Day Eight

Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona 

Day eight started out brisk with temperatures dipping into the lower 40s as I rode the winding roads and summits in the San Juan mountains, through the red cliff canyons past Telluride into the farming and ranch meadows, through Cortez on my way to Four Corners Monument. 

The numbness of my fingers from the Colorado mountains quickly faded as the temperatures elevated well into the upper 90s as I made my way into Utah and Monument Valley for the famous road to eternity photo.

No deer or elk sightings today however, I did see several wild mustang horses and a few wild burros.  I was also briefly blockaded by suspected BLM protesters (Bovine Lives Matter)--- a herd of cows in the open range.

It took eight days, but Covid-19 shut me down with two of my planned stops closed off.  Four Corners Monument was closed and the highway 64 route into the Grand Canyon National Park was also gated. Guess you will have to wait for a future adventure to see a photo of me standing in four states at one time, as well as photos to see if the Grand Canyon has changed since my last visit five years ago (something tells me probably not).  Just to cover my bases with Wally Fisher, I did take pictures to prove I was indeed at those spots.

With mileage today at 3,680, thanks to backtracking for gas, (new rule: don’t assume your Garmin is correct), I am well on track to surpass my 5,000 mile target.

Tomorrow's ride will include scenic mountain roads in Arizona and lunch with CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) friends in Phoenix before making my way to Albuquerque. Needless to say, I won’t have to worry about cold fingers on the rest of this trip!