Story: 21 Days in June
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Via US 15, SR 9
| Terrain: Desert with some hills and canyons Date: June 2014 Roads: Interstate, paved highway with some construction on US 15 near Las Vegas Technical: Easy Elevation: 2,001 ft. to 3,898 ft |
Here is a new Google map through Day 10 Chinle, AZ
It is over 100 degrees in early June and Linda could really use some vented gloves. I also wanted to get my obligatory local Harley t-shirt, so we stop at Red Rock Harley before we hit the road. I set the GPS, we discuss the ride, and practice getting on and off the bike. This is really day 1 for us as a two up team and we need to get our minds in gear. There is precious cargo from here on out and there’s no need to rely on luck. Luck may work in Las Vegas, but not on the open road on a high performance touring motorcycle.
Getting ready to leave Las Vegas. Red Rock Harley is a treat, the people are great and helpful and they have anything that you’d want.
Out of town, we head north on Hwy 15 and pass by Las Vegas Motor Speedway on our way out of town. Both of us can hear the sounds of high performance motors and it gets our blood boiling! This is where we both drove Nascar Cup cars for my birthday one year. Linda was nicknamed Ben Her and she posted a speed that bested more than half of the male drivers that day! We were both averaging in the 160s! That’s got to be one of the most exhilarating activities… If you ever get the chance to try this, I highly recommend it.
Back to the open road and the major highway construction ahead of us. The construction lasts for quite a few miles out of Vegas, but it doesn’t slow us down. The ride is pretty mundane until we start heading uphill in Utah. The high canyon walls and deep rivers let us know we are heading for something good.
Off Hwy 15, we stop for lunch at St George. The food is not that bad, I had to eat, but I think it would have been better if we stopped in Hurricane (that’s hurrican… no e as the locals say it) and ate at Lupitas Mexican at the eastern edge of town. Recommendations always work well on the road, and we didn’t heed the travel gods this time. No worries, plenty more meals to come.
Just past St. George, we head east on Hwy 9. This takes us all the way into the Zion area. The town of Springdale sits at the edge of the park. Springdale is a little expensive for hotels, food, everything. We stay at the Canyon Ranch motel. It is a smaller motel with a more local personality. It is just over 100 dollars per night and sits very conveniently in town where you’ll find bars, cafes, trinket shops and the Zion bus stop. We ate at Wildcat Willies. There are many items only available before 6 pm, so be there early or be happy with the ½ lb burgers. They are fantastic so we are not disappointed. This evening is mainly about getting ready for tomorrow and tomorrow comes early. The best times to get into the park during the hot season is right at 7 am when the first shuttle bus leaves town.
We wake early, but head for Zion NP and the park shuttle at almost 8. We most definitely are not on the first shuttle, but that’s OK. Many of the people we see while at Zion are from outside the United States. We hear languages from all over the world. Our neighbor at the Motel is from Australia. Barry has a few bikes at home including a Triumph and a vintage BMW that he rides daily. We have some great conversation. I seem to meet people of my own feathery mix wherever I go. I’m lovin’ that. I’ve packed some light hiking shoes and assorted other extra niceties that I’ve packed all over the wild west so that we can enjoy our moto-tour as a vacation… not just ride the open roads along the way. So we’ve packed hiking shoes, swim clothes, etc. We are the kind of travelers that like to go a little slower, we like to experience things along the way. Of course, we’ll just blow past many of the points of interest along our route, but we’ve selected a few choice places along the way to experience it a little slower.
Zion National Park can take a few days and more, we have 2 nights here and will take a full day to experience the park. Zion utilizes a shuttle bus system to reduce traffic which makes it very convenient to see all the sights. We head for the last stop on the route and take the riverwalk path. This is the gateway to the Zion Narrows. You rent or bring shoes to hike thru the river if you want to go all the way into the Narrows. We don’t do the Narrows this time, but hike right up to that part. It’s a 2 miles hike each way. It’s beautiful for sure. There are 100s of other people on this path along with us! In June the park is crowded and in full swing. The high season begins in March as people try to beat the heat. The riverwalk hike is shaded and cool. We see more than a couple of Harley Riders also on this path. You’ll see many many bikers riding back and forth at Zion. Just a nice reminder that we are in prime moto country.
Lunch, dinner, etc is great at Wildcat Willies. I recommend them wholeheartedly. In the evening we go up the hill on Hwy 9, past the 2 mile tunnel (!) and hike up the canyon view overlook. The hike is narrow, steep and slippery. It is easy, but you must be careful… What a wonderous sight and perfect cap to a fantastic day.
You will need to chose. Right or Left. Right goes to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and left gets back onto Hwy 15 and our destination.
Lots of construction on Hwy 15 North of Vegas. It stays pretty straight.
First sign that we are headed up into the canyon lands.
After turning on Hwy 9 for Zion, you’ll run into a nice town called Hurricane. This is the view leaving Hurricane. They live in paradise.
It’s just beautiful as we get closer to Zion.
We’re in Springdale, it is a cowboy and cowgirl kind of town. Very upscale and expense though.
Wildcat Willies
The view right at the last bus stop is amazing. This is where the river walk begins.
Follow the river and through the canyons.
Linda is immediately greeted by a squirrel. They are not shy.
The path into the Narrows if you choose to go the remaining 1.5 miles thru the river. Don’t forget to take or rent water hiking shoes.
We made it! It’s only a 2 mile hike…
That evening we were treated to a nice moon over Springdale.
Tomorrow, it’s the Staircase-Escalante (SR 12 to SR 24), and thru Bryce Canyon.