After a bit of an overdose of fake entertainment in Las Vegas, we were ready for some real nature out west. After a pretty boring first few hours getting away through the desert, we were rewarded what proved to be a real gem in spite of being kind of overshadowed by its uber-famous comrades: Zion National Park.
Zion, or the ride of a lifetime.
While I can’t attest to the hiking quality of that park, riding the bikes through was a dream. Perfect curves in between reddish astounding rock formations – this went right up there to the list of most memorable rides of our lives.
After a short night in a self-declared cowboy bunkhouse, we left around 3.30am the next morning to tick off an item that’s been sitting on my bucket list for ages: See the sunrise at Grand Canyon. A huge shoutout to Judith and Manuel at this point: They joined me, in spite of the temperature being (what felt like) close to freezing point.
It was cold. Very, very much so. And very dark, too. But oh boy, was it worth it:
Grand indeed!
I was in awe. Just awe. If the sight of that does not make you believe there’s a God out there, I don’t know what will.
After a short nap, we took on the rather long ride for the day to our next lodge, close to Bryce Canyon. Remember I said that the difference in temperature in California beat everything we’d ever felt before? Well – this was worse. From literally freezing on our bikes before sunrise to being afraid of the tires melting to the tar a couple hours later in the desert, that day was just nuts. Plain nuts.
After a very pleasant night at a lodge nestled somewhere in a pine forest, we were ready for number 3: Bryce. Grand’s smaller brother might be just that, but in no way inferior. The very pointy and unique formations stretch for miles and miles, and sort of give the place an air of moon landscape. Just red.
Bryce, o Bryce!
All in all, these guys are impressive, and I feel that they deserve their fame every last bit. Bryce for the incredible rock formations, Grand for its sheer vastness, and Zion for the most picturesque motorcycle ride in a loooong time.
Yep, these images will stick with us for a while.
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