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My wife and I test ride retirement

FWIW, sounds ike your wife is a trooper and a good sport to boot. A big plus when on a rather small bike CAMPING. kUDOS TO YOU both!!
 
She certainly is a trooper. I know that I wouldn't want to be on the back of a bike riding some of the roads that we have ridden, especially some of the Jeep roads. I ask and she seldom turns me down. I am one lucky husband.
 
On to Red Rock Canyon and Bryce
We traveled on highway 9 and highway 12 to Bryce. It should be a crime to travel 12 in a van with a perfectly good motorcycle inside. Luckily, we have both been down it before so we will remain out of jail.

It doesn’t have to be curvy to be a great motorcycle road. Talking about great motorcycle roads, we used Butler maps for this trip and I want to put in a plug for them. They are great. If the map says the road is a G1 then it is everything a motorcyclist would ever want. All the G1s we saw were curvy and scenic with elevation changes. I think they should also have “S” rated roads which may be flat, straight or both with excellent scenery.
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Red Rock Canyon. The van has maintained all integrity with nearly 2000 miles on this trip. I’m praying for a U-joint failure or something simple like that.
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A short tunnel in the canyon. By the way, Zion has a tunnel over a mile long with about 5 windows opening into the canyon. No stopping allowed.
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Our $7.50/night campsite in Bryce due to another cancellation. I would have stayed in the national forest for free except the campground is so convenient to Bryce Canyon.
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Bryce defies description and no picture that I have seen does it justice. I took about 350 pictures, the most for any area that we visited. I’m going to post more than you probably want to see, so just skip through if you get tired of red rocks.
In the beginning it rained and created a small gully. It rained again and again and the gully got bigger until the owner said, “This is a **** of a place to lose a cow.” Then he gave it to us.
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I like it!!
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Now, just pictures
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A giant carne field, like anyone could get lost on that trail.
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My wife’s addition
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How long will it stand? Maybe thousands of years. It may fall tomorrow. Geology happens NOW.
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Natural Bridge. It’s really not a bridge, but an arch since it wasn’t formed by flowing water. At least not flowing water like a creek.
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Thor’s hammer
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Early morning shot
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We've now been on vacation together longer than we've ever been on vacation together without other people along. Everything's going great. I think we could travel together indefinitely without a murder commited. We "christened" the Casita in a small roadside turnout between The Grand Canyon and Zion. Her new name is Shaky. We've discussed retirement briefly. I say briefly because I have been going to bed every night around 8:00, shortly after eating dinner. The discussion turns one sided when I snore. We have a couple of shorter days planned so we should have time to talk.

New subject: I made a list of things to see and do on this 2 week trip. The list has 70+ entries. I'll go ahead and tell you that the trip is over as I type this and we crossed off 7 lines!!! My planning way exceeds my doing.
 
Natural Bridges, Lake Powell, Gooseneck State Park, and Moki Dugway coming up. Check your local listings for times. More motorcycle riding in the near future.
 
Retirement or not, quality time is what its all about. My bride of 11 years STILL MOTORCYCLE CAMPS with me........and loves it[and me too-snicker, snicker]. I asked one time about a small camp trailer such as yours. She said "why spend the money, we do just fine in a tent". So the money saved keeps the bike in tires and gas. And yes, some campgrounds have electricity and cable TV!!!! Quality time,mmmmmmmmm
 
One day I'm going to ride there. Do you think you lot will ever convert to driving on the proper side of the road.;-) Great RR.
 
We met lots of Australians, Germans, Japanese, Swiss, and French people. A few other sprinkled in also. It always amazes me to see 30 to 40% of the visitors are foreign. For me, it only seems to happen in the arid west.
 
Sorry it's taken so long. I had to rebuild my race bike engine this weekend. Final race of the season coming up this next weekend and my team is in the lead for the overall championship. If it happens, it will be the first time an F7 bike has won overall.

We had planned to hike a couple of extreme slot canyons which require one to either turn sideways to get through or to crawl (the bottom of some slots are wider than 3 to 4 feet up), but it rained and there was a threat of more rain. Since the fear of drowning was stronger than the expected thrill of hiking an extreme slot, we motored on to Natural Bridges National Monument. Our route took us through Escalante and Capitol Reef National Parks, but since our plans in those places included dirt roads, we decided to come back to them at a later date. Most of the dirt roads we had picked were labeled, “impassable when wet.” Our route was 12, 24 and 95.

The scenery was great, just driving through on the main roads. I have found that the further I get from the main highways, the better the scenery. It’s not always true but I believe it is true in Escalante and Capitol Reef. Not everything in Utah is red.

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In some areas the aspen were totally yellow.
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I had to holler at these deer to get them to look up at me. They were totally ignoring me. Not in a national park either.
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Butler maps should rate this road as an S1 road, very scenic.
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Everything turns back to red as we approach Lake Powell. That motor home coming around the bend is a rental. We have been trading the lead with him for miles. On any down hill road, he rides the brakes constantly. We can smell the brakes sometimes before we see the truck. The only reason he hasn’t crashed is because he stops so often to take pictures. That time allows the brakes to cool.
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Lake Powell.
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Classic picture of lake Powell with the bridge in the background. There wasn’t a shoulder to park on so we had to walk back up the hill to get this shot.
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Moki Dugway and Muley point
We ride to Muley Point, overlooking Gooseneck State Park. This is a short ride that can be done on any bike, except for the last ½ mile which gets a little rough. Probably a class 3.
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My klutz of a wife. It is amazing that she hasn’t fallen off a cliff yet.
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The road below goes to Gooseneck State Park.
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It’s amazing what water and time can do.
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Juniper tree that has seen a hard life.
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This strip of bark, about 3” wide is all that sustains the tree.
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The world famous MOKI DUGWAY. What a let down!!!! I was expecting something challenging after reading what other bikers had written.
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The highway below that goes to Mexican Hat, the town and the formation.
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The famous Dugway. I looked down in one of the slowest turns and I was going 15 MPH.
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We ate lunch in a café right next to the bridge. I don’t remember the name, but it was very interesting. Many movies have been made near Mexican hat. Monument Valley is the name of the area. Anyway, the owner of the café acts as taxi driver for the stars.
Recognize this one?
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Café décor. This saw had wicked teeth.
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This is a corn planter. The metal hopper on the left holds the corn seeds. By pushing the handles together a seed is deposited in one of the metal cross members and then dropped down the tube between the 2 wooden uprights. Poke the point in the ground, bring the handles together and then back apart. Viola, a corn seed is planted.
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Old revolver that has seen better days.
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The reason they named the town Mexican Hat. Will they change the town name when it falls? It’s much larger than the picture shows it. This was taken about a half mile away with a telephoto lens.
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Next up, Natural Bridges National Monument
 
Our first glimpse of one of the bridges. This is a fairly new bridge, geologically speaking. While we were walking down the trail, a very large rock came crashing off the canyon wall on the opposite side of the canyon. It sounded like lightening had struck right next to us. This one is Sipapu which means “Place of Emergence.”
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Taken from about ½ way down into the canyon. Pay attention to the largest tree in the bridge opening. We’ll get back to it later for scale.
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This desert plant has leaves that look like stems or stems that look like leaves.
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Nearly there
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Again, look at the tree.
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Linda is standing beside that same tree.
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This is Kachina bridge. We didn’t have time to hike down to it.
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On the way down to the oldest bridge in the monument.
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On the way to Hall’s Ferry to cross Lake Powell and see if it’s dry enough to ride some of The Burr Trail and Notum Bullfrog.
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It’s a pay to get in area.

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At least they tell you the ferry is closed before you put your money in the self pay box.
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On the way back. Even the sand is prettier in Utah.
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And the road is not bad either.
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When’s the last time you saw this? $4.19.9/gallon, our highest.
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We have not seen or done a fraction of the things that we wanted to see and do in Utah and Arizona. I called my boss and told him, “I quit.” His response was, “All quitting has to be done person to person.” We packed up and headed home. A VERY good trip. 2 weeks together and we still wanted more so I guess more traveling is in our future.

We talked about retirement on the way home. My wife has never mentioned wanting to retire. I guess I just assumed that she was as ready as me. On the way home she said that she wanted to continue to work. We also talked about what we would do if we did retire and the consensus was that I would lay on the couch and watch reruns of Lucy while eating Cheetos and getting fat. I’m not lazy, I procrastinate and I like Cheetos. The ideal situation would be to travel, but to do it full time would take more money than we have unless everything worked out perfectly. We both know that is not going to happen. We have been very lucky so far, but we both know that age is coming and eventually sickness. We want to have enough money to cover expenses as they occur and the list of motorcycles that I wish to own keeps getting longer. Also, I don’t want to get much bigger. In a year or 2 we’ll see what’s happening. Maybe work part time. I mentioned that idea to a local motorcycle shop owner and he said I was welcome at any time, just bring my tool box when I get ready. Who knows? I do know that my bucket list of traveling gets longer every year.

The van purred like a kitten getting her back rubbed. I guess praying for car trouble doesn’t always work. We’ll still get the Ecoboost in the near future. In the meantime, while we were loading the DRZ into the van, Linda mentioned that a shorter bike would be easier to load. When I agreed, she said I should look into getting one. WooHoo, an FZ1 is shorter isn’t it? I can’t think of a better dual sport bike than an FZ1, right? I could even sell my aging Superhawk.:trust: That’s what I said when I bought my Mille. Might as well keep the DRZ. It’ll be easy to load into the Ecoboost.:rider:
 
Nice pix. I haven't been to Zion in many years, never to Angels Landing. And after looking at that last ridge, I probably won't. I've walked the Grand Canyon - probably harder, but a lot less scary.
 
I agree with you on Bryce Canyon, that place is hard to believe while you are standing there looking at it. Agree to on the Moki. It's not that difficult but the way to go to Or come from Mexican hat. We rode it on a Goldwing, a VTX , a HD Road King and a BMW RT. No prob. Iwas concered with the run from Mexican Hat to Hanksville. 167 miles between towns and the gas lite on the X comes on at 120! thank goodness the Marina was open. Paid $4.50 a gal and was glad to do it. Beautiful report, can't wait to go back. My avitar is just outside of Monument Valley.
 
Nice pix. I haven't been to Zion in many years, never to Angels Landing. And after looking at that last ridge, I probably won't. I've walked the Grand Canyon - probably harder, but a lot less scary.

Walking the Grand Canyon is on my BL. Angels landing is mainly like Pikes peak. Do it because everyone else did it. The views from the West Rim Trail are essentially the same and no ridge or chains.
 
I agree with you on Bryce Canyon, that place is hard to believe while you are standing there looking at it. Agree to on the Moki. It's not that difficult but the way to go to Or come from Mexican hat. We rode it on a Goldwing, a VTX , a HD Road King and a BMW RT. No prob. Iwas concered with the run from Mexican Hat to Hanksville. 167 miles between towns and the gas lite on the X comes on at 120! thank goodness the Marina was open. Paid $4.50 a gal and was glad to do it. Beautiful report, can't wait to go back. My avitar is just outside of Monument Valley.

Moki is doable on a stretched out hardtail chopper if you're a good rider. There used to be a gas station between Hanksville and Mexican Hat at a place called Fry Canyon. I noticed that it looked deserted. We bought gas in Hanksville and the price was 4.19/gal, the highest we paid on the trip. It was also a pump first then pay kind of place. I guess at 4.19 you can afford a few drive offs.:-P
 
Walking the Grand Canyon is on my BL. Angels landing is mainly like Pikes peak. Do it because everyone else did it. The views from the West Rim Trail are essentially the same and no ridge or chains.

Go for it. It's hard, but it's perfectly doable. To do it and enjoy it, it's all about research and preparation. You'll see all sorts of flabby, ill prepared people close to the river and the vast majority of them somehow make it out under their own power. For the rest, the mule trains always have a couple of spare animals along, to carry the "drag-outs", as they call them - for a price, of course.

I trained for a year - which is how far in advance I had to make reservations to spend the night at the Phantom Ranch. I'm a runner anyway, and I work on the theory that if I can run 10 miles on flat ground, I can walk 10 miles up a steep hill.

The Bright Angel Trail is like the interstate highway - carries over 90% of all the traffic from the South Rim. I went down the South Kaibab - 7 miles and pretty step, but the views are spectacular - and, the next morning, came up the Bright Angel. Going down, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Coming up, there was a steady stream of people. There are other, less used trails, but they're definitely not for amateurs like me.

BTW, I do want to try it again before I'm 65.
 
BTW, I do want to try it again before I'm 65.

I can't do that.:mrgreen: I did walk the Colorado Trail 10 years ago. At least most of it, I ran out of time and skipped the part from Salida to Lake City.
 
... an FZ1 is shorter isn’t it? I can’t think of a better dual sport bike than an FZ1, right? I could even sell my aging Superhawk.:trust: That’s what I said when I bought my Mille. Might as well keep the DRZ. It’ll be easy to load into the Ecoboost.:rider:

We can always compare size the next time I see you...
 
I can't do that.:mrgreen: I did walk the Colorado Trail 10 years ago. At least most of it, I ran out of time and skipped the part from Salida to Lake City.

Good for you! That's something I had always wanted to do at retirement. But instead, life happened and I won't have the time anytime soon.

How long did that take?
 
Like I said, I skipped the part from Salida to Spring Creek Pass between Lake City and Creede, that's 100 miles. Also, the first 25 miles was a burned out area due to some jilted ranger lady burning love letters and starting a forest fire and I skipped that, another 25 miles. I ran out of vacation when I got to Molas Pass and had to go home. The last 70 miles would have to wait. The math doesn't add up. 195 miles skipped from 478 miles total trail distance is 283 and I walked 335 miles. I got lost, twice. I walked the lost distance so I counted it. I did not count the distance I walked to towns to resupply. I have since gone back and walked 70 miles and plan to walk the 100 mile section from Salida to Spring Creek Pass. I probably won't walk the 1st 25 miles near Denver.

Total vacation was 30 days. 2 days to get there, 2 days to get home, 1 day to get aclimated at 10,000' (Kenosha Pass campground) and 1 off trail day when I hitched a ride from Salida to Lake City. I got a ride with Gudy, the matriarch of the Colorado trail. That was only 1 of the amazing things that happened during my walk. 24 days of backpacking, averaging 14 miles per day. My shortest, and hardest, day was 8 miles and my longest was 22.

I resupplied in Copper Mountain, Twin Lakes and Salida. The best way to resupply is to send yourself packages. Joe Blow, General Delivery, Copper Mountain. The post offices will keep the package for a month or more.

I met 12 other backpackers and I was the slowest by far. My notes for day 13 say, "I got lost today and found the Continental Divide Trail which branches off a jeep road. I should have gotten out the trail guide instead of relying on the trailside data book, but I had already walked 18 miles and was in a big hurry. No big deal. I was trying to get to the post office in Twin Lakes grocery before it closed. In this small town they will let you pick up packages on Sunday. I met a guy that started the trail in Denver 4 days after I started. He has hiked 25 miles farther in 4 less days." Note: the post office in Twin Lakes is in the grocery store and the store owner is the postmaster.

Everyone was faster, even the 70 year old woman that put on her pack by laying down on it, putting on the straps, turning over on all fours, and using hiking poles to help her stand. She took off and 20 minutes later was out of sight.
 
I enjoy all of this. Not sure 2 up on a DR400 is my cup of tea but the rest of it rocks.
 
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