We had a year to plan the next trip and wasted all of it. At the last hour a trip to Germany for Oktoberfest was scrapped and I sent my bike west once again.
Last year we were searching for forests and mountains and found both in spades. This year we are in search of the Mars like landscapes of Utah. Sand. Stone. Slick rock.
We officially started the route with some nice winding paved roads out of Monument Valley, Utah and turned into the Valley of the Gods where we encountered our first taste of sand. The sand was deep; eating my front tire and bringing me to the ground. No harm done and the sand is soft.
We make our way up the Mokee Dugway to the Cedar Mesa where they used to mind uranium. Apparently they took all the uranium and left only sand. We slogged along in deep sand until sunset and then set up camp.
The silence at 6.5k feet was eerie and the stars were extraordinary. It cooled off quickly so we zipped into our sleeping bags and got some sleep.
We woke before sunrise and had breakfast (rehydrated eggs, coffee, whiskey). We packed up camp and were ready to face the sand.
I was a bit more ready than Bob was.
2geeks2bikes 