So I wake up again nice an early....pop some pills ahhhh.....not really but its good to think that it helps. Turn me socks inside out......again.....neat how they stand up in the corner all by themselves.....I

Not a cloud in the sky......an its already a bit nice out.   Wonder if it will get hot today.................yeah maybe today I use the camel back...so fill it with ice and pack up me crap...uncover "BK" new nickname....stands for Bug Killer.  

So grab some breaky, they got the good ole waffle maker, layout the ole map and take another look....to the East is the Manti-La Sal National Forest and I can catch a secondary that goes directly south. Done...got me a sort of plan....so a few of the locals see me pondering the map and start chatting with me. Everybody is digging that I have no clue where I am going or that I haven't a plan....seems most folks want to do this exact thing....but they don't for whatever reason.

Well it would seem that a big thing in Salina is a local salt that has more minerals in it than usual. The locals swore by it so had to get me some of that...not planning on getting much stuff due to obvious reasons but heck that shouldn't take up too much room. So back to the room to pack up and load up (getting quicker at it now).

First stop gas...always top up when I can....ya never know....beauty of BK is she can haul my butt at least 500 k before I start to worry bout gas....this of course depends on the type of riding I'm doing.... :)   so on this trip it is safe to assume I'm not getting 500k to a tank....

At the pump a Harley Trike pulls up...another gal riding....I can't believe how many gals are riding....hmmm they do seem to like the Harely's...hmmm wonder why....wow she sparked that thing up and the whole place vibrated...hmmm she was some happy gal....wonder why she had such a big grin on.....not sure but I think I heard moaning as she drove off....nah....must be desert echoes....

So off I went to the east along I70....dang it was sure scenec as it cuts thru a mountain pass had to pull over to take a few pics...that will be the death of me....I can see me plastered to the front of a semi with camera in hand....funny thing somehow I got ahead of that gal on the Harley...she blew past...thumping away...gave a wave...funny thing...I'm sure I heard moaning as she went by....nah...must be the mountain echoes....

So there is hardly anybody on the road :)...I find the turn off thanks to the GPS....Zumo...don't leave home without it...and there is nobody on the road....cept the cows....its open range so you have to look out a bit...fly round a corner and....COW.....right in da middle of the road. So tune in me Cowdar and am good to go....

Its an awesome ride south thru hills and valleys kinda like alberta foothills but with some desert in there...and bushes...and snakes...hang on we got snakes....lots of curves....no one on the road...so its a sweet scenic ride...was able to make sure that there was no flat spots on the tires...all is good in the universe.   Specially with tunes in me head and not one else on the road.

Eventually I had to pull over to sort out me map....so I'm kinda concentrating on me bike on the side of the road and all off a sudden dude say "hey need a hand?"....crap another biker pulled up beside me was 2 feet away and I didn't even notice...nice guy, I passed on the assist and offer to ride with him and another guy as I explained "I's a Lone Wolf" and not able to play well with others. So off they went he was on a yammy and the other was on a beemer 800 k.

Seems anytime I stop someone wants to give a hand or talk about my bike. Wow...nice.

So I get me map sorted finally....love the tank bag with map but you need to fold it just right to fit inside the sleeve. Even with GPS you need a map to see the big picture....

Off I go thru some pretty amazing scenery....and some wicked riding....again almost no one on the road....eventually I climb this pass and there is a look out on top...well if it isn't the two guys on the bikes that stopped earlier taking a break. So I pull up and pull the helmet off and commence to chatting with these guys. Turns out the guy who stopped me originally was a veterinarian from Calgary and the other guy was on his way to Iowa....taking the long way. So we chatted for a while took a few pics they took off and I was not too far behind them. Nice guys. They want to see some of my pics....

So where we had stopped was about the top of the Aquarus Plateau. Nice view....the road then lead into what is called the Grand Staircase....

So as I head into the staircase...the scenery totally changes into this .....bizarre desert....sort of like an dole John Wayne flick...but in color....and 3D....did it ever get cool looking...and again the ride was twisty twisty twisty....only the odd trailer on the road...easy to pass...you have to see the pics. So down into the desert....and what comes with that is the heat....lots of it....glad I filled me camel back. Then you start to climb....and at one point the road....is a twisty road....with nothing but drop off on both sides....long ways down....and wicked views from either side. Awesome riding. I'm taking pics on the fly and stopping and starting and back tracking to do curves again....so defiantly not taking the most efficient route.

As I'm screaming down into this really cool canyon....crap...memory card full...so pull over...and set up the office...pull out the lap top power up start dumping the cards etc etc. Takes a bit to transfer so me neck is killing me...so just lay out on the side of the highway. Seems the heat from the road helped a bit me thinks.....did get some strange looks from the passerbyers though....seems they never saw a panting passed out Canuck laying on the side of the road moaning in pain who was not playing a hocky game....in the middle of the desert....there probably is a YouTube video somewhere out there...

So heard the pong....transfer done tone....so dragged me carcass up....packed up the office and by now she is getting a bit long in the day so needs to find me a bed. GPS to the rescue. Seems there be a Best Western in the booming metropolis of Kanab. Seriously that's the name....population...I dunno ...500...counting the dogs. So I finally get a cell signal.....must say on this subject I have been out of cell range about 90% of the time. Do not believe the AT&T adds...we cover 99% of the states...I say bulls***. So gave em a call and they got a room...sweet...got a destination. So I roll in there about an hour later and it is about 40C out....smoking hot.

So park BK...polish her up for the night and cover her up....put on me trunks and hit the pool.....ahhhhh ....then the hot tub...oh yaaaaa....then the pool.....then the hot tub.....only thing missing was beer....so toweled off....found the nearest gas station and some more of the pint cans....filled up the ice bucket and laid back to veg and take it in....more pills, beer...hmmm neck seems a bit better...

Hmmm where to go tomorrow......ahh crap I'll figure that out in the morning over breakfast...cept either Vegas....or Monument Valley me thinks.....or something cool....