Dawn was still chasing away the full moon when I went for a walk this morning, and the temperature was still below comfortable. That said, it was not the cold that concerned me, rather than my route along the main highway, no pavements (sidewalks) and a surprising amount of heavy traffic whizzing past. There was quite a bit of road kill, unfortunate racoons, rabbits, hares and pararie dogs - the deer (and plenty of of them) came later in the day. We were enjoying pre dinner drinks last night when Chuckie called for volunteers - Joe and I were selected by default (the only ones sober enough) to take two of the delightful office girls for a ride on a Harley - if only someone had taken photo's, we'd be able to claim bragging rights. Dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, and amazingly the manager, a Mormon, had done his mission in Auckland - fancy that. Joe and Jason tackled the "special of the day" - a couple of breaded pork chops that must have come from a massive pig..... Apparently most restaurants in Utah are "dry", but the manager shot up the road and bought us a case of beer - marvelous. A big day today and a fairly early start after a reasonable breakfast. Most of us had gassed up and we ready to go before the morning sun started to bite so only a minor delay there. As the day progresses the heat in the sun really becomes incredible, especially as we're often devoid of any shade- sitting on the side of the road waiting gets quite uncomfortable, and very quickly. Another day of contrasts, great expanses of land that appears worthless for anything but is startkly beautiful as a consequence. Much of the early part of our day was spent traversing Flaming Gorge, and with it just about everything a rider looks for, a bit of twisty stuff (nothing like our wonderful NZ corners though), long straights, and great scenery. We saw many deer, both grazing quietly, and also those who had fallen victim to cars, dead and bloated roadside. Chuckie and Monica almost came to first name terms with a deer determined on suicide by Harley - Chuckie says that as he locked up his brakes, he could hear the hooves... Our scheduled stop at Manila (I don't know where these names come from) saw the one store in town, a combination grocery, hardware that also sold coffee, inundated - mainly because 22 people needed the restrooms... The landscape improved as the day progressed, a few shrubs started to appear, and eventually even a bit of grass, and with the grass, fences and cattle. The environment gives the impression of two extreme and very harsh seasons, with the communities we passed through reflecting this hardship. Final destination for the day (with many a sore backside testifying to a long day in the saddle) is the delightfully named Jackson Hole. We'd been making pretty good time until Doc realised he'd just overtaken a local Sheriff, and prudence kicked in... Tomorrow a day off the bikes. Comments are closed.
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Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
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