Monument Valley

I got up early to get some breakfast and make some time but when I walked out of my room and looked to my left I realized this hotel was on the edge of the canyons and the view was awesome. I banged down a meal and hit the road. I went to monument valley a vast and beautiful place on the border of Arizona and Utah. This is the actual location for many of the old John Wayne westerns.

Dyna at 4 Corners

I motored my way up thru Utah and Colorado in a big crescent shape and ended up in Four Corners (the only place in the country where four states touch) where I took a couple pictures and quickly hit the road for Albuquerque New Mexico. I was having a hell of a time trying to get a signal for my cell phone ever since I left Vegas and I needed to contact the guys I was meeting up with and like now because I had no idea where I was going in Albuquerque. The tollbooth clerk gave me directions to a area I should be able to get a signal.

Dam if he wasn’t right, about 20 miles away I was talking up a storm checking messages and calling home and even received two chance calls from friends but do you think I could hook up with the guys I had to meet. Hell no because they were out riding. I was at this gas station for about 45 minutes gassing up watering down and making phone calls. Just as I was about to hit the trail my phone rings again and it’s Rob from Lighthouse Harley-Davidson. It is Rob and his posse that I am to hook up with and he tells me I am about a hundred miles away. I figure I better crank it up because I am running out of daylight and steam.

As I head down 550 it becomes quite apparent that there is nothing on this road it’s mostly straight and I can see miles ahead of me so I crank it. I am doing somewhere 95 and 100 for 45 minutes straight when all of the sudden there is a sheriff coming the other way and I let off the throttle but he hangs a u and comes after me. I pull over and we go through the formalities. He just wants to know why so fast and I tell him I am trying to beat the sun to this hotel not to sure where it is. I need light yadayada. He runs my info and lets me go with a warning. Now you have to picture this I was running on adrenalin at this point. Between doing that speed for so long and getting pulled over at the end of a long day of heat and riding hard I was glad I was almost to my destination. I mean if I had a hundred mile run and I ran 100mph for 45 minutes I have got to just about be there right? The sheriff says ok now lets get you where your going “go to the second traffic light and make a left” cool I say how far is that he says 81 MILES! So as he pulled away I snapped some shots of the sun setting. I figured I had about a half hour of light left.                                                                                     

Well at least i didn't get a ticket.

So I am doing 80 down a sloping mountain section of 550 and a rabbit comes bolting across the road from right to left.. All I said was no no no no. he made it past the front wheel but not the forward controls and my boot. The impact just pulverized the little guy. I felt and saw the impact as he spattered across my pant leg and boot. I did not stop I just held on tighter and ran into the darkness. It gets really dark in the desert so I trailed an eighteen wheeler (as dangerous as it is) even though he’s only doing 65 the rest of the way until I realized I am about to run out of gas half way through reserves and I finally come across a gas station. The good thing was I got gas and a drink and some jerky. The bad part is now I can really see the giant blood stain on my pants and boot as well as rabbit guts all over the side of Dyna. Pretty nasty and yet somewhat comical as all that kept running through my head was the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Fudd sings in agony “I killed the wabbit killed the wabbit” 

I got behind another eighteen wheeler and made my way to the Hyatt Regency Tamaya resort in Santa Ana Pueblo. This was the wrap up point for Harley-Davidsons corporate convention that started in Denver Colorado. There is a long (about a mile) driveway leading up to this gorgeous hotel and you don’t see the hotel until your like on it and I am thinking this is like a scene out of the movie Casino and I am never going to be heard from again and bam there is this beautiful hotel. Its 10:30pm and I am shot but glad to be greeted by Rob who is video tapping my arrival and I launch right into the rabbit story. We film the bike entrails and all. My road name now is Rabbit or Rabbit Killer. I check into my room and meet the crew in the bar for a bite. There were like 200 dealers from around the country at this place. I ate my sandwich and went to bed. For what its worth, this was my all time biggest mileage day at 572 miles. Zzzzzz   BTW There are more pictures in gallery.