Travel day of MONUMENTAL proportions

Roll Over Cancer crew

Surprisingly good beer, though I have seen it at only one store: the gas station in Hanksville.

On the way from Hanksville to Monument Valley.

Our first view of Lake Powell, which is actually a reservoir.

The former location of the town of Hite, now under Lake Powell. Divers apparently avoid the area due to the poor visability from sediment deposited from the Colorado River, though the visability extends to 30 feet in some parts of the lake.

There is a message in the fact that the "S" indicating switchbacks is on it's side.

The is looking down from the road on the Cliff. It is a big drop in a very short distance, especially when one looks at the Cliff after having descended.

Looking down ov er the switchbacks.

From a roadside turnout, it is a steep, sharp drop off the side of the road. Again, I was holding the handlebars pretty tightly here.

The GPS showing a mess of turns.

Monument Valley, from the Navajo interpretive centre.

Hanksville to Moab via Monument Valley
Travel distance: 568 km
Maximum speed: 149 kph

So we are in Hanksville, town with one horse. Last night, we saw some guys on their bicycles and they are riding for cancer research. This morning, I see them prepping for the day's ride and they are wearing uniforms, so they are pretty organized. Initially, it looks just like four guys riding bikes but I realize that there is a group, there is a chase vehicle and a support crew, I meet Zachary, gracious, polite and appreciative and I make a modest donation to the cause and get my picture taken with the goup. Check out their webpage, maybe give them money; we have all been touched by cancer either directly or indirectly and these men and women are doing something to try to make a difference.  http://www.rollovercancer.org/default.html

We are heading out of town and it is a beautiful day for riding. The road is quiet and it is easy travel down to Lake powell. The Eastern Contingent are heading directly east to avoid the Big Cliff, a series of switchbacks dropping 1200 vertical feet on a stretch of GRAVEL road too treacherous to pave a whopping 4 km long. You can see an arial view or relief view on Google Maps by entering the coordinates: 37.273916,-109.937267.  It was intense riding but not as intense as riding in the gravel parking lot of the flea bag motel in Hanksville. Actually, it was a lot of fun. We had met three French guys at the flea bag the day before yesterday who had ridden up the Cliff on heavy bikes: a Harley and two Goldwinnabagos. They seemed a little stressed about it but that might be because they were riding rentals.

The road decends onto a wide, open plain and leads into Mexican Hat and then to Arizona and the Monument Valley. Monument Valley is spectacular: a huge expanse of nothing but desert with occasional pillars and columns of sandstone. It is almost ethereal; a vivid imagination can make many things of the monoliths. It could be science fiction or a western but it could be anything. It is certainly breathtaking.

A little less breathtaking is the commercialism at Monument Valley. It is on Navajo lands and they are exploiting it for all it's worth (I would call this "pay back"). Not that I blame them because I suspect it is a fairly poor band as there is not too much in the way for natural resources, with the exception of some turquoise and silver, which is evident in the jewelry for sale. The interpretive centre is a big, new building with stories of exploitation, scenic descriptions, a cafe and gift shop. All of the jewelry is "on sale for 40% off" though it is not clear when, if ever, the sale will end. Though I am not one to buy myself such things, I did see a silver belt buckle that appealed to me. It is inlaid with coloured turquoise of animal shapes and stars in the background. I am interested in having it and I think to myself that I would be prepared to pay up to $200 (as a rule, I try to decide what I am willing to pay for "impulse" purchases before I have a closer look so as not to spend more than is worth my while). I ask for it to be removed from the case so I can get a closer look and see that it is "on sale" for $1450. I should have at least taken a picture.

Nan is interested in some stuff, too, though her priorities are a little different. She has a look at some stuff, likes it but decides she is going to buy something from some roadside vendor, of which there are many. That stuff is a little less Indian and a little more Chinese. Certainly, it has been crafted by the local natives but I think the components come from one of those do-it-yourself jewelry kits for kids. That's o.k.; Nan understands this and selects a couple of bracelets for $15. She at least comes away with something.

Tom, of course, has no trouble at all coming away with something. From either place.

We retrace the road to Mexican Hat then head north towards Moab, with a stop a the Needles Overlook, a 72 km diversion. We are there as the sun is getting low in the sky and while we have to look west to the view, it is still great. There is a 2,000 foot cliff at the Overlook, looking down to the Colorado River and it is a dramatic drop, if not a little disconcerting as one peers over the edge.

We arrive in Moab after 8:00 p.m. and the Eastern Contingent has already checked in earlier in the day. It is still very warm - in the mid twenties and NoNo, Tom and I go for a swim in the pool, our first swim of the trip.