After the challenging day that yesterday had been I was in no rush to get back on the road. I worried about my tire as well as the possibility of anything more going wrong with the bike. We got on our way well after sunrise and stopped in the Capitol Reef National Park just a few miles up the road. It was a stop well worth the time if, like me, you like colorful rock formations. The photos below tell the story of this beautiful park.
This is the obligatory shot out of the motel window in Torrey, Utah 
I had to add air to the front tire and I was amused by the sign next to the air hose!
Looking back at the mountain we had crossed the previous evening it is plain to see why it was so cold on the summit - there is still some snow up there!
A little education on the geology of the area in south central Utah.
Taking a photo-op break before entering Capiton Reef National Park
One of the many beautiful views in the park
Looking east towards the entrance with a nice ridge line to the east and snow caps in the background
I love the contrast between rock and sky
Really!
I have a thing for scraggly trees
So these continue the scraggly tree series 
And this is the last of this series.
Again, the contrast between rock and sky but some lush vegetation adds color to this shot.
Back on the road we came upon a traffic jam in the middle of nowhere!! It turns out that the Kia auto company was filming a commercial for their new SUV and they had the road blocked off. I wondered with all the open spaces out here, why on earth did they choose a spot right off a major through road to do their filming?!?! The wait was only about ten minutes and we were soon on our way.
The film crew for the Kia commercial. With all the beauty this area has to offer it is a wonde that they chose this barren gray backdrop for their commercial. For having kept us roasting in the sun they had better sell a lot of those SUV's ..... oh, wait, we are now paying $4.00 a gallon, hmm, not such a good time to bring a new huge ute to the market is it?
The ride from Capitol Reefs to Hanksville is pretty desolate!
Though you do run into lush green vegetation as you approach rivers. We turned south on route 95 at Hanskville and between Hanksville and the Colorado River we took some measurements and gathered some data on a flat and open portion of road with clear views for a couple of miles in each direction.
This road offered spectacular views of Mt. Ellen Peak at 11,506 ft in elevation, Mt. Pennell at 11,371 ft in elevation and Mt. Hillers at 10,723 ft in elevation. They were a nice contrast to the landscape to the east which is just high plains devoid of vegetation with the exception of tufts of grass and little bushes about a foot tall but all a washed-out sandy color.
Mt. Ellen Peak as seen from the eastern exposure from route 95 in Utah
Mt. Hillers on the left and Mt. Pennell on the right
A closer shot of Mt. Hillers. It is always amazing to me to see snow when you are sitting in the roasting sun in the middle of the desert!
As we approached the Colorado River the road followed a canyon of beautiful red rocks with nice sweeping turns. The only problem with the turns is the cracks in the road have been fixed with tar and with the sun shining hard on them the tar gets a little squishy and the bikes wobbled through the corners in the most disconcerting manner. We made a stop at a scenic overlook at the Colorado and as we were preparing to take off after taking a bunch of photos a couple more BMW bikes pulled in and we wondered if this was a convention of BMW motorcyclists!
Looking west along the Colorado River in the direction of the Powell Reservoir
Looking east near the confluence of the Devil and Cololorado Rivers
I think we have a quorum for a BMW convention!!
We made quick work of the ride into Blanding where we stopped for breakfast ...... our initial plan was to have breakfast here since it was one tank from Torrey and we figured we would cover it in about three hours. On the way we had to use Dirk’s reserve tank as the measurements we took earlier consumed more than the normal amount of gasoline. So, instead, it was 4:00 pm by the time we arrived and we were famished!
This is the mountain range overlooking Blanding Utah and in it are Shay Mountain with an elevation of 9,988 ft, Abajo Peak with an elevation of 11,360 ft and Mt. Linneaus at an elevation of 10,961 ft.
We stopped in at the Peace Tree Juice Cafe for a tasty meal and a little rest. I was quite tired and thought about canceling the reservation in Carbondale Colorado which was still five hours off and getting a place in Moab, Utah just an hour up the road but on checking I was reminded that I had to have canceled the day before in order not to be charged for the room so we were committed.
Dirk takes advantage of our lunch stop at the Peace Tree Juice Cafe to call home and say good night to the kids.
A view of the La Salle mountains from the south.The ride over the southern shoulder of the La Salle Mountains into the plains of western Colorado was a fun and twisty ride. We then settled in for the long straights to the intersection with route 141.
We turned north on route 141 for what turned out to be a very spirited ride along the Dolores and Miguel river valleys. It was getting on in the day and we did not stop to take photos but both provided very scenic beauty as backdrop to a fun ride.
We stopped in Grand Junction to gas up just as the sun was about to set. Tired, we grabbed a cup of coffee and decided to finish up the ride to Carbondale on the freeway rather than risk any close encounters with deer through the mountain passes.
It was a good call and less than two hours later we were checked in and ready for a good meal. Unfortunately, everything was closed with the exception of the gas station next to the hotel and we had to settle for pre-wrapped “deli” sandwiches from there. No worries, though as they did have decent beer and that helped wash them down.
It had been a great day of riding and not one mechanical issue with either of the bikes. I checked the routes for the next day only to learn that Independence Pass up the road and Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park were both still closed because of snow. That nixed the possibility of spending the next night in Denver so we opted to end the mountain portion of the trip in Cheyenne, Wyoming after a ride through the Laramie mountians.
No comments:
Post a Comment