Wild Pelicans Western Migration 2008
Click on the pics to enlarge.
Click on the pics to enlarge.
Wow, What a trip! There were so many highlights, I'm sure I'll miss a few.
Day 1
Keith and Rickey had ridden to our house in Texas, and we left from there. We rode west on I-20 until it merged with I-10 and took us thru El Paso to our first days destination of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Somewhere west of Odessa, the speed limit is 80mph! We made a stop at Barnett Harley Davidson in El Paso, the largest Harley dealer in the world. It's quite a place!
It was graduation weekend in Las Cruces, but we got lucky and found a great little mom & pop motel.
Day 2
We rode from Las Cruces to Deming, where we exited the Interstate at Deming for Hwy 180. We rode northwest to Hwy 78 and could tell that we were in for a treat when we saw this sign.
The ride for today was centered around Hwy 191 between Clifton and Alpine Arizona. At the south end the road is very tight and twisty as it passes the Morenci copper mine and winds its way up into the mountains.
About halfway to Apline we met Alice and Ledger, who had done a MERC the previous day and rode down from Holbrook Arizona to meet us. After a spectacular ride, we had lunch at the Bear Wallow Cafe in Alpine, AZ.
We ran into the first snow of the trip on Hwy 191, luckily it was on the ground, not falling on us.
We stayed at the historic Wigwam motel on Route 66 in Holbrook Arizona, where we were robbed a Pizza Hut delivery driver! $42 for 2 pizzas!!!
Day 3
From Holbrook the next destination was the Grand Canyon. We had to make the obligatory T-Shirt stop along the way, just outside of Flagstaff in Bellemont, Arizona.
Then it was on to the Grand Canyon, the pictures speak for themselves.
Alice at the Desert View watchtower
Jim, Ledger and Keith at the watchtower
Ledger, Rickey, Keith and Alice taking in the view.
Rickey
We stayed at the Cameron Lodge in Cameron Arizona that night. What a great place! My pics there didn't turn out, maybe someone else got some good pics of the Lodge. Everything was great, the restaurant, the store, the rooms, all of it. A very pleasant surprise.
Day 4
Unfortunately Ledger had to leave us this morning, headed home to Oklahoma. We took the scenic route, US Alt 89A, to Kanab Utah then into Zion National Park the back way.
We spent a lot of time the next few days on Navajo lands.
The scenery was breaktaking
Along the way we came to a place called "Cliff Dwellers", where in the 1920s a woman liked the area so much that she built a gas station/waypoint there. Keith is standing by the remnants of the biggest building.
Alice and Jim inside
Keith and Jim
Harley should hire us for ad photos!
Alice is ready to roll
But first we stopped at Lee's Ferry on the Colorado river.
Where we saw some rafters floating the river.
Next stop, Zion National Park
We stayed the night at the Zion Park Motel in Springdale, UT ... another very pleasant surprise.
Keith and Alice taking in the sunset in Springdale
Day 5
Today is a short day, less than 100 miles over to Bryce Canyon National Park. Good thing too, as it turned cold and windy that afternoon.
The Bryce Canyon Ampitheater
Can you see the horseback riders?
Let me zoom in a little, see them now?
Luger and Lucy joined us at Springdale, this on Hwy 12 near Bryce
Day 6
Today's ride was the highlight of the trip for me, Utah Hwy 12 from Bryce Canyon to Torrey then Hwy 24 to Hanksville and Hwy 95 to Blanding.
Hwy 12 scenery
Alice taking in the view
We stopped to see the Natural Bridge National Monument.
Keith's Road Glide on Hwy 12
More Hwy 12 scenery
We ran into snow again on the north end of Hwy 12, no snow in the pic, just some great riding.
Day 7
Keith, Rickey and I did a MERC back to Azle while Alice decided on another day of scenery in Utah and Colorado. We're already working on the plans for next year.
