A pic from Friday to recap, the view from our cabin, looking through the notch at Monument Valley during a very windy afternoon:
We did get a good nights sleep, once the cabin stopped creaking and groaning.
Saturday just before dawn, the view from what would have been our tent site, looking through the notch at Monument Valley, on a dead calm morning.
One with the cabin below our tent site
My normal morning camp routine is to avoid order, haphazardly switching between packing up, eating breakfast and walking around taking pictures as the sun comes up. We add one more chore to this morning, see if the bike survived the night in a functional state.
Lighting up
Bad place to be in a strong wind
Sand in odd places
The bike fires right up, puffing a red cloud of dust out of the pipes as it does. Everything is stiff and gritty but works, all except the windshield mechanism. One of something on one side is packed with sand and the shield is stuck in the lowest position. We’ve got a lot of trip left. No doubt there will be some cold and rain. I sure am gonna miss that little feature.
Leaving Goulding’s the clouds and sun seem to offer a little apology for what we got yesterday.
A little tourist stuff on the way out
A good part of the day spent bouncing around southern Utah and northern Arizona looks a lot like
Coming into Page we pass a coin operated self DIY car wash. $5 worth of quarters doesn’t fix the windshield but the rig does look a little better.
Shortly after turning north on Old Paria Town Road I’m having second thoughts. The washboard braking bumps, whoops, blade chatter or whatever is making me worry about parts falling of the FJR. This excursion into the unpaved is not unplanned, but those washboard sections sure are rough.
We endeavor to persevere and are rewarded twice over, at least. The chatter knocks something loose in the windshield retractor and I get one of my favorite buttons back.
The road dead ends on hallowed ground.
If Santa Rio doesn’t look familiar to you, then you haven’t watched Josey Wales enough. Off to Netfix with you NOW!
We end day 7 at the Tribal campground on the Kiabab Reservation just west of Fredonia. Great facility, very good setting.
