This was my favorite day so far. 170 miles on the bikes from Bryce Canyon to Snow Canyon and beyond.
We left Bryce around 10 a.m, having waited for it to warm up a bit. We caught 143 west. That was a long swervy road with mountains views, lakes, wildlife (cattle, wild horses, cowboys hearding sheep, deer, elk) and more. There were virtualy no vehicles on this road allowing us to pick our speed and stops as we saw fit.
From there, south on 148 to Cedar Breaks National Park (10,300 feet) and then west on Rte14, a road of tight twist and turns to Cedar City where we had lunch amongst a throng of Southern Utah University students. Rte 56 took us from Cedar City to Rte 18, the road to St. George. Given the straight, empty wide-open roads, I finally got comfortable getting up to the higher speeds (75-80 mph) that Eric has been reaching most of the trip.
Around 4 p.m., we were crusing down rte. 18 and stopped in a town called Veyo, for gas and a Coke. For 15 minutes I rummaged through both of my luggage sacks, all of my pockets and in the bike compartments looking for my wallet. No luck. Trying to contain my panic, I called our last two hotels to see if the wallet had been found (I confess I had to borrow Eric's Blackberry; no AT&T service in the area. My iPhone let me down). Neither hotel had it. Then, while we were talking to a guy who was on week six of his cross-country motorcycle trip from D.C. To Alaska and back, I had an epiphany. I remembered placing my wallet in Eric's backback. Emergency averted. Phew!
A few miles beyond Veyo, we approached an entrance sign that said "Snow Canyon. Road Closed". Well to Eric, that's akin to saying "Welcome, come on in." So we did. We descended three miles into a valley surrounded by red clay mountains. It was a place fit for gods. Spectacular.
At the bottom, there was a gate where a Park Ranger told us that the road had re-opened at 3p.m. and then she chared us $5 for entering. I asked if there was a hotel near by. She shared a little secret that the exclusive Red Mountain Spa and Resort, where she also worked, would take us in as one-night al a carte guests. Why not.
This in one of the most fancy, high-end spas you will ever see. My guess is that it is the Utah equivalent of Canyon Ranch, only much more picturesque. The guests look down there noses at us and well they should. We haven't shaved in a few days, have ratty-ass clothes on and parked our motorcycles next to their BMW's and Mercedes'. If I could, i would look down my nose at me too.
At 7:30 p.m. we went to see the play "Annie" at the outdoor ampetheatre down the road. Please don't tell anyone that I opted for "Annie" over game two of the Red Sox-Angels series. The ampetheatre was called Tuacahan. There can't be a stage anywhere in the world that matches the back drop of this place. Directly behind it is a dimly lighted 1,000 foot red clay mountain that glows at night. Annie was marginal but the setting was beyond compare.
Red Sox just lost again. I'm going to bed. Photos ans video below.
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Eric's comments. Before too long please drive or bike up Utah rte 143 to Cedar Break national monument. It starts near Bryce and spends 40 miles meandering up up to 10,400 feet. It starts with desert scrub, ascends to a mountain lake and fir/spruce trees and then to beautiful aspens in full October foliage. Finally at the top, where the temperature has dropped to 40 degrees, this magical, deep red and orange canyon appears. Only the canyon is below you, carved out from the top of the mountain and there is light snow covering some of the higher walls.
It was at the top we met Fred Meyer who told us about snow canyonstate park and the incredible tuahacan outdoor amphitheater where we saw Annie tonight.
About Fred. Today was a good day for meeting friendly people. We particularly enjoyed meeting members of the women's basketball team at Southern Utah University at a deli in Cedar City. It is understandable why people walk around with a smile on their faces. What's not to like about a place with perfect weather, unlimited hiking, biking, kayaking and skiing at the apparently underrated Brians Head ski area? From Cedar City we rode along one of those wide open two lane highways, and, yes you have seen them in Easy Rider and Thelma Louise but to experience them on a 150 hp motorcycle, pulling that throttle back because there is just straight road, no car or truck for miles and 90 mph feels comfortable so why not see more of what the machine can do -- well seeing those movies is fun and you get the feeling for the Western roads but it's not like riding them, smelling the mountains and the dessert and having your head buffeted around by the cross winds.
There are times when the bike scares me and I picture taking one of the canyon corners a little too fast and tight and heading off the road. You must focus at all times and you know that. You must do a quick assessment of that minivan you are going to pass; is he distracted, are the kids acting out or is he capabe of making a sudden left hand turn without signaling. We wear these really dorky green vests that provoke a lot of hostile stares from the boys wearing cowboy hats in the pick ups but no one can miss us. Visibility is critical. So, on balance I love the bike -- it is so smooth and handles so well and it is a honda not a harley and I could never wear my dorky green vest on a harley. I love the bike so much I think about buying it but such a plurge on such a dangerous hobby would not be greeted with enthusiasm from those I love.
It's great to be with George. We have learned each others quirks and we share some of them, particularly age appropriate dementia. From George this morning:" Why am I tying up my motorcycles boots when I haven't put my pants on yet?". South of Enterprise Utah:" I have lost my wallet, all is lost." Motorcycle bags are removed, dismantled and searched, several hotels we stayed in are called (with my phone because the, ahem,beloved iphone can't pick up a signal) and, as I am about to set off at 4pm for a 170 miles jaunt to search the roads that we just covered; "I have had an epiphany. It is in the backpack" and it was.
George is impervious to cold and I am not. So when I sought sympathy because my hands were cold, his empathetic response was; "Well my hands are just fine," We argue over esoteric semantic issues: why say the shuttle bus driver is "very different" from the first bus driver, when George thought they were the same person. Why not just "different" George posts? Bus drivers are not "very" different although George was compelled to concede that if Kim I'll Jong was a bus driver, he would be "very different." Competition is everywhere except not on the bikes. While hiking in Bryce Canyon, George remarks that men always walk in front of women on hikes. I disagree and get 2 to 1 odds and win resoundingly. But I probably lose a lot more than I win. The ribbing is always lighthearted though and from my perspective we are doing very well but are about to have a major disagreement as George wants to take two heavy suoerbikes 30 miles down a jeep trail to avoid his dread of a 10 mile section of Interstate 15. See you in vegas, my friend.
Finally, any State that has a public performing arts high school with a 2000 seat amphitheatre backed up to a 500 ft canyon is clealry doing something very right. If you ever get the chance go see a show at Tuacahn. And you must get the chance. This is a very special part o the world. Good night and thanks for listening.
Video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed5tK62Zp7Y
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