FJRiders.com

extrememarine wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:07 pm Just helping 1911 keep this thread at the top of the list while he's working on the next chapter.



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I appreciate you guys keeping the fire from going out. I'm glad we didn't get to deep into animal husbandry. I occasionally point family and friends to this place

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.

Duane - if you'd like, I can move (not delete) the off topic comments to a "Red Lodge - better late than never color commentary aka what is taking him so long to post the rest of this grand adventure" thread...

1911 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 9:46 am

extrememarine wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:07 pm Just helping 1911 keep this thread at the top of the list while he's working on the next chapter.

I appreciate you guys keeping the fire from going out. I'm glad we didn't get to deep into animal husbandry. I occasionally point family and friends to this place

extrememarine wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:23 am Duane - if you'd like, I can move (not delete) the off topic comments to a "Red Lodge - better late than never color commentary aka what is taking him so long to post the rest of this grand adventure" thread...

1911 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 9:46 am

extrememarine wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:07 pm Just helping 1911 keep this thread at the top of the list while he's working on the next chapter.

I appreciate you guys keeping the fire from going out. I'm glad we didn't get to deep into animal husbandry. I occasionally point family and friends to this place

CHANGE NOTHING!

Color, variety, humor-all good.

There are some in my circle quite religious. Growing up in a military family, traveling the world, I got to see people from all walks of life, to include those not so religious, some decidedly anti-religious, some crude, all learn to depend on each other and tolerate each others quirks. Recall that the service people from the Vietnam era were on there own, as far as the general public was concerned. But that is a loooong story.

"phew".

So, Duane, I'm guessing the sage ole Indian rolled off the hill thereabouts...and later on...Hell came for breakfast.

Duane, your photos of that area are just amazing. Wow. BTW, looking at that video of the dirt washboard road, don't give those fartsmellers organizing the IBR any ideas for a night time bonus.

Glad things "shook loose" for ya.

Ordering another bag of popcorn. I'm thinking carmel corn this time.

Somehow, I have to figure out how to assemble a trip to wander through these spectacular places out west.

And remember to not begin posting the ride report until I have it completely written to avoid the brutality of the popcorn munchers here...

Looking forward to the next chapter(s)!

extrememarine wrote: ↑Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:11 pm Somehow, I have to figure out how to assemble a trip to wander through these spectacular places out west.

And remember to not begin posting the ride report until I have it completely written to avoid the brutality of the popcorn munchers here...

Looking forward to the next chapter(s)!

Yup, I write mine all up in Notepad++ complete with UBB code and then copy/paste it all at once in multiple posts while waiting for the post timeout feature to take effect. That let's all the popcorn munching take place AFTER the report.

Or you can do like I do; ride but don't write a report.

...or, you can use the "Save Draft" button.

blind squirrel wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:38 am Or you can do like I do; ride but don't write a report.

People like you are the reason I have to actually work, because there are no more RR's to read.

Uh Oh. You instant gratification junkies may be disappointed. We are but 7 days into a 22 day ride and we are just getting to the good stuff.

Well, get to it then! Geez, priorities.

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 10:34 am Well, get to it then! Geez, priorities.

Sorry buddy. He and Marilee are riding with us and a few others this weekend. So there’s that.

I do hear you though. This RR is like the best book you’ve ever read, but you can only read a chapter at a time. But I’d rather have a chapter at a time instead of waiting on the whole novel!

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 11:48 am Sorry buddy. He and Marilee are riding with us and a few others this weekend. So there’s that.

So...what you are saying is....it's all your fault?!?!?!

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 2:56 pm

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 11:48 am Sorry buddy. He and Marilee are riding with us and a few others this weekend. So there’s that.

So...what you are saying is....it's all your fault?!?!?!

Sun up and coffee on! Sunday, May 23, day 8 of 22. Paiute Campground, Kiabab Utah.



Only one little nit to pick about this place. It seems like the gravel that they use for parking/tent pads is made up of broken arrowheads. Good that we carry extra stuff that can serve as groundpads.

On our way to the good stuff



I deleted our route through Zion because of the crowds and traffic and reservation requirements in the news. When we got to the 89 9 intersection though we decided to give it a shot.



No wait at all going in the east gate and even light traffic for a little while. It didn’t take too long to get into traffic and tight parking. If we had really wanted to we could have found places to dismount and walk about but we had other plans this day. So not much from Zion, just a little off-camber helmet cam.



I got a real “Gatlinburg” vibe rolling through Springdale as we left Zion.

I got that “Freebird” vibe running Utah 14 from Cedar City back over to US89



And then on to Bryce Canyon



Now, Bryce Canyon, time to work on some stills.

I know The Grand Canyon is THE canyon to see. I know I haven’t seen it all. But, if a person told me they were only allowed one canyon and asked my preference, it would be a very hard to choose between the two. I look at Grand Canyon and I can comprehend Mother Nature’s methods. At Bryce all I see are the leftovers of the supernatural whittling chess pieces or playing Jenga.

We roll into Bryce Sunday afternoon. We get our tent up and the mattress breathing at our reserved site and then it’s off to look around.





















Close to dinner time we run back up to the main road, with space now not filled by camping gear, and we go on a shopping spree at Ruby’s General Store.

Tonight is when one of my planning miscalculations hurts the worst. Bryce, and with it a lot of where we are spending our nights, is stargazing country. Dark Sky Preserve they call it. I’m looking forward to some prime stargazing on this trip. I’m dragging along some bulky stuff to try some night photography. But I forgot to consider the moon. On nights with clear sky, 23:00 is like daylight.

I have a preference for Zion and Bryce Canyons as I can wrap my head around them while Grand Canyon it too large to really appreciate from the overlooks.

Years ago I did a day hike in Bryce Canyon. It was an experience I will never forget.

Great ride report. Thank so much!

Lots of interesting hoodoos in Bryce.

Sorry about the moonlight. You won't forget that factor again I bet. Of course, you could time it right and the weather might not cooperate. It's a crapshoot.