Abolition on the road
I thought today would be an easy ride. Now, with 2,200 miles behind, I am not sure it was. There were no major hazzles along the way. It was actually amazing. At first I was a bit disappointed, as Mr. GPS showed me that the only way out of Snow Canyon was through St. George, and then onto Interstate 15. Arrghh!!! Interstate? Are you kidding me? Oh well, I confess I ate crow today, but what a well seasoned and perfectly cooked crow it was. Interstate 15, for all my ranting about how interstates kill the landscape and rob the traveler from wonderfull experiences, has got to be the best insterstate I know now. The mountain pass it took me down was breath taking, with rocks pointing up into dark blue skies, and curvey, downward roads. About the only complaint I have is that it all went by too quickly, and there was no place to stop. But then again, some of the best pictures are those we never had a chance to take. They are stored in our minds forever.
Mr. RoadCrab
Someone who has not gotten mention here is my road buddy, Mr. RoadCrab. I got him two years ago, during my testimonial ride to Memphis. He was with me last year, on the journey to the Bonneville Salt Flats, and he has been with me this year too. This morning I thought I had lost him, as he had been perched on the emergency gas can, and I could not see him through the rear view mirror. When I made it to the Nevada crossing on I-15, I stopped to take a picture, plant a flag in prayer, and found him still there, hanging by a claw. Now he is sitting on the trunk, safely held in place by a wire tie.
From there, it was on to another treasure, highway 169. It took me through the Moapa valley, and thanks to the Obama administration, and its plans to put people to work, through several miles of unpaved and gravel road. I almost felt like preaching; I mean off-roading. What makes 169 so wonderful, besides the fact that it ondulates and curves forever (pattern here?) is that it tracks the Northern side of Lake Meade. Miles of road with vistas of dark, liquid turquoise, poured into a stoney valley. Even though I had not planned to, I decided it would be a shame not to visit the Hoover Dam. So, I took a small detour. Well, small in terms of geological time and planetary distances. I really do not know how many miles it added to my trip, but it added a few hours. The descent into the dam area, was slow and tedious because of the security check point, and while it may not be a big deal for modern cars, for motorcycles, which still rely quite a bit on airflow to cool the engines, a .5 mile/hour crawl can make things boil. I did have to stop under a bridge to let things cool down a bit, but eventually I made it to the dam. What a magnificent man made structure. Especially interesting are the two bronze statues, which I over heard, are the largest single cast bronze statues in the wolrd. Besides adminiring the tons of finely poured concrete, I also took the opportunity to take pictures of two bronze medallions that are part of the art of the area, and depict the Sagitarious and Scorpion constellations, as a reminder of my astronomy night at a week ago.
As I was about to get on the bike, I ran into the British guy I met yesterday, and this time I met his dad too. I inquired about the Harley behavior on the downhill slow stretch. The son said: ‘this is the kind of bike that makes you wish for a different one on every curve’, while the dad said, ‘It just roasts the skin right off your leg’. We laughed and said our good bye’s.
They day still had surprises for me. After riding around Las Vegas, instead of through, I took a scheduled detour on highway 156. This amazing piece of road takes you through Mt. Charleston, and in very few miles, one goes from Joshua tree planes, to piney forests, and about 5,000 miles in changes of altitude. Once back on the road to Beatty, it was just a long pull, with the mountains that border Death Valley to my left, seemingly covered in mist. I arrived at my motel, where I will sleep for the next three nights, so I finally have the luxury of unloading all of the stuff from the bike. As I write these words, I am preparing for an early start of the day, and my first venture into Death Valley.