Day 12: The Best Ride – The Shortest Post

I am spending the night in Durango, Colorado, after one of the longer rides in this journey.  It is already dark, and in the background I hear the chirping o crickets, mixed with the humming of trucks and cars that drive by on the highway.  I think this will be a short journal entry, even though it is probably one of the most spectacular rides of my life.  I took the longer route, again, using UT-12 East of Cannonville, and then UT-24.  These two, take the more adventurous riders through the Escalante Grand Staircase System, and then through Capitol Reef.  After that comes the Glen Canyon area.  All I have to say is that Colorado can keep the Grand Canyon, even though I know it is in Arizona, and I will take EGSS-CR-GC any day. Extra points also awarded because they have a town called Hanksville, which was named after my favorite uncle from Menlo Park.

From there, it was south on the Western edge of Colorado, where nightmarish winds kept me from appreciating the landscape last year, but this time around, I enjoyed the rich agricultural fields, especially the sunflower fields, which reminded me of my favorite baseball fan, and her favorite road food.

I rolled into Mancos around 3:30, where I had made an appointment with the guys at Basin Motorcycle Works to get the oil on the BeMWu changed. Harry was really cool, and did lots more than change the oil.  Actually Will changed to oil, but while we were in the hood, Harry helped me check the alternator belt, shaved off some metal from the bash plate that will make future oil changes easier, and showed me how to change the fuel filter, which requires the extraction of the fuel pump from the gas tank.  I had a great time, and ended up spending about two hours with them, also salivating over a vintage red Moto Guzzi, and a wonderfully redone BMW R100GS.

I planted two flags today.  One at the Cannonville KOA, before departure, and one at a scenic overlook in the Escalante area.  Tomorrow is another long riding day, with 470 miles between Durango, and Mayhill, NM.

Buenas Noches.