Today was originally supposed to be a shorter day, but I added in a stop at Natural Bridges National Monument which brought my route up to about 400 miles.

It was well worth it, but I’m getting ahead of myself. The first planned stop was at Capitol Reef National Park, and while on the way there I hit a new trip-altitude record of 8,385 feet. Capitol Reef was beautiful, with many stunning views of weathered mesas, cliffs, buttes, etc. composed of red, grey, yellow, and white rock. The ride through the park was great, and I stopped in many places to take pictures.

From there I rode over to Natural Bridges, but passed through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on the way there. It was, also, amazing. Words, especially ones from someone who is not a writer, don’t do it justice. The roads, winding through canyons of red rock, are amazing motorcycling roads. I hadn’t planned on seeing this and am definitely glad I had the opportunity.

After leaving Glen Canyon behind I pulled in to Natural Bridges and rode around the park, snapping pictures of the rock formations as I went. I didn’t get to hike down to any of the lower viewing areas because, frankly, I didn’t trust my footing in motorcycle boots. I’m sure the views were incredible, and I’ll be back to do this again with better walking gear, but for now pictures from the overlooks had to do.

I rolled out of the park heading for Moab, UT, tonight’s destination. I’ve planned some time to really go though Arches tomorrow so I needed to press on tonight. The ride to Moab was even better, because even though I was out of the parks the scenery was still a feast for the eyes.

I arrived in Moab, got my hotel room for the next couple nights, and went over to The Moab Brewery for dinner and some very tasty, if low alcohol, brews.

Tomorrow, Arches…

It was a good thing that I stopped in Fernley last night. I re-read the Loneliest Road challenge rules and it turns out I needed to get a stamp from there. So I went down to the chamber of commerce’s office, picked up my survival guide, and got it stamped. They also gave me an audio tour on CD, but unfortunately between the netbook and the bike I don’t have anything that can read it.

I topped off the tank, not taking any chances, and rolled on down US-50 to Fallon. In Fallon I found the local UPS store and shipped my camping gear back. That removed a nice bit of weight from the bike! The UPS store stamped my survival guide for Fallon. Another splash of fuel, a refill of the hydration backpack, and I’m on the road for Austin.

This leg was where the signs of civilization started to disappear. Even the power lines weren’t there for part of it. It was really peaceful being the only human around for miles. But it had to end, and I arrived in Austin where I topped the tank off and got that stamp added to my growing collection. I also grabbed a bite to eat there as well.

With tank and belly full, I pressed on to Eureka. I think this was the toughest part of the ride, because between the full puppy syndrome and the monotonous riding, it was tough to stay awake. I managed though and once in Eureka I got some more fuel, another stamp for the guide, and some much appreciated caffeine.

Leaving Eureka I was on the way to Ely, the last of the five big towns on that stretch of US-50. The ride was a lot more interesting, with more twists and turns and more varied scenery than before. I made it in to Ely with no issues, got my guide stamped, topped the tank off, and pointed the bike towards Utah.

I got to my chosen stopping point, Delta, UT, a little later than I would have liked, but there was a room available so it’s all good. With the bike unloaded and my check-in phone calls done, I grabbed a bite to eat and then turned in. Tomorrow should be a fun day’s riding…

Red, Morgan, and I fired the bikes up and made our way to Crater Lake National Park. It was a chilly morning, especially on top of the volcano, but the views were spectacular! We stopped at a few of the overlooks, took pictures, and admired the scenery, and shopped at the information center. Red was having some trouble with her brakes so she and Jon headed down to Livermore while I continued on over to Nevada. We split up in Klamath Falls, OR, just before lunch. I was sorry to see them go, but wonky brakes are not to be taken lightly.

From there I trekked across Oregon and the top of California on various state highways and US routes before ending up on I-80 in Reno. Once in to California the weather warmed up enough that I could take off the jacket liner, in fact I had to because it was getting uncomfortable to keep it on.

After getting through Reno I got off the interstate and called it a night in Fernley, NV. It’s pretty close to the start of the section of US-50 known as The Loneliest Road in America. I’ll be riding that tomorrow, on my way to Delta, UT.

I got the last of the camping gear and clothes packed away, said my goodbyes, and headed for Tacoma to meet up with a friend I haven’t seen since I left Rhode Island. The ride back over the Tacoma Narrows bridge was chilly but it was worth it. I got over to Marcia’s Silver Spoon Cafe a little later than I’d planned, but Don stuck around. It was good catching up with him after all that time.

After breakfast I headed south on I-5 down through Washington and in to Oregon. Just south of Eugene I got on OR-58 and headed for the first gas station I saw to top the tank off and walk around for a few. When I pulled in I was right behind Red and Jon Morgan, who I’d planned to meet up with in Chemult. We rode the rest of the way down together, through a couple National Forests, on a very nice winding road. The weather’s gotten chilly again, and once we checked in to the motel we found out that there might be frost tonight. Dinner has been eaten and we’re off to sleep. Tomorrow should see Jon peeling off to get back to California while Red and I continue on in to Nevada…

Nothing much to report today. It was a definite down day, no riding period, just hanging out with a bunch of good friends. We had some fantastic prime rib for dinner, lots of coldbeers and other beverages, and more great conversations. I turned in a little earlier than most because I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow to meet a high school friend I haven’t seen in almost 18 years…

The last day in Canada saw me heading down 5A from Kamloops. It’s a really nice road, with lots of twisties to keep you interested. After a little play time I got back on 5, going southwest towards Vancouver. More chilly weather in the mountains and lots of turns and elevation changes as I made my way to the border. The wait to get to the border crossing in Sumas, WA was longer than I’d expected and I had to turn the bike off a few times to keep it from overheating while I waited my turn. This crossing was a lot easier than the last one, and once back in the US I headed for Seattle. Traffic was a bear, but I made it through to the Tacoma Narrows bridge and ultimately to the island for the weekend party.

The tent is pitched, the beer is cold, and I’m going to be enjoying a relaxing weekend before heading for home.

The previous long days bought me some play time today to ride through Banff and Jasper. I took Route 1A north to Lake Louise, taking advantage of the many photography opportunities through Banff. I then merged back on to Route 1, heading to the Icefields Parkway for more spectacular views. I got to see the Bow Lake Glacier, more of the Canadian Rockies, and the Columbia Icefield. Those were some really impressive glaciers, even with their steady retreat. The weather got very cool, enough that I turned on the electric jacket, while being up in the mountains. From there I scooted up to Jasper, maxing out at 2074m elevation along the way. A quick lunch in Jasper and I’m back on the road heading to some friends’ place in Kamloops, BC. The ride was very smoky thanks to all of the forest fires burning throughout the province, to the point where I could actually smell the wood smoke.

I pulled in to the farm at about 7:30 PM and had some delicious beer, tasty lasagna, and great conversation with old friends I hadn’t seen in a long, long time.

I slept in today, but not to worry as I only had 70 miles to ride. After some coffee and donuts at Timmy’s, I topped the tank off and headed for Banff. The ride was great and the weather definitely warmed up. At one of the photo spots outside the park I ran in to a pair of bikes from North Carolina, had a good chat, and then rode in to the park. Hotel rates were as high as I’d expected, but I wanted to stay in Banff so paying for the convenience was justified.

After unloading the unnecessaries from the bike I scooted over to the Banff Gondola and rode up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The views were spectacular! It was a little hazy thanks to all of the fires in British Columbia, but still well worth the trip up. Many pictures were taken before my empty stomach insisted on being filled. And what better way to fill it than poutine at 7500 feet elevation? I can’t think of one.

I then headed back to the hotel to drop off the gear and walk over to the post office to mail a post card to Reese and do some shopping. I found some neat stuff in The Bear and Butterfly, and they directly support the park so it was money well spent. After that I went over to The Bison for some local beer and food. I had a most excellent meat and cheese board and a couple really tasty local beers. The first was a Gopher from Big Rock, a nice hoppy lager. The second was a pilsner from Grizzly Paw, very malty and quite delicious.

After that I made my way back to the room and am off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, hopefully the last of them, as I ride the Icefields Parkway and head over to British Columbia to meet some friends.

A chilly Canadian morning greeted me as I packed the bike back up for the ride to Calgary. I skipped the hotel’s free breakfast for a visit to Tim Hortons for some coffee and Timbits. It was well worth the trip.

Following my caffeine and fried dough detour I got on Highway 1 and headed for Calgary. The ride was pretty uneventful, mostly just miles and miles of cultivated fields. I did have to dodge some rain through western Saskatchewan, but stayed mostly dry. The bike’s odometer rolled over 60,000 miles on the outskirts of Calgary.

The one bit of excitement, if you can call it that, was getting pulled over for speeding coming in to Calgary. It was totally my fault, I missed the sign indicating that the speed limit had dropped from 110 kph to 70(!) kph. The cop was good though and let me go with a stern talking to and a good set of directions to help me avoid the city center and find a hotel.

Dinner was some tasty barbecue at Big T’s BBQ where I also enjoyed a really good beer from Big Rock Brewery, a local brewery.

I’m heading off to bed now, tomorrow is going to be interesting. I’ll be in Banff for the next two days being a complete tourist.

I got up early this morning and headed over to the local O’Reilly to see about the headlight. They loaned me a meter which I used to confirm that the stock connector did in fact have power. So after purchasing and installing a halogen bulb and doing some minor modifications to ensure that the HID ballast was completely disconnected, I hit the road for the border crossing in Portal, ND.

Crossing in to Canada was a lot different than the last time, in 1994. I had to go inside and went through a rather thorough interview, including financial data and names and phone numbers of friends I’m planning on staying with in British Columbia. After they were satisfied I got on SK-39 to Regina, SK. The weather was better, with much less wind to fight, but it was cool enough that I contemplated turning on the heated jacked liner. I arrived at the hotel in Regina at about 2:30 PM, got checked in and unloaded the bike before heading over to the RCMP Heritage Centre. It’s a nice museum with lots of really good exhibits covering the entire history of the RCMP.

After that I grabbed some dinner and settled in to review the route to Calgary tomorrow.