Cedar City Loop: We left Cedar City and headed up SR 14 into the mountains on our FZ1s. We actually did this loop twice in several days. The first time it was late afternoon and we spent a lot of time dodging deer, cows, and even sheep. This is free range territory and you had better pay attention to the cow-in-road warning signs here.

Heading up SR 14 there are some good twisties, but the road soon levels out and you play dodge the deer. We saw at least 50 on this three hour loop. Most of the loop passes through some of the 2 million acres of the Dixie National Forest . We kept seeing odd areas of rock and finally figured out that these were lava beds.

We continued east on 14 to Long Valley Junction and then took US89 North, passing through Hatch, Hillsdale and Panguitch. The sunlight began to dwindle, so we raced westward on 143. It was really tough riding ….. looking into the setting sun, chilling temperatures, and deer around every corner.

We passed Panguitch Lake glaring into the bright sunlight. The scenery was quite beautiful with the aspens just taking on their fall color in these altitudes above 10,000 feet.

By the time we reached 148 we couldn’t care less about the scenery …. We were nearly frozen. Nancy at least had a sweatshirt under her leathers. Racing past Ceder Breaks Monument withour even a glance, we got back on 14 and headed for the warmth of the RV.

We later returned and stopped at the Cedar Breaks Overlook. Quite a view here.

Zion Canyon: Just north of the Colorado State Line we took SR 9 east off Interstate 15 and headed up into the Zion Canyon National Park. We were in the RV and pulling a trailer, so we didn’t have much time to stop and enjoy the scenery on this first pass, but we would be back on our cycles for a better tour.

Passing through Hurricane the road begins to climb. You pass through Virgin, Rockville, and Springdale before actually entering the Park from the west side. The views from SR 9 are some of the most amazing we have ever seen. The road has some sharp switchbacks as it snakes upward. There are also some one-way tunnels where traffic is stopped so the big RVs can ride the center line and not hit the low ceilings of the old tunnels. We made the drive with no problem. We headed north on US 89 and found a KOA to stay for the night in Glendale.

Returning to Zion on the FZ1s was much more fun. We spent much of the afternoon stopping at all of the scenic overlooks and snapping picts like Japanese tourists. We even did some shopping in Rockville and found some large dragons made of rope. Thankfully we had a few bungees along to strap them down. We’ll let the photos tell you the rest of the story.

Bryce Canyon: We had heard so much about Bryce Canyon from many of our friends. Perhaps all the raves made it impossible to live up to once we were there. It was scenic, but we were disappointed after seeing Moab and Zion. But now we can say that we were there.

The Grand Canyon: On the way back to North Carolina … and we were about ready for home …. We decided at the last minute to take a hundred mile detour and zip through the Grand Canyon. We were both glad that we did.

The photos just can’t do the Canyon justice. What a spectacular view. We were lucky to arrive in an off-tourist season, but it was still crowded once we reached Grand Canyon Village. We grabbed a couple of souvenirs and then headed for the Interstate. Didn’t even bother to unload the bikes.

Death Valley: Heading southwest out on Pahrump, Nevada on SR 372 we opened-up the FZ1s and hit the California line at about a buck-thirty. No need for radar detectors since you could see about ten miles ahead of you. We entered Shoshone on SR 178 and stopped to shop for trinkets and visit the local museum. Got a kick out of the “Death Valley Medical Center” sign. The gas prices here were the highest we had seen anywhere on the trip … glad we didn’t have to fill up the RV.

We headed north on SR 127 looking for the proverbial California Hell’s Angels gang, but we had the road to ourselves. We were disappointed in Death Valley Junction that there wasn’t an opera to attend at the Amargosa Opera House . We couldn’t even get a tour. The town looked completely deserted. Snapped a few picts and back on the road to Pahrump at over a buck-ten.

Not much in the way of twisties out here. The thrill is in the straight-off speed. We even got bruises from our shirts flapping in the wind.