Go Big And Go Home - Day 15 - Monumental

Today was epic..Where do I start…We left Arizona and entered into Utah again on our way to Monument Valley.  This has been the Must See destination on our trip.  Larry was here in the 1970’s, but this would be a first for me.  The ride out was just as beautiful as a lot of the Arizona travel was yesterday…scenic…but oh I was not ready for this………..

The first monumental thing about this stop is that I got to this with Larry.  He has inspired the adventurer and supported me in my riding.  This was a big day for both of us for same and different reasons.

The other monumental thing about today is that I turned 110,000 km just as we were leaving the viewing area at Monument Valley.

The other wonderful thing are the people…..they are amazing!

Our next stop was 4 Corners where the boundaries of four states come together.  This wasn’t far from Monument Valley however we did cross into Arizona and then New Mexico to get there.    One we left there we passed into Colorado.  We rode through all 4 states that are represented at the 4 corners.  I really liked what one gentleman at 4 Corners said…He noted that everyone who were having photos taken were actually in 5 states, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Happiness….he wasn’t wrong.  

We stopped in Cortez, CO for the night to plan our next route.  Here are more pics from today…it was monumental….Epically monumental.

Go Big And Go Home - Day 14 - Arizona Colors

This morning we sadly left Saint George, Utah.  We had a fabulous time with Todd and James and got our puppy time in as well with Moby and Maddie …..apparently they miss us as much as we miss them!

I also forgot to mention that Teddy now has a travel companion as well.  We picked him up on the Extraterrestial Highway.  We refer to him as ET, ExtraTerry.  This was in honour of our friend Terry Love who we lost in 2020.  He was a huge fan of SciFi and somehow I think he would have had a great deal of fun during that part of the trip.  I believe he is travelling with us in spirit

ET
You can see the road in the valley that we rode on once we came down off this mountain…look for the beige line on the green.

We headed out on Highway 15 taking exit 16 to Hurricane and then 59S.  This part of the route is where we entered Arizona for the second time this trip!  At Fredonia we took Route 89A S to Marble Canyon where we had lunch.

The morning ride took us through some beautiful canyons and open valleys.  At times when we stood at the top of a summit we could see the road we would be taking miles below us.  The elevation on the ride went from 3500 to 7000 ft.  

We stopped to take pictures overlooking the Grand Staircase.  The Grand Staircase is a sequence of rock layers that go from Bryce Canyon National Park through Zion National Park and into the Grand Canyon.

As we continued along this route we found ourselves riding along the Vermillion Cliffs which were a deep red in the sun.  They remained at a distance until we rounded one hill and found ourselves at the base of these cliffs.  The next thing we know we are climbing up around and through another set of cliffs/mountains.  

We stopped in Marble Canyon for lunch at the Marble Canyon Trading Post.

Larry had a grilled cheese worthy of mention in the blog….2 types of cheese, green chili relish between two slices of homemade sourdough bread.  He allowed me a couple of bites while I chomped down on a salad (which was equally worthy of mention).  This stop also had some jewelry and I was able to purchase a pair of earrings to go with my tour turquoise pendant that I bought back in 2016.

After lunch we headed along the cliffs again and it was one of those times that we could see the road turn up ahead and we knew what it meant….the climb!  As we rode back and forth climbing up the red rocks, we came to a turn out where we could look back on the road in the valley that took us from Marble Canyon to here.  We could see for miles, and we could see the canyons that seem to be the baby “Grand Canyons”.  There were some vendors here as well so I got myself a silver ring.  There is meaning attached to this particular ring and it involves a life journey, which seemed appropriate for now and for years to come.

It is hard to describe all that we have seen today other than the landscape was always changing but the colors of the mountain rock also changed….red to white, red to the left of us and white to the right, at one point there was even black mountains.  And then there were trees, and the sage.  It is really hard to capture and we made a conscience decision to be as much in the moment as possible.   Many of these changes were found along 89N to 98E and then to 160E as we move closer and closer to Monument Valley.  As we arrived in Kayenta, AZ for the night, we could see a small snapshot of what is to come.  

Monument Valley is a bucket list for me and I am looking forward to checking it out.  We missed our opportunity to see it when we flew to Arizona and rented bikes many years ago.  It was March.  Snow and cold were the deciding factor but we had always planned to come back.  Tomorrow we ride back into Utah again but only for a short distance….Looking forward to seeing the Monuments.

Go Big And Go Home - Day 13 - Temple

Today we started putting together our belongings getting ready to head out tomorrow morning.  Out for lunch we took a tour past the St. George Temple.  This is the first LDS temple built in Utah in 1877.  It is the oldest temple still actively used by the church.  It is the center of Saint George by which all street addresses are assigned.  Beautiful building, pics below.

We are sad to leave.  It is beautiful here, Todd and James have been wonderful hosts and a great bunch of fun.  We have promised to come back to visit and hope they come to visit us as well.

Tomorrow we are off to Kayenta, AZ..this puts us in place to see Monument Valley and 4 Corners.  I hear there is a beautiful Marble Canyon to see on our next leg.

Go Big And Go Home - Day 12 - Zion

There are no words, or at least any that would adequately describe driving through Zion National Park.  Seriously, Utah and the parks here need to be seen.  I can tell you that we took a zillion pictures today, and none will come close to being here in the moment….in fact we had to remind ourselves at times to do exactly that.  Be in the moment and enjoy!

This is the inside wall of the small tunnel

Go Big And Go Home - Day 11 - Rest Day

We took the time to have our bikes serviced with an oil change at Factory Power Sports.  They were most excellent to deal with and even washed the bikes!

We then took a little side trip to Arizona with a tour around some of the areas.  Here are some of the pictures of the mountains that surround this city and are in this beautiful state of Utah.  Some are also of the Virgin River Canyon on the way to Arizona.

White building on the left is the Mormon temple which establishes the street addresses for Saint George.

Virgin River Canyon on the way to AZ

These are views from around Saint George mostly Irvin’s just outside of Saint George.

 

Go Big And Go Home - Day 10 - Extra……..

 

Tonopah was an interesting town.  It was much larger than we expected and surrounded by mountains.  I believe it was a mining town at one time but definitely had an old town vibe.  We had supper at Tonopah Brewing where BBQ meets Beer!  We ordered the salad with smoked turkey breast and had to split it cause it was just “extra” big.

We headed out early as we had a long ride ahead of us.  We didn’t expect many stops today other than one or two but we had more miles that previous days.  We continued along Route 6 enjoying the ride and the views.

Along the route we came across some road work with a sign indicating that we should expect up to a 30 minute delay.  When we arrived where the flag man was we were able to get off our bikes and take some pictures of the valley around (the one to the left is one of the pics).  Route 6 brought us to Route 375.

Route 375 is a little “extra”, the Extraterrestial Highway!

Our next stop was in Rachel at the Little A’Le’ Inn.  A building in the middle of no where or as some would say “out there”.  This was a great stop especially since we were stopping here and meeting up with bikers we had met earlier and 3 other bikers heading the other way, one of them on an FJR same year as mine.  We enjoyed a quick bite to eat, lots of pictures and of course lots of chats, story sharing, road recommendations and maybe a trinket or two…definitely a new sticker for the top case.  More pictures below just because it was one of the coolest places for people who love UFOs and all things “extra”

Earlier on the 6 we had passed a US missile base, the only indication was a faded sign and the only reason it was noted was the vehicle, only vehicle, ahead of us turned on to the road…

As we continued along 375 we noted signs regarding low flying aircraft all along the open desert.  I will only say that we heard them many times, however I only had one sighting as it slipped over one of the mountain ridges.  This part of Nevada and along 375 is used for US military testing and training.  The valleys are so big they can easily fly low between the mountain ridges.

Then there are the open range signs….the signs don’t depict cows….they depict bulls.  This open range resulted in one “close encounter” with said bull…..we could see him crossing the road so we stopped on the road a ways back to give him time to cross…the bull, in no rush, decided to stop in the middle of the road and check us out before moving over to the range on the other side.  The best open range signs however, were not just signs of bulls crossing the road!  Some of these signs had alternating flashing little lights around them…..we referred to these as Disco Bulls!….they were just a little bit “extra”

We were still travelling at 5000 to 6500 ft elevation.  As we pushed through some of the passes, it was amazing to see the changes in landscape.  

The mountains were always part of the view but the valleys changed almost from pass to pass.  Most were green and lush, or dry with sage and other brush…..all open ranges as well. 

As we approached Utah, we started to see these cactus type plants, in some areas they were sparse and in others they were thick as a forest.  Todd was able to identify these as Joshua Trees….not really trees, they are cactus.

As we rode the 18 into Saint George, the rock formations and colours started to change.  As we turned a corner we were looking at the a huge red canyon….extra in every way, extra big and extra red.  We found our way through to Todd and James house, rode up into their garage and then knocked on the door…hoping we were at the right place.  As soon as we knocked we had our answer by way of the two alarm system on the other side called Maddie and Moby…..we are going to have a fun couple of days exploring and have some downtime….I expect we will also be getting some “extra” loving from the fur babies.

Oh, we also picked up a friend along the way…..he’s a little extra and we have called him Terry…..Extra-Terry-estrial!  He is joining Teddy for the rest of the trip but we will share pictures later when we get on the road again.  For now we will be spending time with family so don’t expect any posts for a few days as we enjoy our downtime with them!  See you in a few!