A band of rain across all of British Columbia meant we would see rain today as we started heading north. After a mosquito-free two days, we packed up camp this morning and left Osoyoos on highway 3 through a stretch of country dense with vineyards and orchards. There are a number of fruit stands along the way, mostly selling cherries, but we don’t have room in the panniers to stop and buy. Continuing on, we take highway 5A and then 97C north towards Prince George, BC.
Category: travel
Day of Rest
After six days of riding, setting up camp then taking down the camp, we are taking a day off and staying two nights in Osoyoos, BC. It’s nice to not have to pack up the tent in the morning and to take a break from the routine. The weather isn’t great (overcast and windy) but at least it’s not as cold as where we came from. Thankfully, the campsite has a nice shelter so we are out of the wind.
Weather driven touring
There’s a reason we live in Arizona. We are weather wimps and cannot seem to get away from the cold. We have been doing a good job of avoiding the rain but cold is a whole other matter. Wearing heated gear while riding during the day is no big deal. However, waking up to morning temperatures in the low 40s F is not much fun while tent camping. Makes it reeeeally hard to get out of that sleeping bag in the morning – half the time I only leave my cocoon because Diane’s a slave driver, having me make her tea.
On our way home
After evaluating our options and our desire for extending the trip significantly by heading north again, we decided that we would go back home. So soon you ask?
Heading back east
After picking up the correct part at the dealer around 11:00 and then installing it, we are ready to get out of Las Vegas even if it means going on I15 with wind gusts up to 20mph. Thankfully, the traffic on the interstate is pretty light and we exit in St. George to go on State Route (SR) 9, then 59 towards Kanab, UT. Leaving Nevada, we enter Utah (St. George) only to head into Arizona on SR 59 which eventually turns back north into Utah. Three states in one day 🙂 .
Where to go?
The heat is really getting to us, plus we stink, or at least I do 😉 .
Las Vegas, NV
We initially contemplated staying at a Lake Mead National Park campground just east of the city but ultimately decided against it not just because of the high daytime temperatures but also because of the lack of cooler nights. Las Vegas lies considerably lower than where we were coming from so evening and night time temperatures wouldn’t nearly drop as much as at higher elevation. We didn’t realize just how bad it really was until we walked back from dinner that evening and it was still 102ºF at 19:40! I’m glad we went the hotel route.
Cathedral Gorge State Park, NV
Having ordered the motorcycle part with overnight delivery to the Las Vegas BMW dealership we headed off towards our next destination – Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. After an overnight low of 45F in Panguitch, the early part of the day through the Dixie National Forest and into Cedar City, UT the temperature was very moderate due to the higher elevation ranging in 6400-7700 feet. However, as we left the forest and descended into the lower lying Cedar City it started warming up. As you are riding it’s an interesting experience because you can physically feel the air temperature increase as you ride and descend.
Torrey to Panguitch, UT
We needed good internet access to get caught up on email and our blog. After checking out the available campgrounds we settled on the “Hitch ’n Post” in Panguitch, UT as our destination for the day with plans to head to Cedar Break National Monument the next day. The campground was in the town itself so we could walk to the market and, more important, to the liquor store since we are going through cold beer at a breakout speed – I’m having a hard time keeping up with Diane who seemingly has a hollow leg. 😉
Capitol Reef National Park
No drive-by tourism for us this time around. We took it upon ourselves to spend some time walking the trails of the park. Why hike you ask? For one, Diane has really been hitting the potato chips hard and she needs the exercise desperately (what a mean and terrible thing to say! – especially since it’s not true. It’s the salted almonds that are doing her in.) . Secondly, it seems that not many people actually walk on the trails so there are no crowds like you encounter at all the pull-outs for photo opportunities. (Not that I’m crowd-averse or anything like that). Finally, you see things (like Cohab Canyon) that are not even visible from the road.