Day 2: Tonopah, Nevada, to North Rim, Grand Canyon
I passed on breakfast in Tonopah and hit the road just after 7 AM. Riding east on US highway 6, the sun was in my eyes, but the cool desert morning air was invigorating.
I planned to stop for breakfast along the way -- possibly in Warm Springs at the junction of US 6 with Nevada 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway." Wrong! Warm Springs turned out to be another ghost town. A few vacant buildings with the windows broken out, and a boarded up bar and cafe.
The warm springs are still there. A stream of hot water edged by white mineral deposits runs down a hill into a man-made pool. However, the pool is fenced, the bathhouse is gutted, and a sign proclaims in large red letters, "KEEP OUT." There was not a soul in sight, and Warm Springs on Sunday morning was eerily silent except for the odd car or semi that rolled through the junction every five minutes or so as I walked around snapping photos.
The label "Extraterrestrial Highway" was apparently officially attached to Nevada highway 375 in 1996 in an attempt to "boost tourism." Although, what tourists would do out there I can not imagine. There are highway signs replete with drawings of flying saucers in honor of the many alleged sightings of UFOs in the area.
I rode on from Warm Springs, still looking for breakfast. The cafe at Rachel was open, but did not appear inviting enough to motivate me to maneuver the K1200LT up the gravel drive and across the gravel parking area. I pretty much resigned myself to lunch in Utah in lieu of breakfast in Nevada.
In spite of the fact that these hundreds of miles of Nevada desert are nearly devoid of humanity, there are excellent high-speed two-lane blacktop highways. The desert scenery is beautiful, as seen in my few photographs below.
Nevada highway 375 ends at the junction with US 93 after 110 miles or so. A half hour on US 93 north took me to Caliente, Nevada, a civilized outpost with a nice cafe, the Knotty Pine Restaurant and Lounge, where I found my breakfast. I arrived at 10:25 AM, and breakfast was served until 10:30 sharp -- no exceptions.
After breakfast, I rode US 93 northeastward to Panaca where a right turn on Nevada highway 319 took me to the Utah state line. Nevada 319 becomes Utah highway 56. The landscape becomes forested and dissolves into lush farmland on the approach to Cedar City, Utah. In contrast to the desolation of Nevada with its numerous ghost towns, the farms in this part of Utah are neat and appear prosperous.
I paused in Cedar City to call my son-in-law Boris via cell phones and leave a message to the effect that I expected to be in Kanab, Utah around 3 PM and would meet him there according to our previously discussed plan.
My exit from Cedar City was slowed by a misunderstanding regarding route numbers engendered by my Utah highway map. There were no signs for highway 56 east from Cedar City. I eventually discovered that utah 56 ends in Cedar City, and the apparent continuation to the east is actually Utah highway 14, although it is not labelled by number on my map. Finding highway 14 east requires about a two-block jog to the south in the center of Cedar City. Utah 14 is an excellent motorcycle road with a fun set of twisties winding east into the hills out of Cedar City. After reaching a plateau, the road settles down to meander through heavily forested terrain until it ends at the junction with US highway 89. Wary of deer, I struggled to keep my speed down, even though I was running a bit late and eager to get to Kanab as quickly as possible to hook up with Boris and Paul.
At the junction, I turned south on US highway 89. Here road construction slowed my progress, but I eventually arrived in Kanab about 3:30 PM only to find a message from Boris on my cell phone to say that he and his Swiss friend Paul were late leaving Capitol Reef National Park, and expected to arrive in Kanab about 6 PM.
I gassed up the bike, and rode a couple of passes through Kanab looking for a place to settle down with a beer and wait. I finally decided on Fernando's Hideaway, a modern Mexican restaurant about a half block west down a side street from highway 89 at the north end of town. It was an excellent choice. A pretty blonde waitress led me to a comfortable well-lit table. Her leggy brunette cohort asked about my motorcycle and trip, then offered to leave her job and children in Kanab and join me in my adventure. Her offer was tempting, but the bike was loaded. (Note to me: Learn to pack more efficiently and leave room for passenger.)
According to Utah law, a food order for chips and salsa permitted me to order a beer. I settled down with my book to read. Getting a cellular signal to contact Boris and let him know my location required a walk to the parking lot. I settled in until Boris and Paul arrived on schedule at 6 PM, Boris riding a Honda ST1100, and Paul a 1998 Kawasaki Concours generously provided by Boris for their trip. They arrived in Utah from Minneapolis, MN, by way of Sturgis, SD, where Paul enjoyed the biker ambiance while Boris, always the outdoorsman, enjoyed the facilities of Custer State Park.
We ate, then rode south to the North Rim via US Alternate 89 and Arizona highway 67. It was after dark when we arrived at the campground in Grand Canyon National Park. We quickly found our campsite, set up our tents, and bedded down early.
