May 2007 – Page 3 – Back Out On The Highway

Day Twenty-one: Sunday, May 20, 2007

Kayenta to Sedona, AZ

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After spending the night in a trailer that passed for a hotel room (there were no camp sites), I passed a lovely morning in the high desert rolling down Hwy 160 and Hwy 89:

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I stopped in Flagstaff for lunch at the Weatherford Hotel. Besides a rich history, it has great food and great service if you are ever in the area.

The scenery gets quite impressive between Flagstaff and Sedona. This shot was taken from the head of Oak Creek Canyon where I ended up camping.

Jeff & Darlene Powell and her husband have a home in Sedona. Unfortunately, due to spotty cell service (and no internet access for me the night before) we didn’t connect. Hopefully I can catch them on my way back through this Thursday.

Other shots from Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona.

This is the view from Starbucks if you can believe it! Almost makes me want to apply for a job here.

Having not reach Darlene, I found a campsite back up the canyon (on the recommendation of the Starbucks manager,) pitched my tent (Thanks Pete!), and “cooked” a nice Mountain House beef stew dinner. Mmm, mmm!

Today’s Route

Day Twenty, Saturday, May 19, 2007

Montrose, CO to Kayenta, AZ

The trip from Montrose, to Ouray, to Silverton, to Durango, to Mesa Verde National Park, through Four Corners, to Kayenta, AZ was stunning. I took my time today: over 12 hours to cover only 271 miles. I’m confident that I can’t do justice to today’s trip with words, so I’ll mostly resort to a few of the 100+ photos.

Below you can see two historical mines, the Genessee on the left and the Vanderbilt on the right:

I mentioned in an earlier blog our family vacation back to the east coast. One of the things we wanted to do on that trip was tour the Biltmore Estate. However, when we arrived at the front gate, it was raining and rather than just see the inside of the house, we decided to come back another time so we could take the full tour. I still haven’t seen Biltmore.

So, when I arrived at the turn off to Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP) with the lighting flashing and the thunder rolling, I never hesitated.

Waiting out the rain in the park cafe, I met three guys from Oregon that had trucked their bikes in for a weekend ride. Now that’s dedication. They were completely outfitted with GPS, CB’s, radar detectors, and even satellite radio. Apparently, they do several trips a year and had just finished Death Valley in March. I’m inspired! It was still raining hard when this picture was taken. Keep the rubber side down guys — and stay in touch.

After the rain lightened up, I investigated the Spruce Tree House:

Leaving MVNP, I received the biggest surprise of the day. Riding in the desert at sunset, following on the heels of a thunderstorm was one of the highlights of the trip. The air was clean, the clouds were breaking up, it was about 75 degrees, and the moon and Venus were visible for the entire ride. This shot of the sunset just doesn’t do it justice.

My soul and my spirit are full right now.

My recommendation? Put the Silverton to Durango trip on your “must do” list.

Today’s Route:

Day Nineteen: Friday, May 18, 2007

Eric was kind enough to drop me off at the shop this morning to pick up my bike. That’s a two hour round trip from Bailey to Castle Rock. Thanks again Eric! And of course, Jamie and Eddie did a great job for me at Xtreme Performance Center. They even washed the bike. Thanks guys!

On the way in with Eric, I received a call from an agency in San Francisco about an open position. I spoke with the founder for about an hour and we both came away feeling that we might have a potential fit. Another call with him later in the day resulted in me planning a break from my vacation to fly to SF and interview for the job during the middle of next week. More to follow.

I’ve long wanted to see the Silverton, Durango, and Mesa Verde areas of Colorado. My dad has been out twice and I know it’s one of his favorite trips. With that in mind, I charted a course for Montrose, CO.

The scenery isn’t all that spectacular going south until you turn west and follow the Arkansas River along Hwy 50.

Here is a shot from near where 115 intersects with 50:

The Arkansas River:

An hour later I re-crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 feet.

Here is vista shot to the Atlantic side:

To the Pacific side:

As you can guess from the photos, it rained again. However, it was a warm rain — the first of those that I’ve experienced on the trip.

This is a view of Black Mesa Lake and the mesa.

I arrived in Montrose around 5:30 PM, found a hotel, searched out dinner, uploaded four day’s worth of posts, and booked my trip to SF for late Monday afternoon. Now all I have to do is be in Phoenix on Monday in time to fly out.

Today’s route:

Days Seventeen & Eighteen: May 16 & 17, 2007

The Beck’s have a wonderful home on 22 acres just outside of Bailey, CO. They moved here earlier this spring from Santa Rosa, CA. Apparently I was their first guest.

Here is a shot of the Beck’s, left to right, Sam, Judah, Eric, , Aidan, Rachel and the newest edition (yet to be named of course):

A few shot shots of the home as well as a shot of their view from the back deck:

I stayed an extra day to insure that I could get my 7500 mile service completed on the bike and to give us more time together. We caught up, played with the boys, watched movies, walked the land, and generally had a great time.

Thank you Eric & Rachel for your hospitality!

Day Sixteen: Tuesday, May 15, 2007

There just wasn’t anything worth stopping for today — so sorry, no pictures. I started the day out with several great phone calls, and it put me leaving just after noon.

The scenery on this section of the trip was nominal at best. Or, maybe it was “great” and just couldn’t compete with the “astounding” views in Yellowstone.

In short, today was more about internal processing and covering ground than anything else. I arrived at Eric and Rachel Beck’s to a warm welcome from everyone but Sam. Apparently Sam still thinks I’m frightening.

Today’s route: