coast to coast, and back again…part 2

Once we reached the coast in Bodega Bay, CA, it felt like nothing could stop us! And that was so true. The remainder of the day was a gorgeous ride through California. We headed south down 101/1. It was not terribly exciting, so we turned off onto the Panoramic Highway. It gives the Tail of The Dragon a run for its money! I cannot even describe the twists and turns with a view. From there we continued south to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was surprisingly cold and such a site to see as we rode over it and into San Francisco. Quick stop to visit a friend in the city, then southward down the PCH! Not as twisty, but the view of the ocean and the coast was stunning. Half Moon Bay was beautiful. As the day was winding to an end, we turned onto Route 236 and rode into Big Basin Park. Rt 236 was super fun with its twists and turns through one of the most beautiful forests I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. As we pulled into the park, I realized we would be camping among the Redwoods!!! They are massive beyond words. I am so lucky to have slept among these giants.

After leaving Big Basin, and riding more Rt 236, we turned on to Bear Creek Road which was just as fun! We headed east toward Yosemite. Unfortunately, as we were approaching, we saw signs that said you could not go through without a reservation. Who thought you needed a reservation to enjoy the outdoors??? Their loss. We had the immense pleasure of riding the Sonora Pass instead. 25% downgrade, switchbacks, challenging technical ride. So amazing. So lucky. While on the pass we saw a section of the forest that had been burned. I cannot describe the sadness that accompanies standing among trees that are gone, just the scarred trunks left behind. It makes your heart feel empty. It is a part of the natural cycle, but the emptiness pervades.

On day 15 we pushed further east into Nevada. We turned a corner on rt 182 and out of nowhere Mono Lake appeared! It was beautiful and quite the surprise. This stretch had extremely limited gas options. The Scout has about a 140-mile range, the way I ride, so I had the be incredibly careful about planning fuel stops. When we stopped in Tonopah, NV I learned the next gas station was over 150 miles away. Clearly, I was not going to make it. Options were to buy a gas can and ride with it, plan to siphon from my buddy’s tank and hope we both make it, or go south into Death Valley instead and loop around. Weighing the risks, I elected to turn south towards Death Valley. How hot could it really be? Damn I was wrong. That is a whole other kind of heat! We stopped at the edge of Death Valley for gas. Riding from there to Pahrump I carried a water bottle in my jacket and kept pouring it on myself to cool off as we rode to our accommodations for the night. So thankful for evaporative cooling.

The next morning, we got up super early to try to beat the heat. I learned that is not really an option in Nevada. Oops. From Death Valley area we rode to Las Vegas and down the strip. It was 97 at 8am. Yikes. From there we rode through the north west corner of Arizona, which was also insanely hot. Dry heat is still damn hot! Next stop, Zion National Park. What can I say, it was so beautiful. The rock formations were such vivid colors, the tunnel through the mountain was pitch black, and the far side was a fun little ride. My sister recommended Bryce Canyon, so we headed that direction to check it out. On the way to Bryce we had the absolute pleasure of riding through Red Canyon. Wow, just wow. I was not sure what to expect of Bryce, but when we got to the end of the long road through the park the scenery was literally out of this world. I imagine this is what Mars must look like. So many rock pillars and trails. After dark, the bugs are just as epic as the scenery!

I feel funny saying this, but holy crap Utah is amazing. Utah. Who would have thought? on day 17 we crossed the rest of Utah. At every turn it continued to blow my mind with its natural beauty. Even at the rest stops on the interstate! As we were almost to Colorado, I saw a sign saying the Moab and Arches National Park were just 30 miles south. So, obviously adventure took us south. Arches was so beautiful. Such unbelievable rock formations. And more heat. And more sun. From there we continued into Colorado. The trees there are so small after being among Redwoods, and not even the great big ones in Northern California.