Sounds like a great trip, I will be doing I 40 from NorCal to San Antonio next week to bring my bike home. Weather will be a concern but it should be a great ride regardless! Have a great trip and enjoy the time off!
When in Moab, Ut, you have to stop at the Moab Brewery. Opens at 11am and is a great place to eat with great craft beers. Best food and prices in the Moab area
In Utah, consider taking 12 through Escalante and Bryce. Not much to see from the freeway imo.
Yes, definitely this. Also, don't miss Zion National Park. Hit that either as you head east from St. George on your way to the Grand Canyon, or after you visit the north rim, go back into Zion.
As you head north on US-89, you'll see the turnoff to Bryce Canyon NP. Take that. If you have time, hike some in both Bryce and Zion. From Bryce, take UT-12 to Escalante, Boulder, and Torrey. At Torrey, go west on UT-24, passing through Capitol Reef NP on your way to Hanksville. Assuming you'll head north from Hanksville on your way to Moab, it's worthwhile to take a short detour out to see Goblin Valley State Park. Alternatively, you might want to head south on 95 and detour on 261 to ride the Moki Dugway. Take the time to see Canyonlands NP and, of course, Arches NP while you're in Moab.
Currently on this trip now. Left yesterday morning. Decided to try to do a SS1000 so I rode from St. Louis to west Albuquerque with a total of about 1059 miles. Don't think my SS1000 will count as I did not get a destination witness. I kept all my gas reciepts and took pics of them next to my odometer. I'll turn it in and if they deny it over no 2nd witness, oh well, I know I did it. Was cold at times. Think the lowest temp I saw on the bike was around 37, but most of the trip seemed to be in the 40s. Though it got as high as low 70s for some parts. Caught a bit of rain but not too bad.
I saw the Cadillac Ranch from the interstate but didn't stop, one because I would have had to back track to it since it was on the east bound side, and two because I was trying to make good time for the SS1000.
Today was only around 400 miles and included the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Tomorrow will be the Grand Canyon and then towards San Diego. I'm already considering an alternate route home. I can make Moab, Utah and the North Rim their own trip next year. However, will see how things go, since I on my own and can change my mind if I want.
Did the south rim of the Grand Canyon this morning. Had to brush frost off my seat in the AM, was 35 when I left my hotel (two hotel nights in a row? I know) After that I headed to California. Nice temp change as the elevation dropped, got as high as 89 according to my Street Glide's temp gauge on the Nav screen. Got to pay almost $5 a gallon for premium near Needles. At some point in Arizona when it started to warm up, I stopped and took off my rain gear since I had been wearing it for warmth. I also took my heavy deer skin gauntlets off and switched to a lighter pair of gloves.. Guess I tossed the gauntlets in my left saddle bag. Then I took off and was flying between 90mph and 100mph. Even at that speed a white SUV came up and pulled beside me and the passenger started pointing. I knew exactly what the deal was. Its the third time its happened on three trips, I didn't completely secure the saddlebag lid. I was able to close it while riding and then pulled over to see what was gone. Of course those gauntlets where lost, those were $80 gauntlets, though I only gave $30 for them on clearance several years ago. I'm lucky I didn't lose my rain gear pants as they were on top of everything, but guess I rolled them up tight enough and shoved them in the saddle bag well enough that they stayed in. If that SUV hadn't been cool enough to speed up to catch me and let me know, they probably would have been lost. maybe now that I've lost something I'll be sure to make sure bags are latched securely from now on.
So I rode on to the Joshua Tree area, that is where I'm camped out right now. It seems like the ladies riders have their Babes Ride Out going on this weekend as I've seen many of them. I went to a Walmart and some had parked up near the doors, I've never parked there, but since so many bikes where there I did too. Almost busted my *** when I put my foot down and it slid a little that concrete was slick. Think I'll stick to the parking lot for now on.
Not sure if I'll ride around this area tomorrow or head on to San Diego.
Following!!!! Nice cold wet fall to attempt this this year!
I really only got a little rain on that first day, and somehow I missed any really hard down pours.
In the camping pics, I am in some soft sand and didn't bring something specifically to put under the kickstand. Since I didn't want to find bike on side next day, I found that my e-tool shovel works great to use as a kickstand plate, it will also dig, drive in tent stakes, and work as a chopper.
10-01-2018, 12:09 PM
Nice cold wet fall to attempt this this year!
