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2 weeks
4766 km / 2979 miles
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Early June 2014 Jayne
and I rode east from Portland, Oregon and the
south/east. We decided to do the first 800 miles to
Salt Lake City, Utah by interstate, just to cover some
ground. Our first goal was Cleveland-Lloyd
Dinosaur Quary, from there we continued on to
Moab, Utah,
where we visited Arches
National Park, Canyonlands
National
Park, and also did some off-road
trips. After Jayne had a little mishap and we
stayed three days longer in Moab we rode on to Goblin Valley State park,
Capitol Reef National
Park, and Bryce
Canyon
National Park. Then we rode once
again through empty Nevada
and camped in the middle of nowhere and watched the
amazingly bright stars. On we continued to Sheldon
National Wildlife Refuge and from there rode
the Oregon Outback
Scenic Byway towards home.
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The best time for such a trip is
spring and fall, since in summer it is too hot,
especially in Utah and Nevada. But in spring some passes
can still be closed due to snow, best look up you route
right before you go.
The road conditions are generally good, but
on this trip we did some dirt and gravel roads too,
which were all in at least decent conditions. Some
sections can have sand from floods in spring. Also be
aware of possible flash floods.
In terms of safety wild animals are probably
be greatest thread. Not only bears can be dangerous,
but mountain lions and even racoons can be
dangerous. We always left our food in locked aluminum
panniers when camping rough.
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| Cleveland-Lloyd
Dinosaur Quary is a bit off the
beaten track, at the end of about 7 miles of
gravel. It is certainly not overrun, we were
visitors number 7 and 8 that day and got a
private tour by the ranger. The exhibits are
absolutely impressive and the scenery is quite
nice too. |
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| Once you get past Salt Lake City Utah is a
beatiful state, even on rather big highways. |
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| Our campsite in Moab,
Utah at Moab Valley RV Resort and
Campground. Beatiful view and good location. We
were lucky to get a spot as they fill up often,
book in advance. |
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| We spent a full day at Arches
National Park but one can easily spent
two or even three days there, depending on how
much hiking you want to do. Get there early in
the morning before the heat kicks in and carry
plenty of water. |
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| Arches is really nice, but it
often requires at least a little hiking to get
to the arches. While we are normally both ATGATT
because of the heat and required hiking we opted
for hiking pants. Parking bikes is not a
problem, but car parking can get rare. |
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