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lonestarrider
Guest
Early morning in Flagstaff was nice and cool when I pulled out on US 89 to head north. The sun was just up above the horizon making the Arizona desert glow with it's earthen orange, red and brown, with a intense blue sky for a backdrop.
My first stop for the morning was on the fly when I came across the Navajo Bridge at Marble Falls, AZ. The bridge spans the Colorado River and the original was built in the late twenties, very impressive.
US 89 alternate to the Utah is a nice ride with good a road surface and sweeping curves. It finally connects with US 89 again in Kanab, UT then goes into one of the most astounding national Parks I have ever ridden through, The Zion National Park.
The road in the park twists and winds around unbelievable rock walls and formations. I had to stop and take in the magnificence of the place. The few pictures I did take just cannot do the place justice. Here is a short video of just a little part of the park.
I left the park and rode west to I-15 turning north to Salt Lake City. Other than the incredible speeds of I-15, the trip into SLC was pretty uneventful. When I pulled in to the parking lot of the Rally 1088 host motel a majority of the riders where there. All brands of sport, sport- tourer and full bore touring bikes where represented, and here I came with the only cruiser, representing the hopeless class.
A donkey amongst Thoroughbreds
Before I unpacked the bike I did some necessary paper work and went on a odometer check ride. Honda's odometers are not very accurate, mine is 2.2% off, and at 75 mph indicated the bike is actually going 70 mph, it gets worst the faster I go.
I finally got into my room and unpacked with enough time to go down to the roped off parking lot where the bikes from all over the country and Canada were parked. There where 68 riders signed up for the rally. The Utah 1088 Rally is not like many other of the M/C rallies. It is more like a scavenger hunt that requires riders to travel great distances to find bonuses and the Utah 1088 is one of the premier events among long distance riders in the country. I strode around waiting for the riders meeting talking with other participants. There was a lot of talk about how difficult this year's Rally would be. This held true when the riders meeting had concluded later that evening. There was going to be one main route and three alternate routes. The main route and it's bonuses would not be handed out until the last riders meeting the morning of the start of the Rally at 0630, the start time for the 1088 is 0700. One thing that was reviled about the main route was that it would have 3 check points and it was stressed that you had not better miss the first check point. The alternate routes where going to be tough. The first one has a rider collect fuel receipts from six different states Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. The second one was a trip to the geographical center of the lower 48 states of America, Lebanon, Kansas to take a picture of that plaque. The third route was going to be a hot ride to Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada for Keno tickets. I decided to choose to ride the main route and that my chances in the morning.
too be continued
My first stop for the morning was on the fly when I came across the Navajo Bridge at Marble Falls, AZ. The bridge spans the Colorado River and the original was built in the late twenties, very impressive.
US 89 alternate to the Utah is a nice ride with good a road surface and sweeping curves. It finally connects with US 89 again in Kanab, UT then goes into one of the most astounding national Parks I have ever ridden through, The Zion National Park.
The road in the park twists and winds around unbelievable rock walls and formations. I had to stop and take in the magnificence of the place. The few pictures I did take just cannot do the place justice. Here is a short video of just a little part of the park.
I left the park and rode west to I-15 turning north to Salt Lake City. Other than the incredible speeds of I-15, the trip into SLC was pretty uneventful. When I pulled in to the parking lot of the Rally 1088 host motel a majority of the riders where there. All brands of sport, sport- tourer and full bore touring bikes where represented, and here I came with the only cruiser, representing the hopeless class.
A donkey amongst Thoroughbreds
Before I unpacked the bike I did some necessary paper work and went on a odometer check ride. Honda's odometers are not very accurate, mine is 2.2% off, and at 75 mph indicated the bike is actually going 70 mph, it gets worst the faster I go.
I finally got into my room and unpacked with enough time to go down to the roped off parking lot where the bikes from all over the country and Canada were parked. There where 68 riders signed up for the rally. The Utah 1088 Rally is not like many other of the M/C rallies. It is more like a scavenger hunt that requires riders to travel great distances to find bonuses and the Utah 1088 is one of the premier events among long distance riders in the country. I strode around waiting for the riders meeting talking with other participants. There was a lot of talk about how difficult this year's Rally would be. This held true when the riders meeting had concluded later that evening. There was going to be one main route and three alternate routes. The main route and it's bonuses would not be handed out until the last riders meeting the morning of the start of the Rally at 0630, the start time for the 1088 is 0700. One thing that was reviled about the main route was that it would have 3 check points and it was stressed that you had not better miss the first check point. The alternate routes where going to be tough. The first one has a rider collect fuel receipts from six different states Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. The second one was a trip to the geographical center of the lower 48 states of America, Lebanon, Kansas to take a picture of that plaque. The third route was going to be a hot ride to Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada for Keno tickets. I decided to choose to ride the main route and that my chances in the morning.
too be continued
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