Day 5

Final location: Echo Bay Marina, Lake Mead, NV; Final odometer: 19,078; Total miles: 2283.1


After a refreshing night in a comfy bed (no hot water in the shower though), I slowly got packed back up and ready to head out. Down the hill from the hotel was the restaurant I had eaten at the previous night. It backs onto the San Juan River, right where I had to cross. First thing after this crossing was Monument Valley - about 20-odd miles to the park and the Arizona border.



The trip into Monument Valley was great. A nice cool evening in a hotel room, leisurely departure and perfect riding weather put a nice smiley face on the day. Monument Valley is awesome and huge. Pictures will not do it justice, so I've added just a few. I like my little flower one.


I kept trying to press on and make good time but there is just so much to see! This is Navajo Bridge located south from Lake Powell along the Colorado River. There is a pedestrian bridge that parallels the traffic bridge. Perfect for bungy jumping.

Trying to give some perspective on the size - the Vermillion Cliffs along the Vermillion Cliffs Highway which is just before you would detour south to get to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The solar powered ice maker was working just fine!

I went through Tuba City. What a Dickensian vision! Factories belching smoke as they churn out the world's tubas. From both sides of the road you could see the molten brass being poured through the open doors of the refinery, hear the constant clanging as the raw shapes are molded into beautiful, perfect tubas. I forgot to take pictures, I was so mesmerized! Who knew there was such a demand for tubas?

This was before heading up into Kaibab and Kanab, back in Utah. And yes, I did get rained on. Just between Fredonia and Kanab, the curtain of rain came in. I've tried to indicate it in the photo. I quickly put the camera away and battened down the hatches. The temperature quickly dropped, the winds picked up and the rain hit. I got broadsided by at least two gusts that seemd to push the rear wheel sideways. Whew! Then in the townKanab, no one was aware there was even a storm. Kaibab Nation Forest is also a nice ride, taking you up near 8,000 in a lovely alpine setting. And it didn't rain.

Zion was something I thought about skipping, in the hopes of making up some time. I'm very glad I didn't. What an impressive area. The rain seemed to bring out the contrast in colors. Two, I will comment on. One looks like a natural bridge in the making. The othr side of it was the end of the line back in the 20s. Then they built a mile long tunnel, completed in 1930. The tunnel has a few openings to the outside, one of which you can see in a photo. Enjoy the pictures.

I called Carsten in San Francisco and we discussed my options. I had paid the $12 entry fee which gave me a camping spot for the night but it was very wet and fairly early, only about 4:30. So I soldiered on.

Coming out of Zion, I came into La Verkin/Hurricane with some weather still following, I headed down I-15 (after Margot's and HotSauces, one of the few times I've taken the interstate so far) through Arizona and into Mesquite, NV. Now, for about half this distance is some really different road. Up through the pass, the interstate weaves quite enthusiastically for about 15 miles or so. I still had my rain gear on (full face and Frogg Togg top) and as I came over the pass, I could feel it warming up. Once the twisties stopped, it got hotter, faster. About a degree a minute until it was 102. I stopped at the Welcome Center and found a place on Lake Mead that show camping. I called and it was open and self-service so I didn't have to worry about the time (I wasn't aware of the time change ot Pacific as yet). I was really excited about finding a place to camp, albeit scorchingly hot, even after the rain gear came off. I pictured a lively resort, filled with kids playing, music blasting away, consessions selling hot dogs and ice cream. Well, they've got all that water and power, they could do anything, right? No. The campground was more than 30 miles from the interstate, "near" the lake and quite barren. I was the only one at the campground other than the "Campground Host". The sites were concrete or a concrete-like substance that wouldn't take a tent peg - which my tent required to get up. I shifted the tent around until I found some - relatively - looser gravel. Did I mention it was barren? I got the tent up and now it was dark and I was hot even though it had cooled down to 97. Anyway, I enjoyed a couple cold beers, watched 2 DVDs and let the fan blow on me all night. Thank you solar power!