Wednesday, August 12--The California Desert to the Coast

For the first time, we decided to make a major deviation from our general travel plan. We originally were going to leave Vegas and head to Death Valley and then north to Yosemite but we decided to head for the coast and get a day riding up the Pacific Coast Highway. Back in Montrose, Colorado, an elderly couple told us there was great fishing village called Morro Bay south of Big Sur that we should try to see. So we said what the heck, lets check it out. The change meant a long hot day of riding thru the deserts of eastern California. It was already in the high 90s when we left Vegas at 9.

Before we left we had to check out the last remaining Playboy Club which was in the Palms where we stayed.



We headed out I-15 where the posted speed limit was 75 but the people headed to LA seemed to be doing alot faster than that. If the pictures Deb took from the back of the bike seem a bit blurry,you can guess why.

Most of the scenery looked like you would expect--desert!




We stopped for breakfast at Peggy Sue's Diner in Yerma, CA which was just east of Barstow where we left I-15 and got on 58 headed to Bakersfield. This is a us with a picture of Pops who was the owner's father.


The other major thing you see in the California desert besides dust and cactus are windmills--hundreds and hundreds of them.


We also passed thru Boron, CA. Can anybody guess what their claim to fame is?


As we passed through Bakersfield and headed west on 46 we passed many many flower farms, pecan farms, and walnut farms. We are still trying to figure out where they were getting their water from since most of the land was completely dried out. The temperature was about 105 at this farm.


We also got to see an oil field fire in Lost Hills, California.



After passing through Paso Robales and their many many wineries and riding over 400 miles we got to within 5 miles of the coast and started to feel the cooler Pacific air. Then we saw the fog rolling in.


And rolling in...


and rolling in...


When we got to Morro Bay, the visibility was extremely poor (thus no pictures) and the temperature was in the mid 50s. After all day at over 100 degrees, it was like a slap in the face.

We took a picture of the beautiful harbor the next morning once the fog had cleared.
From the Road,

George and Deb

Tuesday, August 11--Bryce Canyon, Zion and Las Vegas

Starting in Kanab, we headed north to Bryce Canyon. We got a relatively early start and the road was littered with Road Kill of all kinds--particularly deer. Glad we weren't driving thru there at night.

On the way to Bryce, you pass thru Red Canyon which gives you a warmup for what was coming. Deb took the pictures above from the bike.

As we approached Bryce, we encountered TRAFFIC!! Road was one lane and gravel for awhile so we had to wait.



It was definitely worth the wait.







On the way back out and on the way to ZION, we went through a few tunnels and captured some views.




It was lunch time and we stopped in Hatch, UT to at place advertising Burgers, Bikes and Beds.
Debbie decided to have some fun with the help...

They were very friendly and even had a picture for her on the wall. They must have known she was planning a visit...

We knew it was going to be significantly hotter in Zion than Bryce so we filled up on water.

After Lunch, we headed for Zion.



We saw alot of these signs as we entered the park:






As we got into the park, thru the tunnel, the temps were well over 100 degrees. As those of you who have been here in the summer, it can be brutally hot.

We stopped for what seemed like the one bit of shade and Debbie refueled on some water. Unfortunately, it seems someone else previously used the stop for something else...





I think Rosie needed a rest too but we couldn't find her any shade.


Zion was amazing and we definitely will go back and explore more. Unfortunately, we still had to make it to Vegas.

We headed for I-15 to make some time and got to Vegas around dusk. Our exit was closed and we were forced to get off sooner than we liked. We stopped to get gas and check our map. This was not the Vegas that you see on TV. I have traveled all over the world and I have not seen this many homeless people camping out. The dismal economy has really hit home here.

The Best Western we booked from Zion was in an older part of town which didn't pass the sniff test and we decided to head uptown and ended up staying at the Palms.




We even won a bit of money which is always a good thing.



From the Road,

George and Debbie

Monday, Aug 10--The Grand Canyon

The Best Western in Kanab, UT was somewhat centrally located between the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion so for the first time on our journey we were staying in the same hotel 2 nights in a row.

It was 69 miles to the entrance to the park and another 12 to the rim. Lots of wildlife spotting in the miles. Above is Debbie with a herd of bison. Later we saw mule deer, baby turkeys, ravens, hawks, etc.

The North Rim is at about 9000 feet so it was a very cool day., Unfortunately, recent forest fires left a haze over the canyon. They let us ride through parts of the fire (below).

The park had some really spectacular views and the shear size was amazing. 27 miles long. 10 miles wide. Temperature swings from the top of the canyon to the bottom were 30 degrees. You could hike from the top to the bottom it was 14 miles down. Of course you needed to hike the 14 miles back to the top. We saved that for another day. Jay Miers are you listening?

After spending most of the day in the park, we headed back to Kanab. Looking forward to another good dinner at the Rockin V Cafe and Art Gallery in Kanab. We had an excellent meal the previous night so we were looking forward to another good meal. Vic and his crew did not disappoint as Deb had the best pork chop that she ever had. At least 2 inches thick and extremely moist. It matched the excellent curried meatballs that I had the previous night. We highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. Owner Vic was born in NY and grew up in Texas and was the consummate host.

From the Road,

George and Debbie