8/6/22
I loaded up the bike in the morning and headed out to Moab before Adam and his friend Mo. Since I was going to take a scenic road, I figured leaving before them by an hour would put us at the hotel in Moab at roughly the same time.
https://goo.gl/maps/nwjpc6XHUYu3Q1MU6
A short 50 miles on I-15 south connected me to US-6 east. US-6 east a four lane highway that goes thru some scenic areas. 50 miles on US-6 and you enter Price Canyon. The road cuts through the mountains and you see that primitive primal jagged mountain view that Utah is known for. 120 miles after that and I turn off onto 128 Scenic Byway.
Just a few miles into 128, I see a sign for Buzzard's Belly General store. I was wondering if this sign is active since who would need a general store in this area. Three miles down the road? Why not check it out?
There's not much out here except the paved road and the arid landscape - until I see remnants of a ghost town.
Just around the corner from here is Buzzard's Belly.
It's a real general store. I go inside to find the owner chatting with a customer. Inside the store is what you'd expect to find: soda, chips, snacks, post cards, chotchkies, and many t-shirts of Thelma & Louise and Vanishing Point. I asked the owner if the films were shot here and she said the blown up tanker in Thelma & Louise was filmed a few miles away and the bulldozers from Vanishing Point (never seen it) were filmed just yards away from the store. I then ask her about the ghost town and she informs me that it's actually an artist colony. A woman moved out there and tried to start a Slab City type of artsy lifestyle community but it never really took off but the woman still lives there and all the art projects and structures are still there.
I bought a couple stickers and went to check out this art colony:
What a great random find! Though not exactly my type of art but it's pretty inspiring to think that people are still taking massive risks to create something grand and crazy even if it ultimately fails.
Once I left this artsy ghost town, I got back onto US-128 towards Moab. This was listed as a scenic byway and it definitely did not disappoint. Riding this road alone give you an amazing sample of what the sights of Utah are all about.
US-128 is a great ride and definitely worth going back. It cuts through canyons, rivers, buttes, ranches, and gives you breath taking views of that deep red sediment everywhere. The end of 128 puts you right into the start of Moab. The hotel was just a mile down the right and Adam and Mo arrived just a few minutes before me. We unloaded the bike and hopped in the car for lunch and some sightseeing.
What else is there to say about Arches and Canyonland National Park? It's amazingly beautiful. I was a little bummed that I didn't ride thru the parks on the bike but it was hovering at 100F so having AC inside the car was pretty great. I figured I can always impose on Adam again in the near future and come back in the fall when the weather is more agreeable. We spent Saturday afternoon at Arches and Sunday morning in Canyonland.
Here are some shots from Arches and Canyonland:
After our Sunday visit to Canyonland, Adam and Mo drove back to SLC and I loaded up the bike for Durango, Colorado where I have a Bunk-a-Biker stay with Carter. The following morning, I'll be going up the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton and Ouray. I had to skip this road back in 2017 due to an all day rain so I've been looking forward to this one for a few years.