Approaching Bryce Canyon

    

Our ride into Bryce Canyon was another beautiful morning for us; bright blue sky, cool temps and dry air. Starting from the day we had arrived in Moab, UT three days prior all we had experienced was beautiful weather. We took these pictures while riding through the Red Canyon which is just outside of Bryce Canyon City. When we arrived at Bryce Canyon, it was mid afternoon, but instead of heading into the Canyon right away we decided to see a few local attractions first and to take advantage of the beautiful hotel we were staying in. We had made our reservations with the Best Western Grand Hotel in Bryce Canyon City. We are members of the H.O.G rewards program with Best Western and are extremely happy with their hospitality to Harley-Davidson owners and their understanding of how we need to know our bikes are safe and secure. Here at the Best Western Grand Hotel in Bryce Canyon they did not disappoint us in any way. Our room was very nicely decorated, spacious and quiet. They even had laid out plush robes for us on our bed. I felt like Hugh Hefner for a moment! Here are photos of our hotel and ride as we approached the Bryce Canyon area.

Best Western Grand Hotel Bryce Canyon

Colorado River Ride - Moab, Utah

Dinner and a river boat ride on the Colorado river was interesting to say the least. We were mostly with Europeans who were on honeymoons or vacationing, listening to country music and eating pulled pork and beef with biscuits and sweet tea. Not sure if they new what to make of the cowboys and a old fashion ho-down. However we all did appear to be having fun.

   

Cliff Dwellings near Marble Canyon, Arizona

On our way from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Lake Powell, there is a beautiful stretch of road that runs along Route 89A past the Vermilion Cliffs which are part of the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau.  

This was a spectacular road to ride. Just past the Marble Canyon and Lee's Ferry, we stumbled upon these Cliff Dwellings.  At first, we thought this was an ancient Native American site.  We soon learned from information at the site that these dwellings were actually constructed in the 1920.  The original homesteaders got the name "Cliff Dwellers" because of their proximity to the Vermilion Cliffs. Regardless of their origin, this is a unique and very interesting stop on the way.  There were a few Native Americans  there who set up tables to sell some locally made crafts.  It is truly a site to see and we are glad we took the time to stop and explore there.  

Motorcycle Ramps do the trick

These photos depict us loading and preparing for our trip to the Grand Canyon. We had decided to use our Ford F250 truck to get there intially in order to carry our additional items and to avoid possible adverse weather conditions particulary in the Rocky Mountains and on the great plains. This turned out to be a good decision since we wittnessed snow in the Rockies and Tornado warnings in Nebraska. Once arriving in Moab UT we unloaded our motorcycle and left our truck to begin a week full of adventure and awesome riding. We rode 1,200 miles on our Harley-Davidson through the various canyons and scenic byways from the Canyon Lands in Utah to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Sunset on the Colorado River - Moab, Utah

Here are a couple of photos we took as we cruised down the Colorado River on a jet boat tour at sunset. The temperature was near perfect when we left at approximately 7:30 pm. It was the longest day of the year so the sunset was around 8:45 pm. Once the sun began to set, the temperature dropped dramatically on the river and in the canyon. The camera could not truly capture the panoramic beauty and vibrance of the colors,.however this is an example of what we did experience.