A (Much-Needed) Day Off!!!

Day 9 was a day off - from riding - and we had an event that afternoon at The Sandbar Desert Ridge in North Phoenix.  It was basically a meet-and-greet during the restaurant's happy hour.  They set aside 2 cabanas for us and throughout the afternoon people dropped by to say hi.  Our ACT bandanas were extremely popular and by the time we left all the wait staff were wearing them as well as several of the guests throughout the restaurant.  Phoenix continued to be very hot (at least for those of us from Vancouver) and it was great to meet so many people who have been supporting us for months.


Sunday morning, June 19 - Day 10.  Father's Day.  We left Phoenix bright and early (8:30am) for Albuquerque, NM.  Our hope was to arrive there around 5pm.  We were joined for the day's ride by Jerry - a welcome addition to our group.  Not only did we have the heat to contend with, but also 40-60 mph winds along the interstate.  Just outside of the NM/AZ border we had our first mechanical breakdown when Glenn's battery stopped charging.  (This is also where Buzz joined our trip) After some repair attempts, 4 of the riders went on to Gallup, NM to try and find a new battery, hoping that would solve the problem.  Our small support vehicle (rented because the rig and trailer were in the shop in Phoenix for a few days) stayed with Glenn to give him some shelter from the elements and some company.  Del and Jason brought the battery back the 35-some miles and hooked it up.  It worked for a while and then just outside of Gallup it was clear that Glenn wasn't going to make it to Albuquerque that night.  He found a place to stay and rode in with a towing company the next morning, directly to the Harley dealership to get the problem fixed - hopefully quickly!  The rest of us finally arrived at the hotel just before 11pm. 

Day 11 arrived way too quickly with a 7:30am departure for Moab, Utah.  Our route was going to take us through the south eastern corner of Colorado so we planned a stop at Mesa Verde National Park to see the cliff dwellings.  At a gas stop in Durango, we found a great natural food store for a quick rest and caffeine hit.

It was 25 miles into the park and at the top of this mountain.

We stopped part way up to take in the view and then finally made it to the cliff dwellings.  Such an amazing thing to see, even without enough time to do the full tour.

Day 12 was to Salt Lake City and the plan for the day was to visit Arches National Park, just outside of Moab.  We could have spent days in there with something incredible to see around every corner.  Just stunning.

We got to Salt Lake City at about 5pm and while some of us opted to stay in and have a quieter evening, Lori, Dr T and Glenn went out in search of wine (in Utah?) and found Bountiful, UT.  Not sure it was the best trade-off.

Another early start on Day 13 - our final destination being Jackson Hole, WY.  But first we had a planned visit to the Pocatello Women's Correctional Facility.  We arrived in Pocatello with enough time to enjoy a picnic and rest on the grounds of Idaho State University before making our way to the prison where we spoke with several of the ladies. 

We arrived at the beautiful Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with enough daylight left to admire the Grand Tetons from our rooms.  After our regular evening debrief we went to dinner at The Granary where we enjoyed a drink and some appetizers with the GM Derek and ended up spending several fun hours with our friends The Chuckleheads and their girls - who are quite taken with their new 'Uncle Del' and 'Uncle Jason'

Day 14 started early in Jackson Hole with Lori and Dr T heading to the radio stations (3 in one building) for interviews and the rest of the team going to a meet and greet at Chester's Harley Davidson.  Jason had his manicure touched up, the girls got decked out in Harley t-shirts (thanks to their new 'uncles') and we chatted with people as they dropped by throughout the morning.

Then it was off to Yellowstone Park.  The ride through the park took us to Old Faithful (though we couldn't wait the 90 minutes for it to erupt) and past tons of wildlife.  We said goodbye to Wendy and Glenn midway through the park as they continued north to begin making their way home after two weeks with us. Our route took us to Billings Montana over the Beartooth Highway - spectacular views, tons of snow and when you reach the top you are looking down on all the other mountains around - truly feeling like you are on top of the world.

Day 15 had us leaving early once again.  We had two planned stops along the route to Rapid City, South Dakota and had to drop bikes off for servicing by 5:30pm.  So 7:15am we were on the road, heading for Little Bighorn National Monument.  We spent about an hour there, listening to the ranger's account of the days leading up to the battle and the battle itself.  From there we made our way east to Devil's Tower before the final approach into Rapid City.  About 15 miles out, we got caught by a hailstorm, and not 45 minutes after all arriving at the hotel, the thunderstorms and torrential downpour started.  So glad not to be out in that weather!

And finally, today, a day of true rest.  Late breakfast, laundry, a wander through downtown Rapid City (all 2 blocks of it!) and a chance to catch up on sleep.