dantama
06-23-2008, 01:44 AM
My ride home
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2026.jpg
Here is the slide show for my ride home with more pics.
click here (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/?action=view¤t=beaeec3f.pbw)
I left Mesquite for the group ride with everyone else at 7:00am. I managed to talk a few others into going on a ride up to Kolob reservoir after the Zions ride.
That took longer than I thought it would, but I had a good time riding with others up there. We were rewarded with cool temps when we got up there. Caddman should have a bunch of pics.
I went back through the Park and headed for home at 4:30.
When the sun went down I wasn't as far as I had hoped, but I thought that I still might make it to Denver that night. I called my wife to let her know that I would be home early (didn't want to freak her out at 3:00am).
Being the wise woman that she is, she let me know that riding till 3:00am, after riding 20 hours isn't wise, and to get a room and come home in the morning. That is what I did. I got a room in Green River, Utah.
The next day, feeling rested and like I might as well make use of the extra time, I decided to find a more adventurous way for part of the trip. I only knew of highways that went down to Moab. I didn't have a map, but logically I thought that there had to have been a road going east before I-70 was built, and perhaps I could find it.
I got off a "Ranch" exit (code for "goes nowhere at all") and come upon the ghost town in the picture. There was an abandoned motel and diner too, plus misc other buildings.
The paved road was in poor condition, and eventually became dirt with a little pavement in spots with faded paint lines. That gave way to only dirt, but fairly well traveled looking.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2031.jpg
That in turn gave way to little more than a faint trail. The freeway was so close in places as you can see in the pictures. I kept hoping to find a way over to the freeway. One pair of wire cutters and I'd be on my way :)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2033.jpg
Escalation of commitment kept me going, as I hate to have to backtrack a long way back.
eventually I reached the point where I could go no further. The pic looks not too bad, but it was about a 4-5 foot very loose sand drop, with the same loose sand climb up the other side. I wanted so bad to keep going. I got off and looked for a way out if I did drop in.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2035.jpg
I knew that I could get down through the sand, I just needed to get back out. I hiked down the dry river bed a ways, and determined that I'd need a saw and pruners to get very far down it.
So turning around and going back was my only option :(
I hate backtracking a long ways http://s2.images.proboards.com/angry.gif:(" title=">:(" border="0"/> :(
So back I went, the same long ass way that I just came, back to that ranch exit. Who decided to fence the whole damn freeway anyway? :)
So back on the freeway I went, and eventually got home at 4:00pm. I could have been home by noon.
I didn't mind my little adventure, as getting into "what if" situations keeps life interesting for me. I guess the moral of the story is that just because 40 years ago a road was there, doesn't mean it is still there now.
Perhaps another is that when the diner and motel etc turn into ghost towns, you might want to consider it a sign.
I rode 1,726 miles, rode for about 41 hours, averaging about 42mph. Seems low since anywhere over 65mph I went 80mph.
I had a great time though, and have the pictures to look at in the coming years.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2026.jpg
Here is the slide show for my ride home with more pics.
click here (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/?action=view¤t=beaeec3f.pbw)
I left Mesquite for the group ride with everyone else at 7:00am. I managed to talk a few others into going on a ride up to Kolob reservoir after the Zions ride.
That took longer than I thought it would, but I had a good time riding with others up there. We were rewarded with cool temps when we got up there. Caddman should have a bunch of pics.
I went back through the Park and headed for home at 4:30.
When the sun went down I wasn't as far as I had hoped, but I thought that I still might make it to Denver that night. I called my wife to let her know that I would be home early (didn't want to freak her out at 3:00am).
Being the wise woman that she is, she let me know that riding till 3:00am, after riding 20 hours isn't wise, and to get a room and come home in the morning. That is what I did. I got a room in Green River, Utah.
The next day, feeling rested and like I might as well make use of the extra time, I decided to find a more adventurous way for part of the trip. I only knew of highways that went down to Moab. I didn't have a map, but logically I thought that there had to have been a road going east before I-70 was built, and perhaps I could find it.
I got off a "Ranch" exit (code for "goes nowhere at all") and come upon the ghost town in the picture. There was an abandoned motel and diner too, plus misc other buildings.
The paved road was in poor condition, and eventually became dirt with a little pavement in spots with faded paint lines. That gave way to only dirt, but fairly well traveled looking.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2031.jpg
That in turn gave way to little more than a faint trail. The freeway was so close in places as you can see in the pictures. I kept hoping to find a way over to the freeway. One pair of wire cutters and I'd be on my way :)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2033.jpg
Escalation of commitment kept me going, as I hate to have to backtrack a long way back.
eventually I reached the point where I could go no further. The pic looks not too bad, but it was about a 4-5 foot very loose sand drop, with the same loose sand climb up the other side. I wanted so bad to keep going. I got off and looked for a way out if I did drop in.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/dantama/Western%20Rally/IMG_2035.jpg
I knew that I could get down through the sand, I just needed to get back out. I hiked down the dry river bed a ways, and determined that I'd need a saw and pruners to get very far down it.
So turning around and going back was my only option :(
I hate backtracking a long ways http://s2.images.proboards.com/angry.gif:(" title=">:(" border="0"/> :(
So back I went, the same long ass way that I just came, back to that ranch exit. Who decided to fence the whole damn freeway anyway? :)
So back on the freeway I went, and eventually got home at 4:00pm. I could have been home by noon.
I didn't mind my little adventure, as getting into "what if" situations keeps life interesting for me. I guess the moral of the story is that just because 40 years ago a road was there, doesn't mean it is still there now.
Perhaps another is that when the diner and motel etc turn into ghost towns, you might want to consider it a sign.
I rode 1,726 miles, rode for about 41 hours, averaging about 42mph. Seems low since anywhere over 65mph I went 80mph.
I had a great time though, and have the pictures to look at in the coming years.