Well, after spending an hour typing our log for yesterday, the site wouldn't let me in and I lost it. Will try again later. Jack
I’m trying something different so maybe I’ll be able to save it before I try posting it. Jack
Well, I’ll try this again. We left Escalante, Utah on route 12 with the temps at around 40 degrees and with a 30% chance of rain. After only 20 minutes, the temps dropped and we ran into snow flurries, and then it really started coming down. We pulled into a gas station and waited it out. After about 40 minutes, we got back on the road. We have really have had lots of different weather, everything I think but hail. Since the road was warmer, it was wet and not icy. Being careful on the bridges, we rode on. Well, guess what, with 10 miles of Bryce’s canyon, it started hailing. Not very big and thank heavens it didn’t last very long and didn’t stay on the road but just a mile or so. More white knuckle riding. When we got to Bryce’s Canyon, it was still spitting snow, so we rode the free shuttle to the canyon. It stopped at different overlooks and it’s hard to believe the beauty of such a place. There was a sign at one of the overlooks about the owner that the canyon was named after. He was a Mormon and he answered a question as to what he thought about the canyon, and he said “ It’s a he__ of a place to lose a cow”. Getting back to the bikes, we rode on with it still spitting some snow and the temps in the upper 20’s, It was a very cold ride! I had on long johns pants, jeans, chaps and rain pants, long john top, another long john top, a long sleeve t-shirt, sweat shirt, leather jacket and my rain jacket. It wasn’t enough! We still had to stop every few miles to get the circulation back in our hands and feet. We then took route 89 south to Mount Carmel and then route 9 west into Zion National Park. We had talked about all the parks along this route, and I told them I thought this was the crown jewel of all of them. My Wife and I had taken this same route last year, so I’ve been here and knew they were in for a treat. Well, let’s just say they were awed. For those who have not visited Zion, this is one of those places that you never forget. The views are breath taking and beautiful. We stopped at the Visitors Center to shop and just hang around for a while. My bike had developed a noise in the drive belt and the plan was to stop at the Harley dealer in Washington, Utah. I didn’t get the belt adjusted right when I changed the rear tire before we left. With only the basic tools, it didn’t make sense to try it ourselves. Steve needed a new rear tire and Mike and Larry a front tire, so on the HD dealer. We ran into traffic and got split up from Larry and Steve, but knowing Larry had the Harley dealer in his GPS, I didn’t worry about them finding it. Mike, Paul and I continued on and got to the dealer at 5PM with them closing at 6PM. They took me right in and got my bike on a lift and started on it while they looked at Mike’s front tire. As I had mentioned before, on 2009’s, the front tires start cupping really bad around 6 to 8 thousand miles, and both Larry and Mike’s were in need of replacement, but the last dealer we stopped at in Pueblo didn’t have any of the newer 408f’s. About this time, Mike called Steve to find out where they were, and Steve said he had a flat on the rear. He said the heard a pop and thought he had a flat, but after pulling over and looking at it, it looked OK. Getting back on the road again and only going a mile or so, it went completely down and he had the ride of his life getting to the side of the road. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his boots at that time. Both Steve and Larry has tons of experience riding on long trips, so they know what to have on board. Steve plugged a large hole with two plugs and pumped it up with a 12 volt compressor he had brought along. After stopping three times to put air back into the tire, they rolled in the lot on a completely flat tire. I’ve got to tell you, we were glad to see them. Now, about this service department at Zion Harley Davidson at Washington, Utah. They took up right in, arranged for a discount at a nearby hotel and promised all bikes would be finished by 10:30 this morning. They were replacing Larry’s and Mike’s front tires at no charge. What great service! We wish we had a service department like this at home. They had my bike finished before we left, and not only fixed, but washed sparkling clean. After 12 days on the road, riding in all kinds of weather, these bikes were very dirty. After breakfast this morning, Steve and Larry worked on Paul’s bike fixing a short in the right switch housing that caused his taillights to go out. After getting the bikes, the plan is to ride to Las Vegas. We are going to try and keep track of the mileage everyday, so Monday we rode 264 miles, and Tuesday only 177. This doesn’t sound like much, but with all the weather and such and stopping for all the attractions, this was a lot. We have totaled 2977 miles so far. This has not only been a trip of a life time, but it has also covered the full spectrum of riding weather, mechanical problem, etc. What a great trip!!!!! Jack
