Colorado Calling Day 2

Suprisingly Cedar City is a big town. I inch on through the traffic signals, and stop by to get directions to get on to Hwy UT-14. As soon as I get on to Hwy, the humdrums of the town fade quickly away. There is still some significant traffic on the road, but everyone is driving briskly. I could tell these are the locals, and they don't look anything like a gawking tourist like myself !!!

Not even a few miles down the road, I could tell this is one of the many fabulous roads I will be going through.

I had to pull over as the scenery is breath-taking. On my right I could see a stream flowing through the bushes - bright orange in color grinding through the red terrain laden with the sand. I tell myself - nature is so patient and consistent in doing what it does carving canyons one sand at a time. Takes thousands of years to come up with the likes of Grand Canyon. Something to learn here, I tell myself.


The road starts to climb and so does the hopes for little cooler temperatures.


Ah, what do I see on my right suddenly? Blue in the sky, and blue on the ground through the trees... Its a reservoir, thats what it is... Again I get off the bike, and try to memorize the scene. At the same time, some voice inside keeps telling me that if I keep doing what I am doing, I will never be able to reach the destination in mind for the day... It will come to pass, I know, and it does eventually. I say, 'Alright, just gimme a moment, we will go!'.



Just as quickly, the road ends, and I join Hwy UT-89. More construction ! One way traffic ! My all zipped out black Aerostich is of not much help and the temperature is climbing. Its not too enjoyable to ride on a ribbed road behind a slew of cars on the way to Bryce Canyon. I patiently follow them, and get on Hwy UT-12.

Now I have heard from a gentleman at Don's house that this is one of THE most beautiful roads. The conversation gets played back in my head, and my energy level goes up.

I have been on this road before, about 6 years ago just until Bryce Canyon. Ruminating over the good old memories of me driving my Nissan Pathfinder, I cruise along until the Red Canyon!

'How surprising!', I say to myself, 'Well, its just the way I left it'. I remember then stopping and taking some pictures near the entrance to the Red Canyon. That did not stop me from doing exactly the same thing again.




I realize that the nature is a great artist. Sweaty, and thirsty I take more time than I should to enjoy the various combinations of the red, orange, grey rocks and the green foliage peppered in between!



How much ever I drink, the swelter is unbearable until I move at atleast 30 to 40 mph. I get close to Bryce turn off and I keep thinking to myself should I go in or not! At the spur of the moment, I do take the turn into Bryce Canyon. One part of my mind was persistent on reviving the memories of Bryce. Once again with no concern for the destination and the distance to be covered I meander along with the tourists into the vista points.

And I say to myself, its as pretty as ever... There is a lot of tourist buses and a lot of cars! Hmm, any given day is someone is on vacation!

Bryce is beautiful! The beauty overtakes the swelter. I call Mo, and make her jealous that I am at Bryce, and she is working hard to make money!




Time to move on! I exit the park in a hurry and continue on Hwy UT-12.

Another sight of the road meandering and dissapearing behind the hills catches my attention. I immediately stop for another picture. There is always a mystery about such roads - where do they lead to? What other surprise is ahead? I start feeling like a boy in a candy store!



As the minutes and miles roll by I cannot resist stopping many a times... Finally removing the helmet and the gloves start to wear me down. But hey, its all good, I say to myself. I am here to cherish the moment and capture it so that I can chew on this for years to come....

An overlook provides the vista of the vastness of the surrounding! I can see a black ribbon winding through these unforgiving terrain.



I wonder what it would have taken those days to lay these roads? Its meant for souls like us to witness the natures grandeur - without these roads would I have been able to lay my eyes on these? My musings never stop.





Suddenly the road starts to wind down... I suddenly observe that of the very few people I see on the road, there are more two wheels than four! And I can see why...

My heart tells me to stop every other mile... but my mind pushes me to go on. The road is tight, and I hang on to the handlebars concentrating on the road ahead. At the same time from the corner of my eyes I can see the magical landscape passing by.

I see a couple of puddles of water. How did it happen? Suddenly my geology lessons start to kick in :) Dayum, I cannot remember anything! However they came to be, they are beautiful.

Wait a minute, I do hear a babbling brook, but cannot see yet! I eyes start to drift again. The sight of water running over the rocks and branches is the most musical in my ears... Often times when I am at a dentists office, I close my eyes and imagine such places, and it does make the dentist visit a breeze. Sometimes, I long to sit by a brook like that to muse how this all came to be....


The sun is going down, and the light is adding a magical touch! Just around a corner, I enter another red canyon! And every curve seem more beautiful than the previous one.

Colorado Calling.... Day 1 and 2

The Road Goes Ever On

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.

Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.

-- JRR Tolkein

When I was young and far away, I have read the poem from JRR Tolkein (Hobbit). Since then I had dreamt about these mysterious trips, in the lands I did not know I will be one day! Never did I imagine that that will come true some day! And when it happens it would be beyond my imaginations!

Since, I have been on several trips, but without even my knowing there was a long gap... The days keep passing like water under a bridge, and before you know, its been four years since I took a long trip to Canada.

Its been a while I have been thinking about a long trip... When I can get up and the only thing to do is ride...

Once I got a break from my work, the reality seems closer than ever... And all my long dreams suddenly boiled to reality.... The weekend before I clean the bike, get an oil change, check the tires...


There is a strange feeling in my stomach... as much as I was excited, I was feeling like a school boy looking towards exams. This was because this is my longest trip yet all by myself.

The plan was that I would ride over to Denver to meet with Mo and a dear friend of ours Dmitriy at Denver. We also share time with another good friend Oleg at Fort Collins. Then ride back...



August 18, 2008
(Woodside, California to Ely, Nevada)

A Journey of a Thousand miles starts with just one!

Today is the day!

I get up at 5:00 AM. I double check everything - the normal stuff! I make myself a cup of tea, and ruminate over a cigarette what does the trip have in store for me... I console myself that the trip will answer itself. Take a quick shower. Mo is still sleeping. Tried to be as quite as a mouse! But eventually she wakes up, and she says 'Oh, you are almost ready... Gonna miss you!'. I give her a peck on the cheek, and say, 'Yes, its time sweetie... Will soon see you in Denver...'. We both walk down to the garage. I back up the bike, turn it on...

She certainly sounds excited, or so I think! Put on my Aerostich, give Mo a hug, don the helmet... Mo says 'Safe Trip!'. And I say 'Adios', and mount my other sweetheart! She is going to be my companion for the next few days!

After a brief wave of good-bye, I try to memorize Mo standing at the garage opening, and promise myself to be careful, and be sure to return safely to this woman who means everything to me and other things... Why am I so sentimental? I am just going on a ride... Now shift the first gear, and let her roll off my driveway!


At 6:30 AM, the world still feels reluctant to awake. There is a promise on the sky that the sun is coming soon! On Skyline Blvd its still foggy! The trees are still sleeping... I move quietly with the fear of waking them....

The first mile is followed by several more. I reach Hwy 92, and realize that I am not the only one trying to reach somewhere! There is traffic, but not heavy yet... The hum of the ST and the early morning briskness sedate me. Before I know I am in Escalon, CA. Even though I am not hungry, and am not used to breakfasts, I do feel that its a good time to break, and roll into a Burger King, and get myself a 'crossanwich'... The eggs and sausage taste a lot better...

When I am ready to start, a farmer walks by and starts a conversation.
Him: 'Where are you going?'
Me: 'Denver, Colorado'
Him: 'Must be a long way!, the freeways in Utah can be long and boring!'
Me: 'No, I aint taking the freeways! Hoping to take some roads less travelled, and see what they have to say and show!'
He smiles!
Him: 'Where is your sweetheart?'
Me: 'She will join me in Denver.'
Him: 'Thats nice... Well now, you have a nice trip! And be safe!'
I say I will, and turn on my IPod, and am on the way...

Soon I am on the way to Yosemite! Before I know Tioga Pass is beackoning! There is a lot of tourists in their cars... It takes me a while to cover the pass... I tell them 'Thanks', and divert my attention to the scenary around! Just stop once, and request a guy to take a picture without getting off!


I have done Tioga pass many a times... But every curve seem new today... I have a long distance, and so just enjoy the ride, and decide a break after the pass. My favorite ride is after the eastern visitor entrance when the road drops in a hurry towards Nevada, and suddenly Mono lake looming in the horizon... I tell myself, this road will never loose the charm... No one ahead of me, and so I dance around the curves and reach the Hwy 395 intersection. Pull over fill up the tank and munch on the food given by Mo.

I have done just about 250 miles... Another 500 more to go... and its already close to 1:00 PM. So, I get started with the hope that I am leaving the tourists behind. The idea is to ride Hwy 6 all the way to Ely, Nevada.

There are a lot of roads, I realize, that qualify for 'The loneliest road in America', and this one is certainly one of them. I rarely stop, and enjoy the undulating road into Nevada. I was forcefully stopped on the way for a construction.



I look back and see I have come someways, but there is more, and I press on to Tonopah! I pull over a gas station and take a break. Two Harley riders roll in. I nod, and so do they....

After a minute one of them big boys come and talk to me... He says they on the way to somewhere in South Dakota. I cheerfully answer that I went to school in South Dakota. I ask them if they are continuing on... He says 'Nope, we are just about done for the day, and that they dont ride more than two or three hundred miles a day!'. I just say 'Ah!'. And press on...

I look at my gas gauge, and decide that I have another 150 miles on it. I have another 300 miles or so. and I will need to take a break anyways, and so I will fill up later. After about 15 miles on Hwy 6, I see a post that says that the next gas is 165 miles... I pull over and swear inside the hot helmet 'Dayum!', and decide to turn back to Tonopah to fill up!

I was thinking this sign would do a lot of good just outside the town rather than 15 miles later. Back to the same gas station, fill up and roll back the same way.

I peel off of Hwy 6 on to Hwy 375. I plan on continuing on Hwy 93 to Cedar City where I had made reservations for the first night. It turns out they have construction on that road, and have scarred the surface... It almost feels like a dirt road. I pause, get off the bike and think may be I should wait for a car to come by and ask them how long is this ordeal. No one is there, and no one feels like want to come there! I see a puff of dust in the far of horizon.... And I say 'Yeah, baby!', and decide to wait... They dont come near for another 15 minutes, and certainly is not fun waiting under a almost 100 degree evening.... They stop hesitating, and say that the road is like this all the way through some twisties....

While I do trust the steed to cover a thousand miles on pavement, would not trust her on gravel for even 10 miles... Well its not really her, I would not trust me on the steed for even 10. So decide to change the direction, and instead go to Ely, NV. This will put me off by another 200 miles atleast.

But I tell myself that I am out there to ride afterall... Inside the helmet, I could hear myself say, 'Here I come Ely! Wait for me!'.

I press on until the sun threatens to go down on the skies, and do reach Ely by 7:30 or so! Its almost 700+ miles, and I am glad that the first day is over. Pull into Motel 6, and ask if I could switch my reservation from Cedar City to Ely... The nice lady complies...

Outside, I see a couple of riders on their BMW GSes on the way to salt flats for some event. After getting a big mac from a near by Mac Donolds, I call it a day! Make a quick call to Mo, and tell her that I am still alive and kicking! I am a little sore after 700 miles, and think thats just about what I could have done, and anymore could have killed me :)


August 19th, 2008
(Ely, Nevada to Torrey, Utah)
Land of enchantment


Ely, Nevada has some charm... Feels like an oasis... Say 'So long!' to Ely, promising to come back to the same place in a few days, I move on the next day!


The morning starts as bright and sunny! Looks like this is going to be a hot day...
Hwy 50 runs east of Ely. And after a few miles on 50, I see the turn off for Hwy 93. The map says this is a scenic road, and so I scoot on down.

Soon enough, I get a feeling again I am on another one of the 'Loneliest Roads'. As far as the eyes can see no one around.... The roads disappearing into the far off mountains. The shrubs gently swaying in the breeze. The deep blue skies truly unfathomable.

Suddenly I realize I need to stop and soak in the scenary.






After crossing a little town called Panaca, I turn east on NV-319/UT 56 towards Cedar City. Another glorious road ending in the mountains on the horizons makes me stop again.



Ride until Cedar City was quite uneventful. Just glad that I am on the roads. I pull into a gas station, and sure can feel the temperature climbing up.