The wind was howling when I woke up. It was 7AM and I did not want to get up. I wanted to sleep. The thought of riding damn near 500 miles today sounded impossible. Finally sliding myself out of my sleeping bag, I packed up my gear and loaded up my bike. Not knowing if I had to check out at the office, I left and sputtered down the road to the gas station. Filling up my bike and grabbing another cliff bar and Gatorade for breakfast, I was on my way south.

Clouds had rolled in and it was not warming up. My phone said it was 42 degrees. I couldn’t stand it anymore so i pilled over and put on my warm winter gloves. My fingers were stiff and frozen. As soon as the road started heading for Salt Lake City, I started seeing signs that made me worry. ‘CAUTION- STRONG WIND GUSTS NEXT 45 MILES‘. Today was going to be tough.

Little did i know it would be tougher. I figured i would be getting a strong wind coming at me from the south. No. I had 40mph winds coming at me from the west. I piloted the bike down a straight stretch of road at a 45 degree angle. It was pushing me across two lanes of traffic. Fearing for my fucking life at this point, I pulled into a rest area. The wind was howling and the temperature seemed to have dropped even more. I regained my composure as my heart was beating so fast and my legs felt like jello. I got back on the bike and went out to tackle the road and wind.

The wind whistled by, pushing me and my bike all over the road. Luckily there were very few cars and trucks out on the road, but cars were still going by, and semi trucks were still blowing by me pushing me all over as they plowed through the wind. I had to slow down to 45mph just to avoid being blown into an overtaking semi.

Stopping in Tremerton, Utah, i had entered the hills and the wind had died down. I stopped for gas before entering the bustling metro area around Salt Lake City. Checking my phone for the weather, I saw something worse than wind. Rain. Doing my best amateur meteorology, I figured if i slowed a bit, i would just barely nick the storm and escape barely touched. So I filled up one more time and headed out down through Brigham City and south towards Salt Lake City.

Dark rain clouds loomed in the distance and water drops started to hit my visor. Luckily that morning it was so cold i had put Nike track pants on underneath to keep me warm. By the time i reached the outskirts of the city, it was pouring. I was soaked to my underwear and could feel cold rain running up my leg. I couldn’t take it anymore. Pulling off at the next exit, I found myself in a Cabela’s parking lot. Soaked, cold, and sitting under an awning, i searched for a Starbucks on my phone. I quickly found one because those things are everywhere. I grab myself a big hot chocolate to warm myself up, all while studying the weather on my phone. After 45 minutes, I assume its safe and I head back out. I get through the city and start to relax, and rain starts falling again. Before it got worse I pulled into another Starbucks, got another hot chocolate, and warmed up. Before i could analyze the weather again, the sun came out. This excited me. I hurriedly gathered my jackets and helmet and went out to my bike. My phone was about to die. It needed charging.

Months before i set off, I added a couple modifications, with lots of help from my friends who i worked with at a Toyota dealer. They helped me add some retro fitted ammo boxes as saddle boxes on each side. In one of the boxes I wired up a cigarette lighter so I could charge my phone. With the wild morning I had, i somehow blew the fuse to this charger. I had no way to charge my phone. But luckily I had brought spare fuses. I brought a whole assortment of tools and parts I may need, other than a spare bike. After digging through my bag for a spare fuse i finally got one installed. I was sweating under all the layers, but I chose to keep them on because it would get cold while i was riding. I plugged in my phone, put in my Bluetooth head phones and set off once more, this time, in sunshine.

Navigating my way through the freeways was stressful. Google maps was barking turns in my ears, and i was weaving my way through the cars and the lanes. Finally, I reached my turn off. I would be going through Price Canyon on my way to Moab. In order to do this i would have to go over a mountain pass. Now, going through Salt Lake, the mountains tower over the city. I could see snow capped mountain tops, and this worried me. It was also stunning to look at. I know it snows in Utah. And its October. It is sure as hell not warm. And immediately my fears are answered as I enter the road over the mountain. ‘Road Closed at Soldier Summit’. My mind raced. Do I turn back and head around the mountains? Do i keep going and possibly waste time or maybe even get to a place where i cant go or even get back from? They’re are cars in front of me and behind me heading the same way. Maybe the sign was wrong. I have no clue. The sun is shining and I see no snow. Fuck it. I am just going to go for it.If i see snow falling I will immediately turn around and find a place to stay in Salt Lake City.

I start climbing the hills, and the road gets twisty. I start having a blast. Piloting the bike through the hills and around the sweeping bends, Im ecstatic. I reach Soldiers Summit and nothing. No gate across the road and not even any snow. I pass a car that seems to have spun out and into the side of the hill. The roads aren’t wet and its not cold enough to freeze. But it puts that thought in the back of my head, and the rest of the way down the pass I take it easy.

The miles add on, what seems like very slowly. The scenery starts to change. And its almost like it re-energizes me. Its beautiful. I start descending into a canyon. The cliff sides are stunning shades of red and brown. The green trees pop against the canyon walls. The road is cut into the rock. It winds down through the canyon. It just gets more beautiful and more importantly, warmer.

This is probably my favorite part of the country. Southern Utah. The amazing rock formations and canyons are gorgeous. The colors seem to pop like looking through polarized lenses. Price Canyon slowly gets smaller and smaller and I find myself back into flat open land. I fill up in Price, Utah. Now that the landscape has flattened out, he road has gotten straighter and i can speed up my progress. I had barely been able to hit 60mph through the hills. With all the gear, my handling is incredibly compromised. Plus its a 30+ year old bike. I soar down the road soaking in the vast and beautiful scenery. The sun has started to set. Its about 4 in the afternoon. The time crunch sets in.

My bike is headed south down the road. I have mountains off to my left, and a vast flat land to my right, with the sun slowly closing in on it. The stress has faded off. I no longer feel the pressure to get there quickly. I start enjoying myself. I stop and take many pictures. The road seems to go on and on and on before i finally reach my final fuel stop for the day and the turn off to Moab. The sun starts to set below the horizon and it gets dark quickly as ascend down into the canyon where the town sits between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

The town is abuzz with activity. Downtown is packed and i start to worry. Will I be able to find a place. Boy, was I lucky. I got the last tent spot at the KOA at the edge of town. I set up my tent in the dark. The ground was rock hard. Banging my tent pegs in with a rock i found nearby, I was finally able to get some rest.  Not before accidentally tasering myself with the flashlight/taser my grandma had given me before I left Boise.

The ground is rock hard. I eat a dinner of Oreo’s and a Pepsi. Oreo’s are vegan so i feel less bad about it now. I finally snuggle myself into my sleeping bag and fall asleep quickly without any thoughts of my trip. It had been such a long day. I had traversed dangerous winds and pouring rain, jetted over mountains and through canyons and now I find myself in one of my favorite places I have ever been.