Date

Destination

Route

Miles

Thurs 7/18

Arrive in Durango, CL

Hotel -

Pick up bikes and set up for departure the next day.

Fri 7/19

Durango – Mexican Hat, UT (pop – 38) (Four Corners/Monument Valley)

Hotel and Eats – San Juan Inn – 447-2022

Depart Durango on US 160 West to Cortez (46 miles) [1 hour ] [ 9:00 – 10:00]

At Cortez US 160 meets US 666; take US160/666 south for 20 miles to where US 160 turns West again. [30 mins] [10:00 – 10:30]

Take US 160 West to the Four Corners (19 miles)

Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico meet at Four Corners. Stop to visit the plaque and the Navajo stalls selling jade, silver, etc. Take pictures standing in four states. [30 mins riding; 45 minutes to visit ] [ 10:30 – 11:45]

Leave the Four Corners and continue on US 160 West all the way to Kayenta, passing through Teec Nos Pos, Red Mesa, Mexican Water, Tes Nez Lah, Dennehotso. This is a two lane road and can be very hot. There are gas stations along the way but be sure to have water and gas. There will be great vistas all along the way. Look for the perfectly round indentations on the sides of some mesas. What could those have been? Hint. This whole area was once the floor of an inland sea. (78 miles)

[1.5 hrs ] [ 11:45 – 1:15]

Lunch in Kayenta [1 hr] [1:15 – 2:15]

At Kayenta pick up US 163 north and take it to Monument Valley (23 mi) (you will need at least 2 hours to visit and film here)

[30 mins to visitors center; 2 hrs to visit]

[2:15 – 4:45]

Leaving Monument Valley, return to US 163, make a right and go to Mexican Hat (25 mi)

[30 mins] [4:45 – 5:15]

The motel overlooks the San Juan River and is the local restaurant, bar, pool hall, pharmacy and hang. Look for real cowboys and indians. You can cross the bridge, make a left and walk down to the river. The current is strong. Don’t go in.

211

[~ 8 hours]

Sat 7/20

Mexican Hat – Torrey, UT (Goosenecks/the Mesa/Route 95/Glenn Canyon/Capital Reef Nat’l Park)

Hotel – Skyridge Bed and Breakfast Inn – 425-3222

OR

The Lodge at Red River Ranch – 425-3322 (luxury)

Dinner – The El Diablo Cafe

OR

Capitol Reef Inn and Cafe – 425-3271

Leave Mexican Hat on State 261 and travel 3 miles to the intersection with US 163. Bear left on State 261 and go 1 mile to the intersection with State 316 – Goosenecks [15 mins] [9:00 – 9:15]

Left on State 316 and go to the overlook (5 miles) – this is the Goosenecks of the San Juan River. It is the Grand Canyon in formation, needs just another 4 million years. [10 mins; 30 min visit] [9:15 – 10:00]

Back track on State 316 to the intersection with State 261 (5 miles) [10 mins] [10:00 – 10:10]

Make left on State 261 and go to the base of the Cedar Mesa (6 miles) [10 mins] [10:10 – 10:20]

Also, the entrance to the Valley of the Gods is here. The road through the valley is unpaved and runs for about 20 miles. There won’t be time to explore it. Pass it by and go up the mesa.

The road to the top of the mesa is two lane wide, unmarked, partly paved/partly hardpack road with numerous switchbacks. Guardrails have been added at the more severe turns. Look for the cars that have fallen off the road. It’s about 3 miles to the top. If you park at the top you can walk out to the tip of the mesa and there is a great panoramic view of the valley floor and you can see part of the road up the mesa. [30 mins riding; 45 minutes to visit] [10:20 – 10:50/ 11:30 if you stop at the top] [Note: all times in the following segments of this day do not include the 45 minute visit at the top of the mesa.]

Continue on State 261 to the intersection with State 95 (25 miles) – a wonderful ride on the mesa, forests, open range (lookout for roaming cows) and rolling hills [30 mins] [10:40 – 11:10]

Make a left onto State 95 and ride to Hanksville (95 miles) – this is one of the best motorcycle roads in America – great road surface, rolling hills, wide open vistas, not much traffic, passes through Glen Canyon National Rec. Area and over the Colorado River [1 hour 45 mins; plus a lunch stop for an hour – see below] [11:10 – 2:00]

[If there is time (you need at least 1.5 hours here, including walking in the park to see some of the bridges - this will push back lunch and significantly lengthen the day) consider a visit to Natural Bridges National Monument where water erosion creates arch spans that look like bridges. It is very cool to lie under one and look up into the bluest sky ever. If you go, the entrance to the park is on the right at 1.5 miles after taking the left onto State 95 from State 261. If you visit here, be sure to make a right onto State 95 when leaving.]

Lunch – eat either at Hanksville where there are some fast food places and gas. OR, consider a picnic in the Glen Canyon area. There are pull offs all along the road with picnic tables. Wherever you stop, lunch usually takes about an hour.

At Hanksville, make a left onto State 24 and go to Torrey (51 miles) [1 hour] [2:00 – 3:00]

[There are two places to stop on the way to Torrey. There is a waterfall off the road on the right at about the 20 mile point. Capitol Reef National Park is a few miles further up the road and the entrance is on the left. There are paved/hardpack roads throughout the park. It is a very beautiful park and due to its location, not very busy. The visitors’ center has a great explanation of the history and geology of the area.]

190

[~ 5 hours riding time; add time for pull outs, picnic, stop at the top of the mesa and heli shots]

Sun 7/21

Torrey – Bryce Canyon, UT (Utah 12/Grand Staircase/Escalante/hogs back/Bryce Canyon)

Hotel - Bryce Canyon Lodge in the park (usually booked 1 year in advance)

801-586-7686

Or

Best Western outside the park 800-528-1234

This will be one of the best days on the trip (aren’t they all?) You ride State 12, one of the best and most beautiful roads in America (where have you heard that before? And you will be saying it over and over by the time the trip ends).

Pick up State 12 at the intersection with State 24.

Take State 12 to the entrance to Bryce Canyon (107 miles) - this road goes through the Dixie National Forest and climbs Boulder Mountain to an altitude of 10,900 feet. There are miles of aspen forest (the single largest living organism in the world), pull outs from which you can see 3 states, winding roads, some so narrow and on the top of a mountain (called a hog back) that you can fall off either side of the road, small towns (see if you can find Denny’s Wigwam in Escalante) [riding time depends on how many times you stop. As an estimate, a straight run to Bryce is ~ 3 hours] [9:00 – Noon]

Lunch and tour at Bryce Canyon – "Its a hell of a place to lose a cow." Ebenezer Bryce. See the hoodoos. All scenic pull outs are on the left side of the road as you are driving into the park so the idea is to drive in as far as you want, turn around and enter the pullouts from the right lane. The park road is ~ 20 miles long, making it a 40 mile round trip ride. There will be tour busses and many cars. Take a look at the park map and decide how far into the park you want to go. The Park Service runs a cafeteria at the visitors’ center that has surprisingly decent food. The timing depends on how long you want to spend here. For now, we figure 3 hours for lunch and touring. [Noon – 3:00]

190

[add up to 40 miles for Bryce]

[~ 9 hours, with 3 hours at Bryce]

Mon 7/22

Bryce Canyon – Ely, NV

Hotel – Hotel Nevada, 775-289-6665

Or

Four Sevens Motel, 775-289-4747

Leave Bryce on State 12 and go to intersection with US 89 at Panguitch (20 miles) [30 mins] [9:00 – 9:30]

Take US 89 to intersection with State 20 (10 miles) [15 mins] [9:30 – 9:45]

Take State 20 west to intersection with I 15 [20 miles] [30 mins] [9:45 – 10:15]

Take I 15 to exit 109, Beaver [~15 miles] [20 mins] [10:15 – 10:40]

At Beaver pick up State 21 west heading to Minersville (17 miles) [30 mins] [10:40 – 11:10]

Continue on State 21 to Milford for lunch and gas (13 miles) [20 mins, 1 hour for an early lunch] [11:10 – 12:30]

Continue on State 21 to Garrison [77 miles] [1.5 hours] [12:30 – 2:00]

At Garrison, go over border into Nevada and the road becomes NV State 487. Take it to intersection with US 50 – the Loneliest Road in the US. [12 miles] (15 mins) (2:00 – 2:15)

Take US 50 to Ely (56 miles) (1 hour) (2:15 – 3:15)

240

[ 6 hours]

Tues 7/23

Ely – Tonopah

Hotel -

Take US 6 all the way to Tonopah

Lunch somewhere along the way

164

[6.5 hours]

Weds 7/24

Tonopah – Yosemite, CA

Hotel -

Leave Tonopah on US 6 West and take to Benton, CA (82 miles) [1.5 hours ] [9:00 – 10:30]

Continue on US 6 from Benton to Bishop (34 miles) [ 45 minutes ] [10:30 – 11:15]

At Bishop pick up US 395 and go to Lee Vining and the intersection with State 120 (60 miles) [ 1.5 hours] [11:15 - 12:45]

Lunch – 1 hour [12:45 – 1:45]

At State 120 make a left, enter Yosemite National Park and take State 120 to Yosemite Village (36 miles) [ 1 hour ] [1:45 – 2:45 ]

212

[~ 6 hours]

Thurs 7/25

Yosemite – San Francisco

Hotel -

There are many choices to get from Yosemite to SF. We leave it up to you to decide the route.

180

Total 1,520

Sat 7/27

San Fran – Girl Power Ride Across Golden Gate Bridge

Sun 7/28

All leave for home