Day 13 Slow, Look, Press and Roll

As an MSF instructor, we teach our students the most common single vehicle accident on a motorcycle is caused by the driver not using good cornering techniques and running off the road in a curve. The proper technique is to first SLOW to your entry speed, then LOOK through the turn to where you’re going, PRESS down on the handle in the direction your turning, and ROLL on the throttle to accelerate through the turn. The roads we traveled today, up and down mountains, through canyons with the roads cut through rock passages, demanded the highest skills. Unfortunately as we rounded one big turn we came upon someone who did not slow enough to get the proper entry speed and locked up the rear wheel. He made his second mistake by releasing the brake causing the bike to high side. Tom and I were the first to come upon him. He was OK. He had some road rash and possibly a sprained wrist. He was lucky, his bike was not. We helped him move it off the roadway and then I waited with him while Tom drove to the next town for some cell service to call 911. As we continued on after the state cops arrived, I concentrated on my technique which was even more challenging because of the livestock wandering in the middle of the road and the tar snakes in the middle of the turns.
After breaking down the camp site this morning it was 73 degrees when we left Cedar City. We didn’t think we would need the warm weather gear. We headed out of town on route 14 east towards Bryce NP. We were only about 15 miles out of town and climbing into the mountains when the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees. So we made a quick stop to add some layers of clothes. We picked up 89 north for a short distance and then east again on 12 through an area with tall cedar trees and occasional Aspen groves. We dropped into the park entrance off 12. The park has one 18 mile road in and then turns around and runs back out. The landscape was spectacular again. There were big sandstone cliffs with layer after layer of brilliant colors. We also saw natural bridges formed by erosion long ago when the earth was in its angry stage.
We continued back on 12 east to 24 were we again traveled through massive canyons of volcanic rock. As we were descending the last mountain in the town of Torrey, I could tell my bike was handling strangely. I radioed up to Tom to pull over so I could check my bike, but before I finished the sentence I knew I had a flat tire. I had packed everything needed to fix it. It took about an hour, so we were really running behind today. We started to head for Blanding, Utah and only made it about 70 more miles and the first plug failed. We couldn’t have been in a more desolate area. There was nowhere to pull off the road so we plugged it again right on the side of the road. It seemed about 1 car passed us every 15 minutes so it wasn’t a problem. We had about 93 miles to get to Blanding, we took it slow and arrived around 9:15 tonight.
Tomorrow we need to find a place to get the tire replaced. Then hopefully head north to see Canyonlands NP.
Life is good.

Total miles: 429 Butt factor:2