Monday October 13th, 2014
Total Miles: 170

The day started at 34 degrees but would quickly warm up.  Tip: With weather at such extremes it is very important to pack and wear layers.  We ate a quick breakfast at the Legacy Hotel, which was delightful.  We stopped at O’Reilly’s to top off the oil we lost yesterday and headed south.  Back through Wellington we road and turned off onto the trail.  First part of the trail was great.

Just south of Wellington, UT.  Great view of the train down below us.

A little wildlife this morning.

I am still having fun when this photo was taken.

South of Desert Lake there was a nice small technical section with some washouts.  Little did we know what was coming up ahead for us on day 3.  Everything seemed fine until we got through the cattle guard.  FYI: You will be able to fit through the cattle guard without taking your panniers off.  This was not the hard part of the day.

Major rains the prior week caused large washouts and mudslides throughout Utah.  When we reached box #8 on the Discovery Route Map we had a very long technical section with no bail outs.  A little of this type of trail would not have been a problem but this box seemed to go on forever.  Tons of washouts almost like small canyons.  Very tough for two up riding.  When you ride through washouts the passenger takes a beating.

Bonus, this section also included some tough sandy sections which is like kryptonite for a 1200 GSA fully loaded.  It was a lot of work and we both got very hot.  I was losing my sense of humor.

The bike is actually standing up on its own.  All we are missing is the Ocean.

One of the many small canyons we had the privilege to negotiate through.  I say “we” loosely because at this moment it was 1UP and 1Walking

We crossed the Spanish Trail.  Can you imagine crossing this type of terrain in a Wagon Train heading West ?
At this point I realize I have nothing to complain about.

We finally came to Smith Cabin took a small break and ate a quick lunch(power bar & almonds).  Yes, it was pretty much one shade tree and some old structures.
Galen tightened the mirror that came lose due to a tip over in the sand and we kept moving.

Cool old cattle shoots

I couldn’t have been more grateful when we finally hit some solid gravel roads.  Pictures really don’t do this section justice.  It is so hard to see how bad the washouts really were in a photo.  Plus, I didn’t take that many photos because I was holding on for dear life.  I was trying to keep myself back in my seat so I didn’t fall forward and smack Galen.
He was plenty busy in the front seat and the last thing he needed was for me to hit him with my helmet going through a deep washout.

We made our way to Green River for gas.  The Pilot truck stop had non blender pumps and offered 92 Octane.  This is the first time I didn’t feel safe leaving the bike on its own.  We took turns going in and using the restrooms.  Very odd folks just hanging out in the Pilot parking lot.  I felt like they were all watching us waiting for an opportunity ransack the bike.  We took the  Old Highway 6 to the next section.  We turned off on trail 225 to 226 to 329.  It was tough.  A smaller bike could just wheel over the washouts but on a big bike it was hell on both driver and passenger.  Washouts were every 5 ft and they were deep causing us both to get beat up.

It was late in the day.  We decided to bail out early and pound pavement to Moab.  Here is Galen free styling to find Highway 191.  Much better roads. He was following the stock Jeep tire tracks.

Coming into Moab, UT for the first time.

We found the Moab Brewery and a room for the night.  We were both sore and ready for a cold beer, dinner, a hot tub and a shower.  We stayed at Red Stone Inn.  Turns out today was Columbus Day and town was packed.  The major hotel chains were very expensive.  Town was way bigger than I expected.  After chatting with the local’s turns out off season here doesn’t start until mid-November.  Our room was tiny but I just didn’t care the hot tub, shower and decent bed was all I needed.  By far Day 3 was the toughest on our bodies.  Tip: Remember guys this is suppose to be a vacation.  Keep your wife happy by finding a good dinner and hotel after a hard day on the bike.