USA Coast to Coast 2015

[Sgt Bilco]

This is possibly one of my favourite places to ride anywhere in the US and I've ridden most of it. It's Highway 95 which runs past Fry Canyon and I love it because it's big, empty and the views and colours change around every corner. Bloody hot though but these scenery changes take your mind of the heat. Just makes you realise how small we are in the great scheme of things.

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[Sgt Bilco]

Thanks for this.
Very interesting. I am heading out there in May, doing the TAT, but I'd be very interested in one of your Tarmac trips next year.

Steve, if you need any help or advice with the TAT, give me a shout as I've ridden it a couple of times. It's epic.......

[sven]

After a cracking breakfast and the visit to Harry's place, we took a run up the Grand Mesa. This is a high butte and a great ride up and down. It would be a brilliant place to spend a few days hiking but the views up there were spectacular. there are a lot of old indian ruins up there which would be brilliant to hike into but still facscinating to see from a distance nonetheless.

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Mesa Verde is a fascinating place to visit. We enjoyed it so much in 2012, we returned in 2014 to explore the other ruins B)

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[Sgt Bilco]

Easy to see why I love this road as we head west through Capitol Reef Park and then south on Hwy 12 towards Bryce. The scenery changes with every glance. Hwy12 (it's called The Devils Backbone here) winds it's way across the top of a range and you just get lovely views everywhere and it even gets green in high passes at around 9000ft. Because it was so hot, the overbanding was a little unnerving but no problem if you took it easy and why wouldn't you in this environment?

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[Sgt Bilco]

Bryce Canyon. Sometimes, and it's not very often, words fail me lest to say that in my opinion, Bryce is the most beautiful canyon in the US. The colours are astounding and my pictures will never do it justice that's for sure!

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[Sgt Bilco]

After a good breakfast at this nice little diner we run down through Utah to the northern rim of the Grand canyon.

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A lot quieter than the southern rim and free from the hoards of XXL Americans in buses and RV's. The views are spectacular and different from the southern rim but you still get that feeling that it's not real. It's more like a painting as your brain doesn't really take in the scale.

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And finally one for the girls............... B)

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[Sgt Bilco]

Zion is another beautiful national park and one of the great things about it is you are very close to the rock formations. The road is red as well which really blends in with the environment. As with a few of the parks, it would be great to spend some time hiking but time doesn't allow it for us so it's just a cruise through this glorious landscape. If you ever have the chance to go there, it's worth taking a day to jump on the park buses to take you to the great hiking areas to really see the majesty of Zion.

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[Sgt Bilco]

After Zion, we head down past Lake Mead towards Hoover Dam. Spotted this cracking Ford F150 Raptor and would love one of these beauties.

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This was one of the hottest rides I've ever had and although my temp said 45c, it got a wee bit hotter and I saw 48.5c on the guage as we road along this lonely road. It's also a national park and they charged us $10 for the privilege of riding in a fan oven and one or two people really started to suffer. Luckily we managed to cool off at Hoover Dam which was a cool 42c!!

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Couldn't really enjoy a good walk across the Dam as it was so hot but still worth a visit.

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[Sgt Bilco]

After Hoover Dam it was time for the superb and weird Death Valley. We left very early and there had been a wee bit of rain and it was drizzling when we left. It's not rain like we know it and more like a warm shower but was gone very quickly.

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We went through the very quiet Las Vegas at 06.00hrs where people were probably just getting in. I often get asked why I don't stay in places like LV but it's really not worth it for one night. The hassle of getting in and out of a big city isn't really what my trips are about.

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We stopped for breakfast in a fine little cafe in a small town called Shoshone on the outskirts of the Valley. I think it gave them quite a shock when about a dozen big bikes suddenly rolled into the car park at 08.00am.

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A stop at the sign before the descent into the oven.

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[Tonibe63]

We did fly/drive in October last year and I agree both Bryce and Zion are just amazing places that really do take your breath away.
We took the bus through Zion and walked the narrows river/gorge but turned back when we heard thunder from up the valley. Within 4 hours flash flooding had claimed 6 lives in that gorge and a further 11 up the Valleys North of Bryce.