Ride 2 (Drizzly) - Zion National Park, UT - 6/13/09

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We got to do our Zion ride after all! Stephen got off work earlier than expected, so we met around noon and took off for Zion National Park. We took the same route to Hurricane as before (always avoiding freeways) and then headed up on Route 9 through Virgin, Rockville, Springdale, and finally Zion.

Such beautiful towns to pass through, it was a treat. However, the day was drizzly and those tiny drops STING at 60+ mph. Luckily my helmet has a little drop-down visor that covers the upper portion of my face. Stephen had to resort to tying his headscarf around his face like a bandit. Very imposing, haha. We were glad to see the weather clear up later.

I was very angry at myself because I forgot my camera again. Stephen fortunately had brought his hand-held video camera that can take still shots too, so we were good. He got the idea that he should fasten the camera to his handlebars so he could video the trip through the canyon. We stopped at a convenient store and he bought some duct tape. Here is a picture of Stephen's first attempt at engineering genius (taken with my cell phone).



Notice how it's pointed too low. He later revised his design and angled it higher. We realized after filming that it was angled too high to catch the road, but that actually worked out great for Zion as we were surrounded by towering cliffs. Who wants to watch the road when you have the mountains to film? The video below is just the first 10 minutes of the park, but I'm starting it at the 6 minute mark where it gets more interesting. For those who don't like "black metal" music, I recommend muting the volume (no offense, Stephen...). You can see my helmet in some of the shots and the whole bike during the steeper turns. Later Stephen passed in front so he could get an unobstructed view of the canyon. I loved riding through the mile-long tunnel on a motorcycle! *beep beep*



On our way back home, I had to stop in Virgin for the obligatory photo. Who doesn't do this? How can you not? These two older little Japanese men saw us taking this picture and pulled over because they thought it was so funny they had to take one as well. Comedy is universal.



We again stopped in Toquerville like last week and took a picture of the Victorian house our parents built. They built it when I was an early teen, and I lived in it all through high school. Stephen was just a little tyke at the time.



We took a different route home from Toquerville than last week. We took a northern road that passes by Leeds and Harrisburg. I had no idea those tiny towns had been so developed. Still tiny, but surprising. Then we cut past Quail Creek Lake, pictured below with the bikes. Stephen was amazed at how high the water was... higher than he ever remembered it (probably due to all the rains up north and in the mountains recently). I haven't been to the lake much, so I had no reference point. It was a beautiful scene. The water was a gorgeous turquoise blue and the breeze felt delicious.



Finally to end the ride, we rode to the new Brazilian rodizio restaurant on Sunset. Delicious, but so much meat! Oof, I am feeling the effects today. All in all, this was a perfect ride. Nice weather variations, great sites, beatiful lake. I realized first hand that motorcyclists generally take a lot of stops. Your butt just gets too numb to ride as long as you can drive a car uninterrupted. But that's the beauty of riding... the relaxed trip is the goal, not the destination.