Day Two of the CCC trip

Dano says:
The agenda for today, Check out Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire and then up I-15 to Cedar City where we would run Utah 14 east to 89 north and pick up the 12 to Escalante where we had cabins reserved. Sounds easy huh? Think again.

We all woke up at different times, but still early. The call was made to get J-Pip to the Venetian to roll with us to Hoover Dam. J-Pip came in a car, so he would lead the way with the GPS. I'm not admitting to have done any illegal behaviors, but the RC51 developed a sticky throttle,(maybe it was a pothole, as Hockey's bike did the same thing) in a few places. The Vegas Strip was one of them, that damn bike is gunna get me a ticket for doing a wheelie. And don't listen to J-Pip, he has no photographic evidence that Hockey and I were wheeling down the strip as he followed us, didn't happen.

Did I mention that it was getting hot? It was. We had a hot and uneventful ride to the Dam, we rode over the Dam and parked. Some of us stayed under a parking awning while few of us walked back over the Dam and took pictures.



Ok its hot, dang that water looks refreshing, I wonder if they would mind if I took a dip? We saddled up, hit a gas station, said our goodbye's to NotNotRazorback as he was splitting off to head back home via the long way. Thanks Brian for the tire repair kit, and it was a pleasure meeting you, I hope to ride with you again. Time to make some miles happen, but in this heat...it was going to be a chore. This is when things that can go wrong, do. I asked all the guys to have a CamelPack with them on this trip because of the intense heat in the areas that we were riding through. I am concerned for everyone's safety first, comfort was second. A little ways into the park, Chewie motions me to pull over, I do and all of the others too. Chewie needed a drink as he and Bucket didn't have a CamelPack. I had just iced mine down and filled it with water. I took a few sips and insisted that he wear the pack. I showed him how to use it and off we went thinking things would be ok for a while. My pack hold 100 ounces, Chewie a few miles up the road motions me over again. No worries, he says that he isn't getting any water, I figure there might be a issue with the bite valve on the pack. I asked if he was blowing back into the hose when he was done drinking to re-inflate the bag. "Yes", he says. Ok, I take the pack off of him and unzip the CamelPack to investigate. Chewie had to be super thirsty as he drank almost 100 oz in a short while and managed to suck a vacuum so tight on the bag, that it shrink wrapped the ice cubes in the bag. That man was thirsty and going on the verge of dehydration. I was very concerned as I knew we had a ways to go before relief from the heat. I asked J-Pip if he would wear Chewie's jacket and helmet and ride his SuperHawk while Chewie followed in his car. Did I mention that it was 118 in the shade? There was no shade to be seen.


Joel agrees(thanks a million Joel for being there, that could have turned out bad)and we take a few pictures as Leggy drinks from my Camelpack after I added more water to it that Joel had. We sat Chewie(he looks like a typical cager huh?) into the car to cool down in the AC. I almost thought the heat had gotten him as tried to get in the passenger side of the car to drive it. I then realized that you can take the Aussie out of Oz, but you can't take the Oz out of the Aussie. Wrong side of the car Chewie, haha. Crisis diverted we move on. In Logandale we pull over to rest and fill up. We all park the bikes in the small sliver of shade near the front of the store, half an hour later the local PoPo shows up and asks us to move the bikes that are half in half out of the "busy" handicap parking spot. Sure thing, we don't want any troubles, right Hockey? We all down a few Gatorades and waters, have a small snack and decide that we better move on as we were behind on time. As soon as we hit I-15 north, things got better as elevation climbed, temperatures dropped. I know my spirits looked up and the scenery past Littlefield gets pretty once in The Narrows. I love the sheer cliff bluffs that tower overhead, the occasional sighting of a few black colored Bighorn sheep and other sights that signaled that we were exiting the arid desert to the higher mountain areas. J-Pip broke from the group at St. George because he has family there and that's where he was spending the night. It was great seeing ya Pip and major kudos for helping ride Chewie's bike, see ya soon I hope. I only have one way to say this, we stopped to piss on Leeds. Leeds, Utah that is, not our short friend. Fast forward to the Cedar City highway 14 east exit. I pull the group over to gas up, grab another snack and water too. Hockey spotted a Wal-Mart at the exit, he gassed up, and yelled to me that he would be right back. Off he went with a howling Zard. twenty minutes later he returned with two camelpacks, one for each of our Austrian friends. All I can say is that Hockey has a soft streak in him, as I would say many times on this trip, thanks Hockey.

I felt that we entered a new phase of the trip as I hoped that everyone was about to enjoy the 12 and 14 like I have before. We rest in the cool shade and I buy Chewie and Bucket an ice cream treat each to cool them down more. I gave Chewie a Mrs Fields ice cream cookie sandwich. Lets just say that Leggy became an instant fan of ice cream cookie sandwiches, he destroyed hundreds(ok, maybe a few dozen) of them on this trip. The man likes his ice cream cookie sandwiches. Not something I expected to see, a towering motorcycle man clad in black leather head to toe, eating ice cream sandwiches every time he had the chance. I created a monster haha.

Refreshed, we tore out through town and proceeded up the beautiful Hwy 14. Because we were behind on time and the chance of sprinkles, I pressed on without photo stops. We rolled through to the 89 north where we picked up Hwy 12 east. I was sad that we wouldn't get to see the 12 during daylight as the sun was setting. I had another thought, critters on the road. My concerns became valid when I saw eyes in the bushes and movement going from the field to the road. I grabbed a handful of front brakes and slowed WAY down. Sure enough 5 deer ran from my left out of the bushes in the ditch to the field on the right. With that disaster avoided, I focused my attention to Chewie on the SuperHawk that was sounding off the Staintune pipes grabbing lower gears behind me. I cringed as I heard him banging down through the gears, luckily he avoided me and came to a stop next to me. Ok, time to cool the engines as I was going fast to make up time to get to the cabins.
Another half hour and we arrived in Escalante. Uncle Dude(Bill) and his pal Steve were there waiting with beers in hand. SAWEEET! We slap hands all round and decide that dinner is in order, off we go. Uncle Dude and Steve stayed as they had eaten before we arrived. Other fellas of the CCC can tell about the dining experience in Escalante. I share another "Hockey moment" and divide a peach cobbler with him, good pizza, John loves quesadillas. Fun times. With a full belly we rolled out of the diner and back to the cabins to b.s. the dynamo duo of Uncle Dude and Steve. I honestly don't recall to much that evening as I was tired again, I had a beer with the fellas and sacked out after a nice hot shower. I slept good in the top of that bunk bed.

David says:
I got up early and went for a walk along the strip. I must say I like it better without all the crowds. Everybody else was up when I got back so we called J-Pip to meet us out front so He could see the Hoover dam with us. Dan may not want to admit it but I will, we rode a wheelie down the strip in Vegas. Check that box, I've done that S@#t. We head down to see the hover dam and I am amazed at how big it is. The water level was low but clear and beautiful. At the next stop it was time to say bye to NotNot. Brian it was a pleasure riding with you and next time I'm on the west coast I'll set a few days aside to tour San Francisco with you. On to the Valley Of Fire. Man they weren't kidding when they named that place. J-pip, like Dan said, thanks for being there. We got in some more dirt road action while there and some fantastic scenery. The heat was so bad I ended up closing all the vents in my helmet and jacket and felt better after doing it. Soon after leaving the park we get gas and get to talk to the local law man. Again. At least I didn't get a ticket this time. We saddle up and start trying to make better time. Up to this point I wouldn't have changed a thing but the biggest disappointment of the entire trip came next. That would be Bryce Canyon. Was it beautiful? Stunning. How about the roads? Twisty and smooth. The weather? Clear and cool. So why the disappointment? As the sun was setting behind us the red canyon walls were lit up with the dark shadows in contrast making them look like they were on fire. Pics or STFU you say, sorry no time to stop for photos. I understand why we couldn't stop but damn it still sucks. We didn't roll into Escalante until ten after a few close calls with some wildlife. The good news is there was beer waiting, cold beer. Thanks Steve and Dude. Off to find some grub. The Aussies accent wasn't hard to pick up on but I guess a few had a hard time with it at first. The waitress we had that night was one of them. Me being always helpful I tried to translate whenever I could.

Waitress " How's your food?"
Bucket "Bo-ful"
Waitress "????"
Me "He said your hair looks nice"
Waitress "Oh that's so sweet."

Bucket liked that so much he said we could be roomies. I don't know when he talked to my wife but she must've told him to tease me about snoring (even though I don't) because he started as soon as we woke up the next morning. Day 14, 5125 miles so far.


Bucket says: Well your probably guessing it was hot by now. As great as it was to see Vegas I was glad we were leaving, I'm not a big fan of the big cities and crowds, I appreciate that Dano wanted to incorporate it into the trip so we could experience it, cheers. Well to my surprise as we were leaving somehow Dano and Hockey's front wheels left the ground down the strip. Think it was a sticky throttle or summin, awesome sight though. Onto Hoover Dam, man that is one big pond of water. By this time the heat was starting to set in. Glad I was wearing textile gear, not ,so I decided to try and cool down in the shade and remove my boots and socks ,soggy, ooh yeah! Next stop and we said our goodbyes to Not Not, great meeting and riding with you, I think Brian started calling me Butter, he said as he was following me my riding style was as smooth as butter, hence the nickname Butter. As hot as it was in the Valley of Fire I was absolutely amazed at the scenery, absolutely awesome. It was a big plus having J-Pip there for when Chewie got heat exhaustion. Coming from winter over in Australia into that heat got the better of the big fella. Guess Pip got to go for a ride though. Next stop where the police told us to move our motorcycles I had to remove my boots and socks again, they were drenched, nice aroma as well. Through some more canyons, absolutely breathtaking. Hockey kitted us Aussies up with some Camelpacks, you sir are a champion. I remember seeing the town of Leeds and pissing myself laughing for some reason. I remember sh#**ing myself as I see the deer running across the road and brake lights a glowing, very lucky. Onto Escalante where the Dude and his mate Steve were waiting, once again it seemed like meeting old friends you hadn't seen for a while, made us feel right at home. Went down to get a feed, all I can say is I'm glad I had my translator there, thanks Hockey. I sure was diggin the waitress(leg hump smiley). Back to the cabins(they were awesome)for a few more beers and bulls#*t. I thought the world was ending that night but after a while realised it was Hockey snoring.

miles traveled today=360

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