Just arrived In Moab, Utah but, woke up this morning in Cortez, Colorado. Truly the most beautiful drive ever is that million dollar highway earlier today.
My first thoughts after having to stop for pictures was FALL has arrived.
We started out as five riders but, on account of a welding job Gregg said adios to us this morning and headed back to Prescott.
Recently, say within the past few weeks I’ve ridden the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and down the California Redwoods Highway coast, and through five western states.
Honestly, that drive at this time of year is by far the most magnificent I’ve seen yet. Nothing tops it. The ocean does not come close. Riding and inhaling that mountain fresh air makes the entire journey worthwhile. Cooler temperatures too.
Somewhere in Silverton, Colorado I lost my group. And then ai headed to Ouray for a hot Springs soak. Then some more great motorcycle road all the way to Moab. Today I rode for six hours. Yesterday for eight hours. The day before I don’t recollect but, the first day I rode for five hours. I’d say I’ve put this new motorcycle thru it’s paces. My odometer is now at 1250 miles.
MOAB – The city was originally founded in mid-1855 as a Mormon mission, but it was abandoned later that year after a conflict with local Natives peoples.
Interest in the region was rekindled in the mid-1870s, and a settlement became established there by the early 1880s. (Could it be that the reservations and Indian pandemic in the way of smallpox and other European diseases kicked in?
Both the original mission and the surrounding area bore several names, including Spanish Valley, Grand Valley, and Poverty Flats, before the 1880s, when the city was named Moab—the general understanding being that it was named for the biblical “land beyond the Jordan,” although another possibility is that the name came from a Paiute word meaning “mosquito water.” Moab emerged in the early 1900s as a centre of stone-fruit cultivation.
In the early 1950s a uranium-mining boom transformed the quiet town into a bustling industrial centre. The uranium boom and subsequent production of locally discovered oil and potash faded in the 1960s, after which Moab successfully transformed itself into a tourist centre (can you say JEEP) for the scenic region surrounding the city.
Notable attractions include the adjacent Arches National Park(north), Dead Horse Point State Park and beyond that Canyonlands National Park(southwest), and a unit of Manti-La Sal National Forest (southeast).
Moab has also become a popular destination for recreational and competitive mountain bikers eager to experience the Slickrock Bike Trail.
In addition, the city is the southwestern terminus for the 142-mile (229-km) Kokopelli Trail, a rugged mountain-bike route that roughly follows the Colorado River northeastward into western Colorado.
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