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A sliver moon rises just before sunrise. The stars slowly
get washed away by the light. It's warming up. Time to get up.
Come on, move it.
In a few minutes we are back on the highway, headed south
to Salt Lake. A banana will have to do for breakfast. Fortunately, it's Sunday so
traffics not so bad through SLC. They are working on the roads though and for some
obsurd reason they have I-15 narrowed it down to one lane, taking up the unused two
for two guys leaning on shovels. We can only imagine the back up on a weekday. In
fifteen or twenty minutes we have squeezed through. I hate Salt Lake City. I just do.
Exactly the reaction they want no doubt.
We stop in Lehi for gas and a bite. I resist the temtation
to snap another picture of the Rolling Mills. I've been here before, three, four
times and have plent of pictures.
Decision time, what route should we take. The direct route
follows US 50 through Price and Moab, the way we took last trip. I really want to
head south, to Zion, Brice, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef. It would take a month if I
were on my motorcycle. But I'm not on my motorcycle and we don't have a month. It's
killing me to be so close. How about we go south to Capitol Reef and cut across- I
know a way. Glenn agrees.
A rich layer of sandstone at the top of Capitol Reef.
We continue south and pick up 24. Capitol Reef Nation Park
follows a 100 mile long waterpocket fold down into Glen Canyon, now lake Powell.
Highway 24 briefly cuts through the middle top of it following the Freemont River.
We take a quick tour and then back track to Boulder Mountain where we cut south to
the Burr Trail, a cattle route from summer grazing on the plateaus to wintering in
Bullfrog basin below.
Twenty years ago, on our first attempt to traverse Boulder
Mountain on our way to Bryce Canyon on our motorcycles, we were turned back by mud.
The route is paved today and a new Natioanl Monument, The Grand Staircase- Escalente
encompasses the region. The Burr Trail is 2WD gravel. The plan was to get down to
Lake Powell and camp out but we didn't quit make it. Let's not get too techical
about where we stayed or the regulations. Afterall, it's a cattle trail. The ranchers
would have spent a week or longer with a hurd of 100 cows. It's the desert. The middle
of nowhere. My favorite place on Earth.
.
It was nice of them to provide us with a picinic table for
our dinner. Unfortunately, I had not checked the Coleman stove beforehand and found
it not to work. So much for hotdogs. Beers and chips would have to do.
MON. August 21, check-in
TUE. August 22, a train ride to Silverton
WED. August 23, a Goose ride
THUR. August 24, we're here (in Red Mountain)
FRI. August 25, the show, San Juan Shops, dead time.
SAT. August 26, teardown, Aztec ruins and Chama
SUN. August 27, ride The Cumbres & Toltec
MON. August 28, Creede, Lake City, Crested Butte and Gunnison
TUE. August 29, Northern Nevada RR, Route 50
WED. August 30, N. Cal., DQ and home.
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