Grand Canyon to Tuba City, AZ miles 86.6 miles
The first 26 miles closely bordered the east rim and we stopped multiple times at various vantage points. It is amazing how the canyon takes on a totally different appearance at each viewing area. For those of you that have never been here, you have to make it a high priority to come visit this truly incredible work of nature. The best verbal descriptions and the best photographs cannot fully capture the visual sensation... you just have to physically experience it. Upon leaving the Grand Canyon, we had a very long decent that provided phenomenal views of the area known as the painted desert. With a 100 mile visibility and so much to view, it made it challenging to keep your eye on the road. Unfortunately the beauty ran out at about the time we stopped for lunch. The gentleman that I rode with had 4 flats, so we ended up being the last into Tuba City, AZ, the capital of the Navajo Indians. 87 miles, average speed 17.5.
Tomorrow it is onto Mexican Hat, Utah.
Wednesday, Sept. 24th
Tuba City, AZ to Mexican Hat, UT 118 miles
The first 70 miles were wide open, nondescript landscape. Thank goodness for the ipod to help pass the time and distract my potential boredom. The beauty of the remaining 48 miles made up for it. We entered the area known as Monument Valley. The land would be flat and then randomly scattered would be these amazing rock formations that would be several hundred feet high. You may recall several years ago, one of the auto makers had a TV commercial with a vehicle on top of a large rock and was viewed from an arial view. There was a scene from Forest Gump when he was running across the US that was taken from the road we were on. Today's 118 mile ride was my longest ever, but I was still able to manage 17.2 mph. Tomorrow it is onto Cortez, CO and another 100 miles.