Earache

We dump our stuff in the room and then...well, you know...

The Ouray Hotel isn't fancy but it is clean and comfy. It's also historic. Rooms are kinda small though... Always good to see our bud Dale, who owns the place.

We get to my bud's hotel there and find that he's gone. But he left a note for me to get a key from the shop next door ...

We're railing to Ouray to get into the hotel and outta the rains...

We're now into Colorado and the rain lets up a bit...

We're now on Casper's favorite road in all of Utah. Curvy as Hell, no guard rails and lots of elevation, sheer drops, etc. Only this time it's in the rain and fog. Mark wasn't diggin' it much either Ben, so don't feel bad...

Enough messing around at the Arch, let's roll...

We did manage to hit the Wilson Arch on the way outta town as it's located next to the highway. I told Mark that there was free beer at the top...

Time came for us to head east and we had to leave our jail cell hotel room of the past two days. Worst trip to Moab ever. Gas up and hit the road...

Coming out of the Diner, all Hell broke loose with torrential rains pounding down... I'm not opposed to riding in heavy rains at all. But Moab has no soil, only rock. So all of the rain flows off of the hills and down into town. Not the best riding conditions. So we ended up sitting in a hotel room for the next day and a half as the area got more rain in 2 days than they did in the entire previous year. No Arches. No Canyonlands, No nuthin'.

Had brekkie at one of my favorite places; The Moab Diner... Mark, while not trying to poke his eye out with a fork, had the tarditional eggs and bacon... While I went for the green chile breakfast burrito.... Might be paying for that decision later.

We got up the next day with every intention of going to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Saw lots of dirt bikes riding through town as we went to breakfast...

As is our usual modus operandi, we stow the gear and head for the local watering hole. Mark was formally introduce to tequila at this stop by Debbie, our bartender at the SlickRock Cafe (http://www.slickrockcafe.com/ )...... .. 5 shots later and the guy knows no strangers...

We pull into Moab, Utah just as the monsoons are to begin. Nothing but first class lodging for us!

Hate to run off of the road and bail into a bunch of these suckas....

Anasazi Indian kiva ruins - out in the middle of nowhere.... Sites like this are all over the desert. Many are in very out of the way locations and are hard to find unless you know where they are.

Had to hurry and take this shot because a car might come by sometime within the next month or so....

Great scenery everywhere you look... Rock feature known as Jacob's Chair....

And getting some really artsy fartsy pics...

We're taking time to stop and smell the flowers.... and almost getting stung by the west's biggest wasp....

I love riding these roads more than any other in the USA. Some are kinda straight but they're never boring....

Even though we're in the desert, we've been in and out of rain all trip long...

"Okay Mark, back a bit and a couple of steps to your left..."

We railed around the Hite, Utah area - amazed by how little, if any, water was in Lake Powell at this point...

Time for a short break from posting. I'll be back in a bit to finish the report.