On Thursday I left Arches National Park and headed to Grand Junction, Colorado. This stop was not in my original plan but since Trinity had been warning me for days that she needed a service I had to find a BMW dealership asap. The nearest one was in Grand Junction (a Harley Davidson dealership that also deals with BMW and KTM) and they could take her in on Friday. Result!

I booked a room for the night via AirBnB and had the absolute pleasure of meeting Bill and Dawn. They are amazing couple in every respect! My evening with them has certainly been one of the highlights of my trip.  I cannot wait to see them in London when they get out here.

The morning at the Harley dealership ended up being very entertaining, albeit that I had to hang around for nearly 4 hours. With the 75th anniversary of the Sturges Motorcycle Ralley happening from 3-9 August, every Harley rider in the USA, and others from all over the world, are on the road at the moment. A number of them popped into the Grand Junction dealership. I met a number of them and managed to get a photo with two of the guys (see below).

Once Trinity was ready I hit the road. I didn’t think that I would make it all the way to Gunnison that afternoon but I was feeling up for it so I pushed through.

I took the long way around to Gunnison via Highway 141, as Mark and Jenny (the couple from Denver that I met in Torrey) told me that it is one of their favourite routes. I can understand why. It is beautiful. These two photos were taken along the route.

The drive from Montrose to Gunnison on Highway 50 is absolutely stunning, particularly so as you drive through the Gunnison National Forest. This is Black Mountain country which guards a stretch of water made up by three interlinking Reservoirs (basically one massive lake). I sadly did not get a photo of this as it was raining at the time but do yourself a favour and Google photos of the National Forest. This place is a must see!

I stayed in a hostel in Gunnison which was really quite pleasant. What surprised me slightly was the mix of people. There were around 12 guests at the hostel and they ranged from a 16 year old guy to a 67 year old retired ER surgeon. Everyone was incredibly friendly and we all sat around talking until about 11pm. I have however realised that I do like my own room (note to self).

The plan for the day was to head out to Crested Butte. This town is all about mountain biking (and hiking of course). Once a year they have an Art Festival and that happened to be this weekend, so it was nice walking around and looking at all the local art. My favourite was the black and white photography of all the amazing landscapes. I’ve always been a sucker for black and white photography! Below two photos of the town.

Dawn and Bill, I’m sure, will be happy to know that I made it to the restaurant they recommend called Secret Stash. The pizza was great (I’m actually nibbling on leftovers as I’m writing this). I found the two bars but since I was riding I couldn’t test them out. Next time!

From a landscape perspective, Arches National Park and Canyonlands are very similar. Arches just has, well, more arches.

These parks are gorgeous but hot! The temperature hit 37 degrees again yesterday, which does take it out of you and requires a lot of water when you’re hiking. It’s particularly taxing when you’re on a bike and have no escape from the sun and heat at any stage but that has certainly not stopped me.

It was an easy 50 mile ride from Monticello to Moab and as always there was something to see. I couldn’t believe it when I saw this on the side of the road, Wilson Arch.

I decided to spoil myself and booked into the Aarchway Inn in Moab. I also liked the name as it reminded me of when Nicola and I shared a flat on Archway Road in London, only this was a lot quieter and my room was the size of our entire flat. It felt pretty decadent but it was amazing!

I arrived in the Arches at about lunchtime which is the worst part of the day (you really want to do any hiking in the mornings as it gets hotter in the afternoons). I was determined to see as many arches as I could though and the receptionist at the hotel said that I had to see Delicate Arch, so this is where I started. The photos below are from the hike to the arch. As always, Sam was with me!

I was so chuffed that I had reception in the park so that I could share this special moment with Nicola on FaceTime (belated happy birthday again Nicola). Ang – you really need to sort out your phone!

The next hikes were to Sand Arch and Delicate Arch. I was feeling pretty chirpy at this stage so I took a little jog to Delicate Arch. I say little as I probably only lasted 500m before I had to stop and walk again. I really need to get fitter! Anyway, here it is.

The last of the arches that I saw was Landscape Arch, which apparently is the largest arch in the park. It is seriously impressive! This arch is accessible from Devils Garden Trailhead, which is also where I met a lovely couple from Brooklyn, New York. Gordon loved Trinity and wanted to be in my blog so here you go Gordon. You made it! See you in London in two months time.

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Following an amazing afternoon of hiking and exploring I got to swim and relax next to the pool. Pure bliss! I can’t remember the last time I did that.

I arrived in Monticello (a city 50 miles south of Moab) on Monday night. I arrived in the city (these cities are like small towns really) I pulled over to the side of the road to check where the motel was where I was staying. As I stopped this load siren rang. I nearly had a heart attach. I thought I was next to a fire station or something but when I looked right I noticed I was next to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It turns out this siren rings daily at 18:00 and 08:00. I have tried to find why this happens online but haven’t had any luck. If anyone can shed some light on this please let me know.

The lady at the front desk of the motel where I was staying was so lovely I decided to spend two nights there. She gave me a run down of everything that I had to see in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks while I was in the area. The next morning I was on a mission to see the southern part of Canyonlands National Park. This park is huge so I was concentrating on the area called the Needles.

The 40 mile route to the park was very scenic but I wasn’t particularly fond of the road. Part of it had some gravel on it and part of it had loads of cracks that had been filled in with tar. These strips of tar are very slippery on the motorbike and therefore slightly nerve wrecking when driving along sections with tight bends. Needless to say I took these sections nice and slowly.

As it turns out that was a blessing as my GoPro nearly fell off driving down a hill. It appears that the plastic bottom bracket of the attachment which mounts onto my bike has bent that the one screw pops out of place. This is something I will need to look into when I get into a city. A walk up the road I was travelling down fortunately reveals the missing screw. I was very relieved to find it! This is where it happened.

I was very happy to get my GoPro back in place as this is one of my favourite parks so far and I manage to capture driving into it on video. I unfortunately cannot post any of the GoPro video until I get back home and to my computer.

There is something about the rich red rock formations agains the green ‘bushveld’ like vegetation that gets me very excited.

Everything in the park is about rock. The buttes, the mushrooms, the arches and the canyons are all made of rock. It’s mind blowing to think that I’m standing amongst rock formations that are millions of years old and for the most part, I get to enjoy it on my own.

The park, possibly because of its size, is relatively quiet. There is nowhere that I have been that you don’t see someone at least every 20-30 minutes (it is peak tourist season after all) but those moments of silence I treasure. The calm; the quiet; the pure raw beauty of nature! It puts everything into perspective.

I have posted a video and some additional photos of the park on my Facebook page (Mel & Trinity) but here are a few to give you some of the highlights of the park.

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One of the highlights of my day was running into two South Africans, Barry and Bridget, from Durban on the Elephant Trail. They are spending 5-6 months travelling around the U.S. so we certainly had a few things to talk about. What a lovely couple. It was so amazing to hear their story. Here they are on the trail.

What an amazing day!

My decision to leave Bryce Canyon and head out to Torrey turned out to be a great one. I didn’t have accommodation booked but I had a look online and it looked like there were rooms available so I hit the road around 3pm and arrived in Torrey at around 6pm. This was partially due to the stops I made along the way.

I know I have mentioned before how much the scenery changes while driving but it never ceases to amaze me each day. It’s almost like getting a Christmas present ever couple of hours!

Many of the drives that I chose to take between the national parks are scenic byways. The first hour from Bryce Canyon on Highway 12 was nothing massively exciting. I had just started to think I’m not sure why it’s called a scenic drive when this viewpoint arrived. From here on everything changed!

Highway 12 from this point on (I sadly don’t know exactly where I was) until it meets with Highway 24 is gorgeous! Again, the landscape changes constantly along the way, which always keeps you on your toes and waiting for the next surprise. Between the above photo and the next photo you will hopefully see what I mean (there are more photos on my Facebook page if you’re interested).

I tried the Broken Spur Inn when I arrived in Torrey but as it turned out they were out of rooms. However in the 5 minutes I was there I met Mark and Jenny (a couple from Denver). They were also both on BMW motorcycles. Jenny had recently upgraded to the 1200 GS from the 800 GS (like Trinity) and she agreed that the front suspension is a bit floaty in the 800. They invited me to join them in the morning to do the Burr Trail and so was the start of things to come, but first I had to find a place to stay.

I drove down the high street in Torrey and came across a little shop advertising cabins for $40 so I thought I’d check it out. The little shop had such a good vibe about it. I don’t know how else to describe it but I knew this was where I needed to be. I ended up booking into the cabin for two nights. Although, as I was in the Deluxe Cabin (it was the only one left) I had to pay $55 a night. I was as happy as Larry!

At 07:30 I met Mark and Jenny at the Broken Inn. They’d met another couple on a KTM 1250, Naran and Janice, who were also joining us for the morning ride.

The Burr Trail is fantastic and runs from Highway 12 just south of Boulder into the southern part of the Capitol Reef National Park. I have included some photos of the Burr Trail for your enjoyment.

I was telling Naran about my front shock setup on my bike that I don’t like and he advised that I visit a company called Race Tech who are based in Corona (just outside of LA). Apparently they can do a custom overall of your shock for about $250. Result! I think I may well have to pay these guys a visit as I understand the front suspension on Trinity cannot be adjusted otherwise. It’s the only thing in the bike I don’t like so it’s worth getting that issue resolved.

After doing the Burr Trail, Naran and Janice headed off South and I went back to Torrey with Mark and Jenny. I actually ended up spending the rest of the day with them, excluding a short stop back to ‘my cabin’ to pick up my bikini and check my emails.

Below are some photos from our ride through Canyonlands and of the three of us.

We had such a great day! I can’t wait to see them again when I get to Denver. Thanks also for dinner guys! See you soon.

Bryce Canyon National Park is beautiful!

The park’s guide book describes the canyons as ‘Poetry in Stone’. I would say that is a pretty accurate description.

The scenery is varied but the Amphitheatre, which the park is best know for, looks like thousands of grey and pink coloured ‘Stalagmites’ in a valley. The photo below will give you a feel of it.

The park is not that big so I drove through it on the day I arrived, which was Friday 24th July, and I visited all the look out points. It gives a feel for the varying landscape and rock formations with the park, which are formed by water and ice.

As I wanted to get s good feel for the U.S. (in all senses) I’ve been mixing up my accommodation between camping, I stayed in a hostel one night, AirBnB and motels. It’s been a good mix.

My plan was to stay at Bryce Canyon on Friday and Saturday nights, so I booked into Rubi RV and campsite for the two nights. I hadn’t quite expected the temperature drop during the night (it went down to below 5 degrees Celsius), so between getting a little chilly and having a lot on my mind, I didn’t sleep that well on Friday.

Needless to say it was a great excuse to get up early on Saturday morning and hit the hiking trails. Boy did I hit them! My first trail was The Queens Garden Trail which runs from Sunrise to Sunset Points. I was so excited when I got to the bottom of the trail that I felt like I wanted to run. I’ve always had a bit of difficulty containing my excitement! This was me getting very excited but how can you not looking at this view.

Of course, all my excitement running up and down the trail attracted some attention. This is how I met Elaine and Dave. They are originally from Scotland but currently live in San Francisco. I ended up walking around with them for about an hour talking about the U.S. and all sorts of things. It was so lovely to get to know them better and to explore the trail with them. Incidentally, as I was writing this blog post I received an email from them. How amazing is that! It really made me smile.

I didn’t get a photo of Elaine and Dave (I need to get better at this) but Elaine kindly took a photo of me along the trail. This photo will always make me think of them.

After doing this trail and the Navajo Loop Trail, which spears off the Queens Trail, I drove Trinity to Bryce Point to walk the Peekaboo Loop Trail. After about 8 miles of walking up and down the canyons I was knackered to say the least! I’d walked about 4.5-5 hours in total. Probably the best workout I’ve had since my indoor cricket training. It even topped doing Burpies (Nana and Russell I’m thinking of you here). It was strangely satisfying.

While I sat in some shade having a rest I realised I’d seen all I’d wanted to see in the park and I had no desire for another night’s camping, so I decided to move onto my next destination. What a great decision that turned out to be but I will cover this in my next blog.

I woke up early hoping that there would be no wind, so that my 3 hour ride to Zion National Park would be a pleasant one. That didn’t happen. The wind is apparently ever present in the Plains.

The harsh conditions are reflected in the landscape, albeit that it is quite pretty in its own way. I passed a number of dead animals and tumbleweed on I-15, which made me feel like I was in a Dirty Harry movie but paved roads and ‘horse powered’ vehicles. At least my trusty stead has been doing a sterling job.

My first stop was the Kolob Canyon. All I will say is WOW! I tried to capture the canyon on the video below but it really gives you no feel for the scale. The red sand, rich in Iron, is absolutely stunning against the green vegetation.

The actual entrance to Zion National Park is another 1.5 hours away in the town called Springdale. I was thinking of staying in a campsite about an hour north of Springdale but when I got there I thought it’s time to stop. It was hot and I just felt like chilling out. I found a motel through a website called Hotwire, which ended up being really nice, so I’m glad I made that decision.

After doing some washing, I headed into the park. The park is stunning! There is a 24 mile round trip scenic route through the park. The only snag is that there is a one-way tunnel crossing which requires about a 15 min wait. In all my riding gear and 30+ degree temperatures this is slight torture. The drive along U.S. Highway 9 is magnificent though. I have included some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Following the scenic drive I caught the park bus into the park (private vehicles are not allowed on this road). The bus route takes 40 min each way and acts as a hop-on hop-off service. I decided to do the riverside hike which was a fantastic decision. Waking throughly the canyons gives you a true feeling of their scale and beauty. They are magnificent! I’ve included a photo and video for you below.

When I got back to the motel I was met by the loveliest surprise in the form of three retired couples from Indiana who are also travelling around Utah. Bill (the tall chap next to me in the photo below) was so excited about my trip that it made me even more excited about it. I didn’t think that was possible! Thus, it was a welcomed meeting on all fronts and another thing during the day that made my heart happy. It was a good day!

I absolutely love Park City! I wanted to see the city again before I started my journey south towards Fillmore, so I popped into the city (this time parking legally I promise) for an hour.

My first stop was a bookstore in the Main Street where I met Gene. What a lovely guy! We spoke for a while about my trip and he gave me some advise about places to see.

Gene told me a couple of things that I wasn’t aware of. Firstly, that Park City and Moab are the only non Morman cities in Utah, and secondly, that there was a small window when he was able to get married to his husband before that window was closed. I didn’t know it was ever possible for same sex marriages in the U.S. There was a deep sense of joy welling up in me when I heard Gene speaking about his partner and I was so proud to have been at the Seattle Pride, albeit completely unplanned, to celebrate the legalisation of gay marriage by the Supreme Court two days prior to it. Its wonderful to have been part of such a special celebration.

Following a fabulous coffee (thanks for the tip Gene), I started my ride towards Fillmore where I was staying the night.

My AirBnB host, Kirsten had advised that I take a ride up Highway 224 and what a great suggestion that was. The road goes from Park City over the mountain to the valley south of it. The road itself isn’t great but the view is worth the bumpy ride. I really can’t complain given the bike I’m riding! This is the view at the top of the mountain.

I was still commenting about the road condition in my head when I arrived at the bottom of the mountain and there were roadworks. They were resurfacing the road. Woohoo! For the 5 minutes that I was held at the roadworks I spoke to one of the construction workers. He was so sweet and so chuffed to have been put on this job, which was a Federal job and paid $30 an hour versus his normal State jobs which pay minimum wage of $10 an hour. I found the stark contrast in salary very interesting but quite alarming at the same time.

After this the roads were great, as everywhere I’ve been so far. My route took me past Deer Creek State Park which is around a huge reservoir. There were half a dozen boats out on the water and all I could think of was the boat we had when I was growing up. I only tried to waterski once and I fell flat on my face in the water. I never tried it again after that and I’ve always regretting it. One day I’ll rectify that.

After lunch I decided to get onto I-15 and get to Fillmore as quickly as possible. I knew I had a big day the next day so I wanted to be rested out. Boy was that a mistake. The wind cutting across I-15 on the plains is something else. I was playing ‘little boy racer’ for half the ride just to lessen the wind. It was a bit of a strain I must admit. Maybe I should have hit the gym before I came on this trip.

I took this photo of an American flag blowing in the wind at one of the service stations. Of course, I should mention that these flags are enormous! When they’re clearly visible it’s only for one reason – the wind is howling. I think the South African’s will appreciate my comment in the photo. I was giggling while writing it (and eating some ice cream).

Needless to say I was very happy once I arrived at the campsite in Fillmore where I was staying. At first it took me a little by surprise as it was in the middle of nowhere and I had cows grazing in the field right next to where I was camping. To be fair, there was a fence between us. Check this out.

What was truly wonderful was walking out of the camp building after having a shower and finding a view of the sun setting. I love night time. It’s so peaceful. I stood watching the stars for a while hoping I’d see my shooting star but it wasn’t to be. I’ll keep looking!

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The drive from Perry down to Salt Lake City via I-15 (Interstate 15) took a lot of concentration. They’re working on the road as you get closer to Salt Lake City but the lanes are a little all over the place. It was quite windy which makes the ride a little more challenging, so I can safely say this was my least favourite ride so far. Fortunately it was only an hour’s ride.

I didn’t know what to expect from ‘Mormon Country’ but Salt Lake City is just like any other city. I even managed to find the Macy’s (I knew Ang would be proud).

As I had only planned to be in Salt Lake City for a few hours, my aim was to find all the pretty buildings and churches. There are quite a few and fortunately they’re mostly concentrated around the various Temple Streets and Temple Square. Below are some photos of some of the buildings. The descriptions of the buildings and monuments (both in Temple Square) are on the photos.

Below are also two of the monuments in Temple Square. Both pay tribute to the pioneers who fought for religious freedom.

Shannon, the young lady that I met in Teton Village, told me to go to Park City as it was nicer than Salt Lake City in her view. She was definitely right! I went to see the city after dropping my stuff off at the AirBnB were I was staying and a quick visit to the Utah Olympic Park (Winter Sports). What an awesome place. The U.S. Ski team trains there. I don’t know who was training there when I was watching but these guys are amazing. I got a great photo and video to give you a feel for what they get up to.

Park City is one of the coolest cities I have ever seen. Like Jackson’s Hole the area is largely dedicated to skiing and mountain biking. This place has some seriously nice houses and a very vibrant town centre. I even found the Harley store. Check it out.

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Given my freeze dried dinner on Monday night, my body was craving something healthy. I found a great little brewery on the High Street and enjoyed a salad and a latte (no beer – I was on the bike).

Okay, so my luck stars where taking care of me again last night. Phew! It’s more luck than we had in New Zealand mom!

Don’t worry, I got to have my beer later on when I got bank to my host, Kirsten’s, house. Kirsten and I sat talking on her deck for about 3 hours, watching the sun set and a deer walk past the house. It was fantastic! I can’t wait to see how your project turns out Kirsten. Like I said last night, it’s an amazing story that’s well worth telling. Good luck!

I read a Twitter post recently stating that Wyoming was an underrated State. I would definitely agree with this. One of cities mentioned in his article was Jackson. It is such a cute city! Check out the entrances to the Town Square below.

Jackson is one of the towns making up the Jackson’s Hole valley area. This is ski and mountain biking country at its best from what I can see. I stayed in Teton Village, as I mentions in yesterday’s post. It has a fantastic vibe. On Sunday’s during July and August they have a free music concerts. The band was really good, although I can’t remember their name (this is me after all).

I woke up ready to hit the road, after a cup of coffee of course, and saw hot air balloons flying over the valley. I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon. It was one of the things my mom and I never got out to when we were in New Zealand so I think I may need to add it to my bucket list for this trip!

The drive from Teton Village to Perry is primarily through farm land. Don’t be mistaken though, the landscape of the farmland is constantly changing, which keeps the ride interesting.

At the Wyoming / Utah border I discovered my ‘find of the day’ – a town called Freedom. I couldn’t have defined my feeling better than the word freedom, although I was reminded that the word has a very different meaning to different people. I wouldn’t exchange mine for the world!

The ride from Freedom to Logan felt like a drive through my childhood. I grew up in an area with a lot of farm land. In fact my high school was in the middle of a corn field served by a dirt road. My siblings and I would often to ride to school by motorbike, so this wasn’t a far cry from my teenage school commute.

The closer I got to Logan the more I felt like I was in the Cape. It’s still one of my favourite places in the world so it brought a huge smile to my face. You’ll see what I mean in the photo below.

With the intention of experiencing all sorts of different things on this trip, I spent the evening camping. I was advised that the KOA’s (Kampsite of America) are generally pretty good so I stayed at the one in Perry. It was pretty basic but fulfilled my needs (it has a pool; showers; coffee and wifi). I have realised I am prepared to go without aloof things but a shower is not one of them! I could even cope with the freeze dried beef stew. It tasted exactly like what it said ‘freeze dried’. I may need to look at some other options i.e. eating out!

Overall it was good day but my day was made when my dad sent me a message saying the first thing he does each day is look for my updates and watch Sky News. Hopefully my news doesn’t repeat as much! Is that a hint dad? Just kidding, I’ll happy keep the stories coming if you enjoy reading them.