Utah...

MikeO

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Dereham, Norfolk, today...
25th August

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Another good night’s sleep :thumb. My leg’s still sore - and getting more colourful every day – but resting it each day and taking ibuprofen seems to be doing the trick.

I pack the bike and I’m on the road at 1100. I start off riding west along Interstate 80, turning south after 24 miles, heading towards Baggs, on the Colorado border. It’s a beautiful day, windy, with a vivid blue sky…

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I ride through Baggs and continue south into Colorado. Almost immediately, I see a Colorado Highway Patrol vehicle parked on the left of the road - the trooper pointing a hand held radar at me. I’m happy to be doing just under 70 – this is a 65 limit, reasonable in the weather conditions (the wind is quite gusty) – so I don’t get a ‘pull’. However, between there and Craig (49 miles), I see four more police cars – 3 Colorado State Troopers and a Sheriff – all heading north.

Perhaps there’s a doughnut sale on in Baggs…

At Craig, I turn left and head west towards Dinosaur. The road’s straight, but the countryside is getting more interesting – less like the high desert of the last couple of days – on the horizon are the beginnings of the rock formations I know I’ll be seeing soon in Utah…

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I stop in a Tourist Information Office in Dinosaur, and pick up a free road map of Colorado – I intend to put it to good use in the next week or so…:D

Continuing west, I enter Utah…

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…and stop at the Utah Tourist Information Office at Jensen, where I meet Ann…

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Whatever Utah State are paying her, it isn’t enough. She gives me an excellent run down on what to do in the Vernal area, as well as tips on good restaurants, bars, Internet cafés and motels. People like Ann are worth their weight in gold to the tourist industry :thumb

I get a room in Motel 6 in Vernal and spend the evening looking at maps…

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26th August

I start the day by ringing my mum & wishing her a happy birthday – I’ve not rung home in a little while, and I’m pleased to hear that everything’s OK.

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I pack the bike and I’m on the road for 1000, heading south east on Highway 45. Initially, this is a paved road…

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…with the landscape starting to change towards the reddish brown mesas of the Utah desert, but soon, I’m back on gravel…

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The road’s good, though, and I make good progress – you’ve always got to be aware that you might meet someone coming the other way, though…:D

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Soon, I’m climbing up a series of switchbacks into the Baxter Pass, crossing into Colorado just after I clear the top…

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The view from the top is great – you can see the road I’m about to ride, clinging to the side of the hill as it descends towards Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area.

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After 70 or so miles of gravel, I reach Interstate 70 and turn right, heading west back into Utah. I turn off at Cisco, then take Highway 128 down the southern bank of the Colorado River…

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I’m back into Utah proper now – the colours and shapes of the rock formations are fantastic…

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Soon, I’m arriving at Moab, and checking into Motel 6. It’s been a great day’s riding - I’m knackered… :D

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27th August

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To start the day, I extend my stay at the hotel for another 2 nights. This is a great area to explore on a bike, and having a base here allows me to do this on a lightly loaded bike, rather than carting my whole world around with me. Taking my toolkit & puncture repair kit with me, along with a few litres of water, I head off towards Arches National Park – just a few miles north of my hotel…

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The weather is unseasonably cool – by Utah standards. This means it’s bearable – about 85º F- which makes the ride very pleasant. I’m soon riding up the series of hairpins which lead up into the park. It’s Friday (I’ve just worked out :p), so there’s a lot of traffic about – it’ll be worse tomorrow…

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I notice this strange rock formation. This being Utah, I expected it to be called something like ‘Three Wise Men’…

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…in fact it turns out to be called the Three Gossips…:D

This is Balanced Rock…

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In a few hundred years, after more wind erosion, it’ll topple over. After which I expect it’ll just be called ‘Rock’ – and have fewer pictures taken of it. Fame is transitory.

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I couldn’t see a name for this rock – it reminds me of a dog waking up – Cricket Rock, then…:D

Soon I see my first arch – this one’s Cove Arch…

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…Double Arch…

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Just another rock formation – any where else, this kind of natural phenomenon would be an attraction in its own right – here it doesn’t even get named…

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I decide to ride down a track marked ‘4 wheel drive required’. I get about a quarter of a mile down the track, to find that someone’s decided to close it…

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…which, with my record on the last couple of Fridays, is probably a good decision…:D

At ‘Fiery Furnace Viewpoint’, I meet up with Ralph & Cathy, who are from Boston, Massachusetts, riding their R1150RS…

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…and Annette, who’s studying at the University of New Mexico…

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…and rides a Honda cruiser. She’s just started biking and this is her first trip – she’s riding back on her own this afternoon – good effort! We exchange email addresses and, with the generosity I never get used to, Ralph invites me to get in touch & stay when I get to Boston. Since Boston is my intended point of departure for the UK, I’ve a feeling we’ll be meeting again…

After another couple of Arches…

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…and coming across a lot more traffic…

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I decide to depart – heading back out of the main entrance…

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…before turning right up the 191 towards Dead Horse Point.

I’m soon turning left onto the 313 and heading west. The road climbs slightly, affording panoramic views over the broad, flat valley base, with clouds loitering above the LaSal mountains, which reach over 12000 ft, on the horizon…

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Soon I arrive at Dead Horse Point…

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The area got it’s name from the times when cowboys used to round up wild horses, or mustangs, and use the cliff edge as a natural corral – blocking the narrow entrance with brush and branches. They’d than choose the horse they wanted, leaving the others to perish from thirst… Nice :eek

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It’s a fantastic view – very reminiscent of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Film buffs may find it familiar – this is close to where Thelma & Louise drove their convertible off the edge of the cliff.

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Apparently they blew the shot on the first take, and had to drive another vehicle off to re-shoot. The clean up took longer than the set up.

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Beautiful as the scenery is – I’m getting warm and it’s time to head back to the hotel. It’s been a good day and, unusually for a Friday, I’ve not fallen off :D

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28th August

I decided yesterday evening that today I’d go and explore a track called ‘Valley of the Gods’ about a hundred miles south of Moab…

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At about 0900, I fill up with fuel, and get some water, at the nearest gas station – it’s next to a bike shop with an excellent mural…

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I head south down the 191 – the weather is superb, with hardly a breath of wind, yet it’s cool and there’s no cloud. It’s forecast to remain cooler than normal today, so it should be a good day to spend a few hours in the desert. After stopping for a mediocre breakfast in Blanding, I come to the turn off to Valley of the Gods…

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Although the road initially starts as a sandy wash out, where there’s obviously been a recent flood, it soon develops into a good, undulating trail, with great views…

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After several miles, the track joins the 261, which, for a while, is paved…

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…before becoming a gravel track as it starts its tortuous climb up onto the San Juan plateau. Most of the actual hairpin turns are paved, making life a little easier…

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It’s quite a steep and difficult climb, and I think I’m doing quite well – until I see a guy riding his fully loaded K1200LT down the hill! He seems a little distracted & tense, and doesn’t take a hand off the handlebar to wave as he passes…:D

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I get to the top of the pass, and the view is breathtaking…

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The air is particularly clear and I can see almost the entire distance I’ve just travelled…
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I get back on asphalt and head north up towards Highway 95, turning right back towards Blanding where I turn north on the 191 again. I notice an unusual looking old car for sale…

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…for a change, it has a ‘For Sale’ sign in the windscreen, so I know what it is – anybody out there like to hazard a guess? (If you’re interested, it’s offered at $3800).

I get back to Moab – keeping an eye out for hostile Indians…

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…but manage to make it safely back to the hotel. A local’s personal crusade against the Iraq war catches my eye…

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A brilliant day’s riding… :thumb

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