Trip to Utah

I haven’t travelled a lot in my life and have never taken a long MC trip, always been a commuter and single day rider.
Family and I went to Utah last year and we all loved it. With kid’s swim team commitments and difficulty getting time off that coincided with my wife’s, I decided to go it alone on the F6B.
The trip started a day late due to storms in the St. Louis area, they hadn’t moved through yet so I wrapped my bag up and rode through them. They had to stop eventually.

http://i65.tinypic.com/29qo75k.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/110vic7.jpg

Took the southern route from St. Louis area, 44 south through MO, through OK, and on to Amarillo, TX for KOA camping.
I like camping at KOA because it’s cheap, they have showers, and if you arrive after hours you can check yourself in.
In the past we’d always start a fire for breakfast, which is a major undertaking, so I finally “discovered” alcohol stoves. They pack small, use very little fuel, and will heat up a can of chili or gumbo in a few minutes. A cheap wind guard is a must.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2zsqx5y.jpg

There’s no sleeping late when camping for me, no room for a blow-up mattress so my 1/4” exercise mat had to do, that and the birds and roosters crowing get me up at sunrise.

http://i64.tinypic.com/210ljbq.jpg

From there I took 87 to 25N to 12 in CO, the Highway of Legends. Beautiful ride. Lost lots of time taking pictures and talking to folks along the way.
Stayed at the Alamosa KOA.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2nstobo.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/n3rscl.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/ouzbrb.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/21oud06.jpg

Next day it was 160 to 491 to 191N in Utah to Moab. Rode a little through Canyonlands and up 128, but needed to get checked in. Stayed at a Motel 6 in Moab for a couple days rather than camp. Was nice to have a place I didn’t have to button up in the morning.
Rode the La Sal Mountain Loop/Castle Valley, which was breathtaking. Explored Canyonlands (Grand View Point and Dead Horse).
The ride back from La Sal on 128 is hard to beat. I was racing to try to ride La Sal again in the other direction at the end of the day for some different views and sunset photos, but it is not a road for anything less than 100% if riding after dark. I almost wrecked when pulling over for some shots, went with my gut and headed back to the motel.
http://i67.tinypic.com/24bw9oy.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/28tie6b.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/2uj42g1.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/vqtahl.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/6ib885.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/2dr7vbm.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/x2w7rq.jpg

Had planned on heading up through Yellowstone and then east through SD and home, but was missing wife and kids badly so decided on the quick but scenic 70E through the Rockies. So beautiful, but stay alert because traffic really moves and there’s very few straightaways.
http://i66.tinypic.com/2r5t3ee.jpg

Wanted to ride straight through to St. Louis but I stop far too often and always find myself chatting with other travelers. Wicked storm in KS with golf-ball sized hail held me back. Stayed in a KOA in Goodland KS that had grass that I could actually drive a tent stake into, a necessity as a storm rolled through that woke me up to my tent trying to lay flat from some extreme winds blowing through. I awoke thinking a bear or marauder was attacking the tent.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2s6sex3.jpg

Rolled in to Columbia, IL late Friday night.
There were MANY things I didn't get to see, most notably Zion National Park, but I intend to go back with the family and see it all with them.


Things that helped me:
* A place for everything, and everything in its place. Used CC for most transactions so I kept that in inner velcro pocket in jacket, wallet in another. Always check that they’re in place before taking off.
* Getting hydrated at every gas stop. Amazing how much water you lose through sweat.
* I don’t have the radio knob keys made yet so I used a neck lanyard with a retracting reel with a spare on it for gas and bags. Also zip-tied a spare in an out of the way place just in case.
* A gallon of water in the side case was useful for drinking water, wetting a microfiber towel for windshield cleaning, or for cleaning up cooking gear.
* Spare cables for any devices and a fully charged USB power pack if something needed a charge at night.
* Ample supply of Walmart bags and Ziplock for my cheap, but useful GPS.
* Backrest, in the form of my back seat bag. OMG I never knew, thought “how could a little support at your lower back help?”. I was so wrong.
Honestly, if you’re wanting to put on some miles, a backrest is a must. If you’re dubious, so was I. Now I know. I carefully packed my tent and pad in the bag with my fleece blanket at the front every morning.

Things that would’ve helped me:
* I don’t deal with toll roads in my life and the tolls in OK killed me. When do they end? If you need to get off the road for gas they give you a refund then take it right back when you get back on! I would’ve come up with a little coin purse for $1 and quarters and kept it handy. So. Painful.
* A hi-def helmet mounted camera and/or a smaller DSLR that would fit in a cubby. I only had my iPhone (1st world problem for sure) but some of these places are so darn scenic it would’ve been nice to have nicer pics and video.
* I underestimated the sun and had a nice burn on my face early on, only then started using the sunblock. Dark spots on each of my hands show where the little sun gets through where the velcro strap opening is.

If you’ve never been to Utah, look around on the web and some of the State and National park sites for info, it’s an amazing place to visit.

Also, official state snake of Utah? The Tar.
There's a Welcome to Utah sign where 491 enters UT and the road goes from normal to covered with tar snakes. Got squirrely a couple times, stay alert.


***************************
Alcohol stove: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Stove windscreen: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looked like an awesome trip, great picks. Guess I'll be adding Utah to my future travels list. Thanks for the tip!

+1 👍🏻👍🏻

'decided to go it alone on the F6B' and 'missing the wife and kids' in the same story. Beautiful. What a great adventure. Great pics, good times had on a bike. Thanks.

:yes: Nice write up and awesome pics. Enjoyed it and the summary at the end.

That sounded like an awesome trip...beautiful pictures too.. thank you for sharing.

WOW! What a trip. Much better than mine last week. Mine consisted of 1800 miles of a hanging transmission (since fixed), my buddy crashing on a turn (sand) and having his bike tip over at a scenic overlook on another occasion because of that "freaky mountain gravity thing" that makes you think you are on level ground when you are not. On the way there, we caught a severe thunderstorm just as we topped Black Mountain at 10 PM on Thursday night. I was blocked by a Subaru going 10 MPH on I-40 with flashers on blocking the left lane. It was raining so hard I could not see behind me to know if it was safe to change lanes. Talk about a bad "Sitting Duck" feeling sitting in the left lane of an Interstate at 10 MPH in the dark.

After looking at your pictures, I should have went with you! :icon_mrgreen:

BTW--nice bag!

Thanks all! It kinda feels like I didn't say enough about the B, but there were no issues and she performed like a champ. Such an amazing bike!
I've got a friend with a Harley who talked about high altitude performance differences when going through the Rockies, will have to break the news to him that I couldn't feel any difference on the B.
My stock rear tire is all but gone at 7500, but I could see it coming.
I tried to keep it within 5 of the limit, didn't get any tickets, but there was this one stretch in OK.... I can safely report that the B stays stable at high speed.

OldTymer, that Woot bag is staying on the bike til I can get a proper backrest! Wait... Maybe that IS my proper backrest?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MisterB

I haven�t travelled a lot in my life and have never taken a long MC trip, always been a commuter and single day rider.
Family and I went to Utah last year and we all loved it. With kid�s swim team commitments and difficulty getting time off that coincided with my wife�s, I decided to go it alone on the F6B.
The trip started a day late due to storms in the St. Louis area, they hadn�t moved through yet so I wrapped my bag up and rode through them. They had to stop eventually.

http://i65.tinypic.com/29qo75k.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/110vic7.jpg

Took the southern route from St. Louis area, 44 south through MO, through OK, and on to Amarillo, TX for KOA camping.
I like camping at KOA because it�s cheap, they have showers, and if you arrive after hours you can check yourself in.
In the past we�d always start a fire for breakfast, which is a major undertaking, so I finally �discovered� alcohol stoves. They pack small, use very little fuel, and will heat up a can of chili or gumbo in a few minutes. A cheap wind guard is a must.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2zsqx5y.jpg

There�s no sleeping late when camping for me, no room for a blow-up mattress so my 1/4� exercise mat had to do, that and the birds and roosters crowing get me up at sunrise.

http://i64.tinypic.com/210ljbq.jpg

From there I took 87 to 25N to 12 in CO, the Highway of Legends. Beautiful ride. Lost lots of time taking pictures and talking to folks along the way.
Stayed at the Alamosa KOA.
http://i65.tinypic.com/2nstobo.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/n3rscl.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/ouzbrb.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/21oud06.jpg

Next day it was 160 to 491 to 191N in Utah to Moab. Rode a little through Canyonlands and up 128, but needed to get checked in. Stayed at a Motel 6 in Moab for a couple days rather than camp. Was nice to have a place I didn�t have to button up in the morning.
Rode the La Sal Mountain Loop/Castle Valley, which was breathtaking. Explored Canyonlands (Grand View Point and Dead Horse).
The ride back from La Sal on 128 is hard to beat. I was racing to try to ride La Sal again in the other direction at the end of the day for some different views and sunset photos, but it is not a road for anything less than 100% if riding after dark. I almost wrecked when pulling over for some shots, went with my gut and headed back to the motel.
http://i67.tinypic.com/24bw9oy.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/28tie6b.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/2uj42g1.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/vqtahl.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/6ib885.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/2dr7vbm.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/x2w7rq.jpg

Had planned on heading up through Yellowstone and then east through SD and home, but was missing wife and kids badly so decided on the quick but scenic 70E through the Rockies. So beautiful, but stay alert because traffic really moves and there�s very few straightaways.
http://i66.tinypic.com/2r5t3ee.jpg

Wanted to ride straight through to St. Louis but I stop far too often and always find myself chatting with other travelers. Wicked storm in KS with golf-ball sized hail held me back. Stayed in a KOA in Goodland KS that had grass that I could actually drive a tent stake into, a necessity as a storm rolled through that woke me up to my tent trying to lay flat from some extreme winds blowing through. I awoke thinking a bear or marauder was attacking the tent.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2s6sex3.jpg

Rolled in to Columbia, IL late Friday night.
There were MANY things I didn't get to see, most notably Zion National Park, but I intend to go back with the family and see it all with them.


Things that helped me:
* A place for everything, and everything in its place. Used CC for most transactions so I kept that in inner velcro pocket in jacket, wallet in another. Always check that they�re in place before taking off.
* Getting hydrated at every gas stop. Amazing how much water you lose through sweat.
* I don�t have the radio knob keys made yet so I used a neck lanyard with a retracting reel with a spare on it for gas and bags. Also zip-tied a spare in an out of the way place just in case.
* A gallon of water in the side case was useful for drinking water, wetting a microfiber towel for windshield cleaning, or for cleaning up cooking gear.
* Spare cables for any devices and a fully charged USB power pack if something needed a charge at night.
* Ample supply of Walmart bags and Ziplock for my cheap, but useful GPS.
* Backrest, in the form of my back seat bag. OMG I never knew, thought �how could a little support at your lower back help?�. I was so wrong.
Honestly, if you�re wanting to put on some miles, a backrest is a must. If you�re dubious, so was I. Now I know. I carefully packed my tent and pad in the bag with my fleece blanket at the front every morning.

Things that would�ve helped me:
* I don�t deal with toll roads in my life and the tolls in OK killed me. When do they end? If you need to get off the road for gas they give you a refund then take it right back when you get back on! I would�ve come up with a little coin purse for $1 and quarters and kept it handy. So. Painful.
* A hi-def helmet mounted camera and/or a smaller DSLR that would fit in a cubby. I only had my iPhone (1st world problem for sure) but some of these places are so darn scenic it would�ve been nice to have nicer pics and video.
* I underestimated the sun and had a nice burn on my face early on, only then started using the sunblock. Dark spots on each of my hands show where the little sun gets through where the velcro strap opening is.

If you�ve never been to Utah, look around on the web and some of the State and National park sites for info, it�s an amazing place to visit.

Also, official state snake of Utah? The Tar.
There's a Welcome to Utah sign where 491 enters UT and the road goes from normal to covered with tar snakes. Got squirrely a couple times, stay alert.


***************************
Alcohol stove: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Stove windscreen: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

---

In a search for camping info with the F6B, I came across our thread & saw your photos, tips, & advice.

Great photos, & thanks for your helpful summary at the end.

C.

In all of the 39 states I've been to Utah is, without a doubt, the most scenic, picturesque and beautiful there are bar none. Great pictures and it looked like you really enjoyed yourself and the "B".

Due to vacation schedules and minimal funds it looks like I'll be taking another solo ride out west again this year. Trying to narrow it down to southern Colorado and southern Utah.
So much to see it really requires much more time than I'll have, I love chewing up miles but I'm also happy just looking around, can't do both and get anywhere.
The desert feels like home to me. After 52 years of St. Louis humidity I've finally found a place where I'm not drenched in sweat for no reason.
Some of the secondary roads in Utah look pretty iffy on a beast like the B, looking at a place called Lonesome Beaver campground near Hanksville but it's hard to tell the road condition.
Open to suggestions from any locals or visitors who have a favorite place to ride or camp, don't have a route worked out yet.

Thanks!
Robert

The fun ride is between Salina and Green River where you see this sign below. First time I did it about 20 miles in I glanced down at my phone and saw "No Service", nice pucker factor





https://s15.postimg.org/hnql0gwlz/nextserv.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by taxfree4

The fun ride is between Salina and Green River where you see this sign below. First time I did it about 20 miles in I glanced down at my phone and saw "No Service", nice pucker factor





https://s15.postimg.org/hnql0gwlz/nextserv.jpg

---

That's when you pat your right (or left) hip, find your traveling "buddy," and say, "No service like self service."

Cheers,
Steve

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 53driver

That's when you pat your right (or left) hip, find your traveling "buddy," and say, "No service like self service."

Cheers,
Steve

---

Amen to that Steve, this part of Utah reminded me of all of Wyoming, beautifully barren.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 53driver

That's when you pat your right (or left) hip, find your traveling "buddy," and say, "No service like self service."

Cheers,
Steve

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by taxfree4

Amen to that Steve, this part of Utah reminded me of all of Wyoming, beautifully barren.

---

I need to fabricate a stealth scabbard for Isleen for a "reduced length automatic 12 gauge."

Cheers,
Steve

What a great trip and trip report. Thanks for sharing.

1. Some KOA's can be very underrated. SLC KOA is a great place for example, and there are many more good operators. OTH Cannonville, not so much! :icon_frown:

2. Great little cameras for the cubby are the Canon Elf or the Leica Dlux 5. Not sure if they make either of those anymore though.

Thanks again for the great report. Utah is a beautiful state.

Great trip report. I ride southern Utah and southern Colorado every year, most years more than once and they are great riding. Ut-46 and Co-94 are great roads with almost no traffic, I am glad you found them. Nice pictures as well.

Great write-up!!
I just got back from Cali thru Utah...
What I learned:
Get a waffle weave thermal long sleeve shirt. ( Driving thru Las Vegas at 105 Degrees...Soak top with water...Brrrr) 'Nuff Said!!

EXPERIENCE I-70 on a bike....RECORD it in a car!

Hopefully doing MO AB in October :)

What a great adventure ! Heading out on the 27th for Maggie Valley, should be a good 3,000+ getaway .

What a blast! I was just in your neck of the woods June 14-16 in Waterloo. No bike, just my rental car.

#1 reason I own a Honda: I solo anywhere without fear of being stranded.

I've seriously considered a Hero session 5 for the exact same reason.

Hope you make it to WA state someday.

Broken Hand can vouch for the humidity out here, it's gross, I suspect it's gross all over except places like UT. I haven't traveled much.
Thick or thin, active or passive, the men in my family sweat more than the average person when the humidity is high. My son is 13 and it's apparent I've passed it on to him.

Beyond the low humidity though, the scenery and magnificence of these areas overwhelms the senses. Just being there would be enough, but exploring it on the F6B is nirvana.

I'm not getting any younger and was thinking I should get out there again with my 13 and 14 yr old kids. I made the mistake of mentioning the Crater of Diamonds park and now nothing else matters to them. I'll do a 3 day trip there with them, find a bunch of diamonds:icon_wink:, and then head out west again before summer is over.

Thanks for a review of your trip. I Really enjoyed the Grand Canyon, North Rim. Did you go the Bryce? It is right between the Grand Canyon and Zion.

At Bryce you are looking down at Wonderland, at Zion you are looking up and at the Grand Canyon you are looking across...so you never get a stiff neck! If you do get to Zion, there is a side road running along the outer boundary of the park that is worth the ride. You are "King of the Road"
since I think I saw two cars on it going and coming, great views everything from 180 degree, off-camber, turns to wide open straights and everything in between.

In Zion, you only have bus drop-offs but the ride into the park is outstanding.

I motelled it all the way so I wouldn't have to unpack every night but ended up doing it anyway. After 700 mile rides in 110 degree heat, air conditioning was priceless. If you do take that Northern route through KS, CO, UT, and NV, I have the names of some good local motels where you can park right outside your room. Most were like $60 a night.

I am planning to come back through Yellowstone, the Tetons and the Badlands but got to get through the California inferno first.

I too have traveled by mysel for thousands of miles and have found it
wonderful the people and sites along there way.
Has always been funny the things you think about and the conclusions you come to
I would definitely recommend to all take a long long trip by your self
and enjoy the things you see and most of all the things you learn about yourself.