Eric's update

THURSDAY
Two days since my last entry and George is on my case.
We are nearing the end of a great trip. These periods are often characterized by a good deal of freneticism as George uses his devices to plot various side roads, filled with dangerous intersections and 25 mph hairpin turns, that we can take to avoid the dreaded safety of the American Interstate highway system. In this case, his fears are a tad magnified because it appears that the only way back from where we are is Interstate 15. Followers will no doubt recall George's experience with I-15 four and one half years ago.
It is true that he was riding a 730 pound motorcycle and his only prior experience was with a 12 horsepower moped. Still, it was hard to stick around while he travelled 20 miles an hour in the breakdown lane with his flashers on. So I elected to go ahead, flat on the tank at 90 mph safely passing the tandems trailers while George was engulfed with the whirlwinds caused by their tumultuous mass.
We are approaching 1-15 again. In fact, it is within two miles of the great college town that we highly recommend, Cedar City, home of the University of Southern Utah Nighthawks. As I write the blog, George is zooming in on various side roads that would allow us to bypass the highway. Most of them are class 3 or 4 roads reserved for four by fours. So I will likely not travel on them as we have 182 miles to Las Vegas, a very fast 2.5 hours on I-15. We will see.
The last two days have been truly spectacular. A much used term on this trip. We really recommend Capitol Reef National Park, much overlooked by its more popular and very busy cousins, Bryce and Zion. We were able to go hiking for the first time, down the Great Wash trail, aptly named because it can go from what appears to be a drive river bed to a raging river in a matter of minutes, precipitated by a thunderstorm in the Henry Mountains more than a hundred miles away. We walked down a mile or two to a slot canyon and then waddled back a mile and a quarter. Some more adventure riding on dirt roads and then a great motel (the chuck wagon in Torrey) and organic restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
We never make plans on where we are going to stay or eat. It is probably foolish but it just seems to work out. We bypassed the most highly recommended restaurant in Cedar City tonight and walked a mile to a bar that was, amazingly, even too tawdry for George. Even though it was close to 8.45 when we came back, the original restaurant was still open. It just seems to work.
Everyone is fascinated by our bikes and our story. Our bikes look adventurous and it appears that we have come a great distance. Sometimes we don't disabuse the viewers from their belief, for fear of disappointment. I had quite a spirited conversation in French today with the outdoor adventure leader of a California State University who we met at a scenic turnout on Utah Rte 12 today. His dream was to own a BMW and ride to Alaska. It was clear to everyone, including his 12 students, that he was waiting for an invitation to get on the bike and so I invited him to try George's. (His bike sports the lower suspension and this guy was about 5 foot three). Fortunately there was no mishap as George has a $1,000 damage deductible on his bike. But the point is that to many we meet, we are real adventurers, naked and exposed on the road to all the elements, and we don't want to spoil what is really an illusion. Granted it's not the easiest way to travel, but these bikes are so solid, have advanced safety equipment and are happy at 60 mph and, as I discovered on a very safe and isolated road today, equally content at 115 mph.
The intercoms are really useful. I cannot recall all the banal talk that goes on; it lacks substance but it makes the miles go by easier. We could attach the intercoms to our iphones via bluetooth and listen to our podcasts or itunes, but there is never a thought of that; George is my podcast and it's all live.
There is a great section of southwest Utah called the Cedar Breaks area and we were up there at the end of the day. You go up about 4,000 vertical feet from a dessert to a mountaintop lake (Navajo) covered by ice and snow. The temperature goes down almost 25 degrees and then 17 miles back the down side, from trees and alpine conditions back to redrock scrub and desert. You can take Utah 143 or Utah 14; it all ends up at Cedar City. We recommend both routes, and a stop at Cedar Breaks Monument at ten thousand five hundred feet. I have been in this area three times on a motorcycle; it is truly exhilarating.
So much to see and do out her. I can't wait to bring our jeep (garaged 700 miles to the east in Colorado) out here and explore the Burr trail, Moab and the thousands of miles of wilderness four by four trails; hopefully with Celia next month. My knees need work before I can come back and do the long hikes I would like, and George has back issues. We have eaten well and exercised and done our PT. Strangely and unexpectedly, our joint pain has actually lessened as these days go by and these big solid bikes purr on . . . .
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Location:W College Ave,Cedar City,United States