Utah - Zion National Park

We got up early and had breakfast at The Cameron Trading Post before hitting the road just after 7:00am. The Navajo staff run a great establishment there and were very friendly. At that time of the morning the riding was very pleasant. We headed north up Hwy 89 and by the time we had reached Marble Canyon the day was heating up! We stopped and took photos of the Colorado River from the bridge then decided as the roads were not busy we would take our riding jackets off and ride in our underwear (just kidding - I mean T Shirts). The landscape was arid with the typical rocky outcrops & buttes typical of Arizona with a type of pastel green plant covering the flats and foothills.

We starting gaining altitude as we entered the Kalibah National Forest and the hills, winding roads and cooler conditions were a welcome relief. We wound our way up to 7000 feet before descending again into the warmer flats below with sparse vegetation. Not long up the road we said goodbye to Arizona and crossed the State line into Utah. We immediately gained an hour as the State is in a different time zone.

Not far past the town of Kanab we turned on to Hwy 9 West and headed into Zion National Park. The landscape in the Park was striking with huge red rock hills covered with brush and pine. The patterns in the rock formations were quite distinct from what we had seen down in Sedona. You actually descend down a steep road through a couple of tunnels (one very long) with quite a few hard corners and switchbacks. This would have been really fun if it wasn't for the fact that someone in their wisdom had decided that it would be a brilliant idea to do roadworks in the National Park during peak holiday season. We had some lengthy waits behind traffic in very hot conditions. Parts of the road were like a goat track - a trail bike the Harley is not! There were many pot holes and pools of water where the road had been watered, which served to make a very sticky red clay substance stick tto the underside of my frame and under the fenders. When we got off the road later that afternnon, the heat had baked it hard. A job I will have to do in the next day or so after we have finished visiting Utah's National parks - clean the bike!

After we left the Park we had lunch at Springdale then took Hwy 15 North to Cedar City where we checked in to the motel for the night. It had been a reasonable effort for he day, around 400 km's and one National Park.

At the motel I met 'Big Al' a retired welder who was making his way back to Michigan. Al told me that he used to own Harleys and to be careful when we get to South Dakota as there have been many accidents involving deer being hit by motorists. He told me that in Michigan, about 4000 deer have been killed on the roads this year (gives new meaning to the term 'road kill'). In fact 'Big Al's Uncle has written off two Harleys after hitting deer. I did believe him as I had met a couple in Christchurch from South Dakota who had said a similar warning about wildlife on roads. In fact we have seen many warning signs on the side of the highways as we have travelled around.

Big Al is quite the hunter - he shot 25 deer last year. I thought this was very impressive until he told me that he can't grow anything at his home in the country as his wife keeps feeding the deer, chipmunks and squirrels and his property is in fact overrun by deer. I have this picture of 'Mrs Al' taming the deer with food over a period of weeks, until one day the door opens and instead of Bambi getting grits from Mrs Al, it gets lead poisoning from Big Al! Al said that he never shoots more than what he needs to fill the freezer. At 25 deer - he must have a really big freezer - or he eats a whole lot of venison!