Our seventh day of “Crazy-Awesome Adventure II” began privately before dawn out back and up a hill behind our hotel. I could see red rocks (all over Moab and area) glow as …

…the sun rose (and rose quickly). Glad I caught it on camera because I was deep in meditation. I miss Chuck so… his spirit is deep within me always.

Today was a riding day to get to a small town in the middle of nowhere, Utah.

As we were riding out of Moab, we stopped briefly at the entry to Canyonlands National Park, but having been there four years ago, we chose not to repeat.

Unfortunately, part of our ride today included 28 miles on Interstate 70 with speed limit of 80mph. Both Steve and I hate riding that fast, so we kept it to a comfortable 65 and let cars, trucks, and other motorcycles zing past us.

We reached the exit for UT-24 West, and rode 44 miles to “middle of nowhere.” Photos of the open road we enjoyed are here:

This “middle of nowhere” (Hanksville, Utah) is near the beginning of the highly rated “best” motorcycle riding road in all of Utah, and top 10 in the country: All American Road aka Utah Scenic Byway 12.

This road travels 123 miles through part of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and ends at Bryce Canyon.

It has 793 curves and reaches elevations exceeding 9000ft. By far, this is the “mother road” of motorcycling.

Four years ago, Steve and I rode UT-12 in one … long … day … some 340 miles from our start in Monticello, Utah. That ride was filled with monsoon rain and lots of fear. Imagine riding on two-lane curvy roads without guard rails in the rain! By the time we reached our hotel in Panguich, we both were exhausted.

This time … weather looks great; no rain in the forecast. Also, I divided our ride over two days, stopping about in the middle. I will report more on this ride for Days 8 and 9. Check back!

Life is short: enjoy the journey on two wheels and KEEP DRY!