10–18 June 2000
Pictures start here
Gordon (Mac) McDonell
This was the first trip that I have planned and put together, and I’m afraid to do another because this trip went so well; it has to be all-downhill from here. Everybody got along just great; there was Jill, Jessica, Carl, Jan and myself. I feel that we’re all closer friends now than before we left on the trip. How many times can you say that, after spending 9 days with a group? And the weather couldn’t have been any better; except for one afternoon in Page it was not hot. (It was cooler in Utah than in the Bay Area, i.e. 108 in San Rafael.) The roads were as good as you can find for a motorcycle. Most were wide two lanes with sweeping turns. And the scenery was gorgeous! I kept our speed to the posted speed or slower when views were too good. The roads just scream for you to turn the bike lose and let it run, I would like go back with my ST 1100 and do just that, but I would most likely end up with the bike and my head up a deer or cow’s ass. It’s open range in Utah, with a whole lot of deer. I saw more dead deer along the side of the road than you ever see live in Calif. The only bad thing on the trip was the road construction; we came across more oil sprayed on the road and chip seal than I want to remember, plus over 5 miles of dirt road.
I’m sure that the other riders of the group will tell you their stories, and Carl will have pictures. If you care to read more, I have a short daily schedule below. So in the tradition of the Breakfast club, we ate, drank, laughed, and rode through some wonderful country.
June 10, leaving the Donut shop at 7am,were Carl, Jessica, Jill, Jill’s friend Tom who was only going to breakfast with us but ended up riding to Tonopah, Jan & Mac, and our fearless leader, Mr. Gallegos, who rode to breakfast with us. At the Orchard restaurant we found Warren waiting for us. After breakfast, I should have known what a great trip it was going to be, because Warren picked up the tab. Thanks again Warren. The five of us pushed on through Yosemite stopping at the gas station at the bottom of 120 and 395 for gas and lunch. Word of advice, leave their Black Bean Soup alone; it was a lump in my stomach for the rest of the day. Taking 395 south to 120, it was the first time I had been on this section of 120, what a great road. It has a section that has dips and rises, but as the leader, you’re thinking as you come to the top of a rise, please don’t have a sharp 90 degree turn at the bottom of the dip. Arriving at Tonopah that afternoon, I found out how quickly the pack can turn on the leader when the motel had not filled the pool and hot tub. There was no place to drink the beer. I was backed into a corner and death was but a hair’s breath away.
June 11 after breakfast, Tom heads back to the Bay Area, and the five of us leave for Cedar City, by Hwy. 6 to 375, the Extraterrestrial highway. While riding along 375 I saw two Antelope, the first I’ve ever seen in person. We stopped at the Little Alien Inn for drinks, gas, and pictures. We stopped a lot for gas because of Jessica’s small tank (more on this later). I was not looking forward to this day’s ride through Nevada, but was very pleasantly surprised. It had the subtle desert beauty and the weather was warm but not hot.
In planning the trip, I was worried about being able to buy beer. It was never a problem. Thank God the pool and hot tub were full. If they weren’t, my wife would be collecting my life insurance now.
June 12. I think this was the most scenic day I have ever had. Leaving Cedar City by hwy. 14 for Cedar Breaks, there is a beautiful canyon road climbing up to Cedar Breaks. If I could only ride a bike on one road, this would be the road. Arriving at Cedar Breaks, and seeing the contrast between the canyon beauty and the eroded beauty of Cedar Breaks was breathtaking. But the day was just starting. Still on hwy. 14 we rode through the Dixie Nat’l Forest to hwy. 89, then onto hwy. 12 to Bryce canyon. There, after some confusion, we hiked part way down into the canyon, (yes I said hiked). the colors and the erosion were spectacular. After lunch we continued along hwy. 12 to Torrey. Hwy. 12 is a must ride road, from desert to forest. But watch out for the deer and the cattle. I saw two nice live bucks, and four dead deer along the side of the road. And there is no thrill like coming around a corner and finding several head of cattle grazing on the very edge of the road since most of Utah is open range. We were starting to worry about Carl because he didn’t see the dead deer.
It was about this time we started to give Jessica a bad time about her English pronunciation, i.e. gravel was gruble. This was by four people who have a hard time with one language.
June 13. Up and going early to ride through Capital Reef Nat’l Park. There is a side road from the visitor center that we went on, highly recommended. Back to the motel for breakfast and checkout. Leaving Torrey on hwy. 24 to hwy. 72, a great road through a national forest and over a pass to hwy. 10, which took us to hwy. 31. Everybody really enjoyed this road. We went up a canyon with a river next to the road and woods all around (different than in Calif.). We went over a high mountain pass with snow still on the ground. Just beautiful! If you’re ever near it, it’s worth your time to take hwy. 31. It was where hwy 31 meets hwy. 89 that we hit road construction, with oil and gruble in two places of 8 to 10 miles each, which put a damper on the day. After the construction where hwy. 89 meets hwy. 6 there is train track that parallels hwy. 6. And coming up hwy. 89 you look up and can see hwy. 6 and the train on the tracks, and think, how great, with the train and the two roads coming together and you think you’re going to an overpass or underpass. But no, in the middle of a corner you see the gate down. What a thrill! Then we went down hwy.6 to Price. If I did the trip again I would leave Price out.
June 14. We left Price by hwy.6. I had spoken to a man by phone with the Utah tourist bureau when planning the trip, and he told me there wouldn’t be any highway grooves from semi-trucks. Hwy. 6 made a liar out of him. We had breakfast at Green River. Then hwy. 50 to hwy. 24 to hwy. 95. Hwy. 95 goes through a canyon or wash with red sandstone. Just spectacular! 20 miles or so after crossing Lake Powell we stopped for gas and ice cream at a little motel–gas station–restaurant and bar that Carl would liked to have stayed at. On to Natural Bridges and more pictures. Carl saw hwy. 261 on the map and thought it would be a good road to take. I pointed out to him that part of it was a dirt road, so back to hwy. 95 then south on hwy. 191. It was here we found 5.2 miles of road construction with nothing but dirt road and to make matters worse, about half way though a water truck washed the road for dust. Now we had mud. We stayed in Bluff at the Recapture Inn. I think we liked it here the most of all the paces we stayed. After beer and a hot tub, we decided to walk down and see the river, about a half- mile away. Half- way there my sides were hurting from laughing, there were all kinds bugs flying around our faces. So as you were walking on the dirt road, your hands and arms were always waving around your face and head. I was walking in the rear, and seeing four adults trying to carry on a conversation with both hands and arms flailing the air around their heads. It was as funny as it gets.
June 15 saw us in Monument Valley. It’s not as big as the movies would have you believe but it’s everything I imagined. We arrived at the motel in Page before the rooms were ready. It was decided the women would wait in the lobby and Carl and myself would check out where we would find the dinner cruise on Lake Powell. It was about an 18 mile round trip, with reservation problems. It was about an hour and quarter before we got back to the motel. And we were both heat beat. It was the only time we had trouble with the heat on the trip. The dinner cruise was very nice, the food was good and it was very pretty on the lake, but we lost the port steering and had to be towed back to the dock, which was interesting in itself. I recommend the dinner cruise if you’re there.
June 16. Breakfast at Jacob Lake then on to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. What can you say about it but one big deep hole in the ground? Lunch was back at Jacob Lake and everyone liked the restaurant. Zion was our next stop. We went on the bus tour up the canyon and again it was just beautiful. We stayed in Springdale for the night. A nice little town. It was about here we found out that Jessica was getting between 56 and 57 miles to the gallon of gas. (Her 4.3 gallon tank can go as far as my Gold Wing or Jill’s Venture. Carl’s Beemer could run us all dry.)
June 17. Breakfast in St. George. I would like to go back and see more of the St. George area; I thought it was a lovely area. Returning to Tonopah, we find we can’t use the pool; Jill volunteers to find us another motel with a pool, which she does. After checking in and seeing the rooms, that were less expensive then the other motel, Carl asks me who would like this motel, and at the same time we say Dave! So for the benefit of the Breakfast Club, so that we don’t have a run to Tonopah, we are all sworn to never telling were this motel is. Jill, Jessica and Carl took Jan and myself to dinner as a thanks for putting the trip together. Thanks guys! (You would think if they really appreciated all the blood, sweat and tears I put into putting the trip together they would taken us out to an expensive dinner in the Bay Area. But Tonopah?)
June 18. Just that terrible hwy. 120 to ride through Yosemite and home. It was along 120 before Yosemite that I found out Jack rabbits have at least four speeds. I enter a corner and a Jack starts across the road. He sees we’re coming together and he hits third. I think I’m going to run over him, because I’m not going to swerve and go down to miss him. But no, his ears go down, and he hits fourth and really takes off. (You’d think someone put a rocket up his butt.) We miss each other. And we ride home to the end of a great trip.
Pictures from Carl
