Day 9-10

Rule #1 – Always trust your GPS.
Rule #2 – Never trust your GPS.
After wanting to send me back to Reno, I finally escaped the clutches of Las Vegas, but sadly on an Interstate freeway which frankly although quite efficient, is dreadfully boring on a motorcycle as it’s generally flat, straight and boring. There is an option in my GPS to avoid freeways and I had it ticked, hence why the device initially had me going in the wrong direction.

I was headed for Zion National Park in Utah for my test ride to make sure my bike,

Zion - Camping

luggage, camping gear and packing all worked properly before I leave Vegas for the big run north. Zion was recommended by my ADV mate Matt and his recommondation was spot on. With huge towering cliffs on either side of this canyon, this piece of land was cleverly captured as a National Park. Arriving Monday afternoon I was surprised the park was packed and both camping grounds were full (?) The Aussie accent worked and the Park Rangeress squeezed me in, she just wanted to visit downunder and we chatted for 5 minutes.

The park attracts nearly 3 million visitors a year (!) and the park management is very impressive, using a shuttle bus system to ferry visitors up and down the canyon’s natural attractions. It was good to get outdoors and do some walking, something I have not done for ages since arriving (apart from traversing shopping malls). The refillable spring water fountains actually tasted how water should, unlike Vegas water (@#$%^).

At days end I needed food and unexpectantly found a Thai restaurant tucked inside the parks ‘Imax’ theatre, I ordered a Cha-choo chicken and prawn curry with rice and a beer and it was really good, the proprietor was Thai and a nice bloke. Sadly I made the mistake of buying an ice cream walking back to camp and that made my first night under the stars quite restless. As for the camping, well I might avoid big campgrounds in future as there was a lot of noise that night.

Grand Canyon - Snow !

Tuesday dawned early and I broke camp and departed the park by the east exit through a great road full of switchbacks and an amazing tunnel cut through the side of a mountain. I decided to head for the Grand Canyon and visit the North Rim which I missed on last visit in 2002. I met a fellow biker Roy from California at the Jacob Lake gas station and we rode south into the park together. Well here it was a few weeks to summer and there is snow everywhere ! The temperature starts to drop and next thing it is 5′ with the sun shining – UG ! At the park entrance I flashed my new Annual Pass, great $80 investment and arrived at the Visitor Centre to once again a full carpark. Roy and I stayed for around 90 minutes and took some snaps and everyone wants to chat to bikers, especially the foreign ones !

Grand Canyon - North Rim

Too cold to stay here the night so Roy pressed on northward and I turned south towards Flagstaff which is the main town servicing the Grand Canyon. The ‘desert’ terrain through Vermillion Cliffs and Marble Canyon is really interesting and scenic, just like in the Cowboy Indian movies, I’m now in Arizona. I made Flagstaff by 5pm and have a quick bite at Sizzler, the tastless steak luckily saved by the decent salad bar. The GPS says Vegas is 3 hours away so I hop the interstate and get to Kingman at sunset, a quick refuel and I piggy-back one of the Grand Canyon day tour buses returning to Vegas via the Hoover Dam where security is still in place since 9/11 – they wave me through as the bus gets the once over.

Once again the GPS sends me astray off the expressway and back on to get me home just before 10pm. A long day but a good test of the bike and my riding stamina.

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