This posting will not have any photos. Why? It's hard to take pictures while holding onto motorcycle handlebars and pay attention to the road. The day started out warm as we packed the bike to head for Arches National Park. But, as we stood by the bikes, we both heard the booming thunder and felt a swoosh of cooler air. It was an omen of things to come...we just didn't know it..yet.
Arches was absolutely gorgeous-but because of slow busses and fumes, we did decided not to venture too far and elected to head out and save the park for another day in a car!
We didn't get far out of the park when we had to stop to put on our rain gear. The lightening began to dance across the dark sky and the road sign told us Price, UT was 15 miles away. We tried to beat the storm and had no luck. Looking at the dark sky with shooting lightening was frightening and both John and I knew we were not going to get into safe harbor..and we did not. Hail, rain, sleet, wind came out of the dark sky with a vengence. Time to put on my Cranky Pants!
In 50 years of riding NEVER have I witnessed all in one trip the amount of crappy weather we have had with this trip. With my Cranky Pants there was nothing I could do except hunker down and plow through the storm. It was frightening to ride in the hail. Not only did it hurt...it was blinding. When the hail let up, the rain came ..and it rained hard. I don't know we kept the rubber side on the road. We took a necessary break in Price to decompress. But, we were in for more...we just didn't know it.
50 years and I've only had a case of the "Willies" (who is that anyway??) once. Today, climbing up Soldiers Summit, I can say, I have had them twice. My Cranky Pants didn't have time to be Cranky (that would come later) - I was too scared. We snaked along side a river up the highway toward the summit. The rain came in sheets of blinding,cold rain. Visibility was zero. John had been leading, but moved behind me with his flashers on to give us some type of visibility. My fear was not seeing the turns in the road..not seeing the road at all...being hit from behind...having the wind blow me off the road...having road spray from 18 wheelers totally blind me. All I could do was trust my abilities and hang on...and send out a prayer.
At the top of the pass sat a little gas station and store.John had to help me off the bike as I was shaking so badly. The two ladies inside the store had me sit down and they made my day when they told me we were at the top and the weather looked better going down. I stayed in the store to get warm, quit shaking and regain some confidence. As we were about to leave, John offered a prayer and a blessing. At that moment, the rain stopped. Hmmmm... We scooted down the mountain for the first time in 3 hours at almost freeway speed.
Cranky Pants...as we left Salt Lake and headed for West Wendover, my heart sank: Looming ahead was another dark cloud. Have you ever felt like the cartoon character, Pigpen..where the woofting of dust follows him everywhere? That's the way I felt when I saw the leading edge of another storm. We had taken off our rain gear in Salt Lake-the sky was blue-sun was out-we checked the weather-AOK...NOT SO. On the side of the busy highway we stopped on the shoulder to put on our well-used rain gear. Before we got it on...the thunder boomed and lightening flashed. Now I'm CRANKY! I turn around and there is a State Patrolman stopped to check on us. I, wearing the PANTS, unloaded on him about the crappy weather in Utah! I'm laughing as I'm dumping...but I am CRANKY. The rain came from the left, then the right, then it pushed from behind and finally, it swirled around and attacked from the front. CRANKY PANTS OBSERVATION: WHEN RAIN COMES A SWIRLING...IT RAINS IN MY HELMET.
And what is up with wind socks and signs saying HIGH WIND AREA???? This was too much for me; three THREE major storms in one day? Again, no visibility, high winds, awful pelting rain, hail, lightening. AND WHAT IS THE AWFUL GOO ALONG THE ROAD SIDE? The Great Salt Lake?
I felt like I was on an alien planet...goo, mud...goo on both sides of the road. AND..what are those strange little clumps of green growing out of the goo? Alien plants...AND..JUSTHOW DO THEY PUT TELEPHONE POLES IN THE GOO?
We stopped one last time before West Wendover 79 miles to go. I remind myself to get a book about the goo and the alien pod plants. AND WHAT IS THAT STENCH? More windsocks filled with air flying straight out ...high winds..but..say it isn't so...no rain..AND WHAT IS THAT SILLY STATUE THINGY WITH BALLS ON IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GOO? My shoulders ache, my hands are numb and my dodgy knee is throbbing. Less goo as we get closer to West Wendover. There is hope...our exit appears and we arrive at our destination in one piece-check in to Montego Bay and insert the magnetic key and enter a beautiful room.
CRANKY PANTS COMMENTS: THIS IS THE WORST RIDING VACATION I'VE EVER HAD AND NEVER GETTING TO COMPLAIN --BECAUSE I MUST ALWAYS LOOK AT MY PART- I REFUSE TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW (ALAS, I AM HUMAN AND RIGHT NOW A LITTLE GIRL) I AM WEARING THE "PANTS" I GET TO GRIPE-JUST THIS ONCE. OK..I'm done griping and am going to bed and wake up in a new land without goo and alien pod plants and without my little girl Cranky Pants.
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