Random Thoughts

The Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah:

#10:  Old Highway 91 from St George to Mesquite Nevada:

This was just outside my back door for 25 years, and I rode it a lot.   I’m not sure I ever got sick of it.    Before they put in the virgin River gorge and completed 1-15 at a million dollars a mile back in 1972, this was how you got to Vegas.   Be sure to ride under the freeway at Littlefield to get the full effect.

Highway 91 — The Freeway, before Interstates were cool.

#9: Highway 191 from Duchesne to Moab:

Leaving Duchesne you’ll ride up to 9,000 feet and down into some pretty historic parts of the Mining towns of Utah.   Some great bars, history and open roads.    Keep going and you’ll end up in Moab and probably find something fun to do.   Everybody loves Moab.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 191 Duchesne to Moab
Duchesne to Moab: Mountain roads, History and the red rocks of Moab. 

 

#8:  Highway 18 from St George to Caliente Nevada

Another road I’ve ridden a lot, but it never got old.   Hay fields and hills that end up in the Canyon Town of Caliente Nevada.   Remember to ride through Modena.   There’s a few cool old surprises there…

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 18
Highway 18 – Bluff Street in St George to Caliente Nevada

 

#7:   Utah Highway 89

I rode highway 89 mostly because I hated riding the Interstate.   Its a great road that’ll take a few hours longer than 1-15, but much more interesting.    You’ll ride through national forests, High mountains and High Desert.    The home of Butch Cassidy, The big Rock Candy mountain and a lot of other cool places.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 89
Get off the interstate.

#6: Highway 189 through Provo Canyon:

I remember getting back from one the Easy Rider tours that went half way across the country and coming home from the Airport.   After all those states and terrain, I still didn’t see anything as beautiful as Provo Canyon.    There’s at least 10 or 11 waterfalls through there if you’re paying attention, including Bridal Veil Falls.    Its a gorgeous ride, and Heber City Has some of the best people you’d ever want to meet.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 189 Provo Canyon
Highway 189 from Provo to Heber.

#5:  Highway 14 – Cedar Mountain through Duck Creek village.  

A great 2 lane ride over Cedar mountain and through the pines.   Missus Zip and I had our Honeymoon in Duck Creek Village.   It’s a great ride.  A nice side road at the top is over to Panguitch Lake, Or Even to the 10,000 foot top to Brian Head.    Hard to beat 🙂

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 14
Over the top of Cedar Mountain is a gorgeous ride.

#4:  Heber to Tabiona to Heber again:

You’ll go past Strawberry Reservoir and into Highway 35 and the mountains of Tabiona.    Stop in Hannah and get a bite to eat, and kick a foot up on your freeway pegs and enjoy the scenery of really small town Utah.    This is a great ride.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Heber to Tabiona to Heber
Heber to Tabiona to Heber Again.  A great ride.  

 

#3:  Highway 9 through Zion National Park:

Zion is one of a kind, and a must see.   It’s a twisty road through some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll find on the planet.   Take 89 south through Kanab and Fredonia on the way home, over the edge of the Kaibab  Plateau and through Colorado City.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Zion National Park

 

#2:   The Alpine Loop.

Head up Provo Canyon and turn off at Sundance Ski Resort.     This road is kinda funky — its a narrow 2 lane (almost 1 lane) that takes you over the top of the mountain.   You’ll have to be careful around the corners because there’s a lot of blind spots, but its drop dead beautiful and right in the middle of dense forest.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - The Alpine Loop
The Alpine Loop. Stop and hike Timpanogos Caves on the other side while you’re at it…

 

#1:   Utah Highway 12.

My favorite road in Utah.    You’ll go through Bryce Canyon, Tropic and Cannonville and Escalante.   The Town of Boulder is beautiful (great fishing there) and over the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.    You’ll end up in Torrey after a great ride with a lot of terrain changes.    The road into boulder valley is awesome.    The whole road is good.  For fun, take the side road into Antimony.

Top 10 Motorcycle Roads in Utah - Highway 12 is the best
The Best Road in the state of Utah.

 

 

 

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Glen Campbell – Gentile on my mind.

Glen Campbell has always been good Road Music.     Rhinestone Cowboy, Galveston, By the time I get to Phoenix….  It’ll hit the spot at certain times on a good road trip.    I’ve always been a fan.

The man had serious talent.   He had a solid career as a session guitarist;  The righteous brothers, Merle Haggard, the Monkees, Roger Miller and the Beach Boys.   Hell, the Beach Boys tried to hire him to Replace Brian Wilson on tour.    He Decided to do his own thing instead, follow his gut and then turn out some of his own hits.    He Had a few.

I  guess he lived in Phoenix for a pretty long stretch — The radio stations on my daily commute have been full of stories about him.   From Alice Cooper to Radio Hosts who worked with him here, and even to his neighbors who knew him.     Turns out, he was as down to earth and friendly as he was represented.    Basically, a helluva good human being.

RIP Glen Campbell.     You sir, were gentle on all of our minds.   Thanks for what you did.

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It’s not so Easy – A film by Peter Fonda and Cliff Vaughs

Check this out.   For you n00bs out there, listen up! 😉

It’s a motorcycle safety film produced by the late Cliff Vaughs in 1974— Cliff was one of the makers of the Easy Rider bikes and built the most famous bike in the world:  Captain America.   He got with Peter Fonda a few years after Easy Rider to make this film.   Its a blast from the past.    Plus its got my Childhood Hero Evel Knevel!   I can’t believe it didn’t win an academy award 🙂

Cliff Vaughs shows up about 7:30 in the film   RIP Cliff!

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It’s not about the nail.

I don’t recall if I’ve posted this before, and I’m too lazy to go back and check to see if I did.   It came up in a conversation today, and it still cracks me up.    If you’re a guy, you’ll understand.

It’s been pretty damn hot lately.    We hit 120 one day, and a couple of days over 117.     Its monsoon season in the Valley, and we’re starting to get some pretty bitchen thunderstorms.   When it rains in the desert, the sky just opens up and DUMPS.   Its bad ass.    Those are even fun to ride in, because they don’t last long.     I freaking love the desert.

The nice thing about living here is although its too hot right now to go explore somewhere, you don’t get that feeling that the clock is ticking on a long ride.   I love that.   Mrs Zip and I are planning on a ride to Nevada for a BACA rally in October, and I’d like to go check out New Mexico before that.    I’m thinking Alamagordo to see some nuclear history, or Roswell for the fuck of it and see some Aliens.    Texas is also an option:  Route 66 in the panhandle, or El Paso to bring back some killer Salsa and eat some Texas BBQ.   There’s the Abandoned set where John Wayne Re-created the Alamo thats only 900 miles away in Bracketville, or go see the stockyards again in Fort Worth and get a killer steak.

I need to stop.  this is giving me the ride hornies.

 

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