Kauai and how they have stand after stand of people selling their knick-knacks, only a lot poorer!
We stopped in Cortez for some cool air and cool drinks. A local pub was hosting BBQ pulled pork lunch and so we stopped for an hour or so. It was nice and cool and nice to move around a bit. Finally we got to Durango.
This was Steve and Mel's 2nd year anniversary. They had planned ahead and made reservations at a Mexican Restaurant and she had something special planned for afterward. She had written and had recorded a song for Steve. So she had Brent pull his bike around to the front of the restaurant after we had eaten, and played the song on the stereo of the bike. Steve all but cried, (actually I think he did) and so did I. I thought it was very sweet and a nice little presentation, considering the forethought.
The next day was my favorite, and quite frankly, I would have been fine skipping out on everything previous. I just love the drive from Durango up to Silverton and then on to Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway. It really is a spectacular ride and especially on a bike! This is Todd's third trip in the past year! I think he would make it a yearly tradition. It rained a little or at least enough to stop and put on rain gear. But the weather was so nice and comfortable. We had lunch in Ouray, went up to Ridgeway and around to Telluride. Stunning! Don't get me wrong, the mountains here are amazing, but it was so green and gorgeous! By the time we got home we were so exhausted that we totally skipped out on the festivities at the casino on the reservation where they were hosting the rally. I almost was too tired to go eat.
The next morning we got up and left with Brent and Lisa, while Steve and Mel went back the way we came and decided to stay an extra night in Kanab. We opted to drive straight home from Durango by way of Monticello and Moab. It was a long ride home but they all had mercy on my back side and so we stopped often. One of the last stops was in front of the Monticello Temple. Great times with friends and mostly Todd and me together. I'm glad we have the Harley to travel together with. It's something we both like and enjoy.
1 comment:
That tunnel was amazing!
What on earth is a tar snake? WHat they use to fill in the cracks in the pavement?
Great pics, as always!
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