DAY 22 - Flagstaff, AZ - Grand Canyon, Arizona

In the morning we drove back on the dirt road and stopped to thank the Sorensens for our wonderful stay. He showed us around the Star Charter school they run which was established 12 years ago and has 120 (mostly) Navajo students. The school too is powered by solar panels and is a stand alone facility. Session begins next week so we didn't see any kids there, but did get a slight understanding of how the school operates.

We took route 180 into Flagstaff and stopped for breakfast at a local cafe. Our initial plan was to go see the Grand Canyon for an hour and then head north to Lake Powell for the weekend. We drove on the old Route 66 in Flagstaff and headed to the Grand Canyon. In the past few days we climbed in elevation from approximately 400 ft in Dallas to 6000 ft near Flagstaff. The weather got cooler at night and the terrain got a lot more hilly. Even though we haven't been getting along the best with each other in the past week, the beautiful ride between the thick green forests and the million dollar views compensate for all of it. We stopped on the side of the road to stretch and take a fow photos and continued through Tusayan town toward the entrance to the park.

Our whole trip has been on a budget and when were were requested to pay $25 to enter the park we got a little mad. However we figured out we could purchase a yearly pass for all the National and State parks in the United States for $40, so we opted for that deal. We drove straight to the visitor center and went to the desk to get some answers. After the ranger explained to us what we can do and where are the best views of the canyon, we decided to change our plans of driving up north, and stay for at the Grand Canyon campsite for the weekend.

We hopped on the free bus and took the 8 mile long southern stretch of view points to see the canyon. We were told that with the stops it would be a 3 hour activity so we brought some water and a backpack for the trip.

I have never been to the Grand Canyon and when I saw the vast openness and the 2000 meter cliffs for the first time I was just overwhelmed. The canyon is huge, on a clear day it's possible to see across to the north rim and even further to the rocky mountains. I never did much research before I got here but found out the beauty of the Grand Canyon is thanks to nearly 2 billion years of geological processes. We got off the bus at all 8 scenic view points and walked around the marked paved trails. There are no roads that go through the actual canyon, however it is possible to hike down to the Colorado river.

After the seeing all the view points from above we hopped on the bus back to our bikes. A few moments before we left we were talking about the fact that we haven't seen nor met any Israeli tourist till now, and lo and behold we heard 3 other people on the bus speaking Hebrew. We usually are hesitant to interact with Israelis when we are on vacation because its enough to live with them, jokingly saying, but they seemed more friendly than usual. We found out they work for El Al as flight attendants and got two days off when they landed in LA, and decided to drive up to see the Grand Canyon. We a had short conversation with them and almost sat down for a cup of coffee but they were in a hurry to get back to California.

We had a very relaxing Friday night meal in Tusayan and camped out for the night in the town too. Tomorrow we plan on taking a day hike in the Grand Canyon to enjoy the scenic views through our legs.

DAY 21 - Grants, NM - Flagstaff, Arizona

Breakfast at the Grants KOA was a big plus because it was included in the amenities of the campsite. After the short night of not much sleep, I got up and ate with the rider from Denmark. He told me all about his three month motorcycle tour, and I shared my stories too. We exchanged blog info, and he was off on his way.

Uri and I talked to the Owner of the campsite and learned a lot about the Acoma and Navajo Indian tribes who live in the area. He explained to us the whole story of how the native Americans came thousands of years ago from Mongolia, and as of today are spread out along North and South America. Later on we went on an hour hike to El Malpais (the "badlands") which got their name from the Spanish king who came to the area in the early 16 hundreds and couldn't pass the rugged terrain with his army. The land has a few large plateaus on which one of them reside the Acoma pueblo (Spanish: village). The rest of the terrain consists of lava rock and large caves which developed due to the solidification of the lava along the years.

As we continued on I 40 west we entered the Navajo reservation. I learned from talking to the minister of treasury that the Navajo reservation is the biggest in the whole world with 110 chapters. He explained to me also how their government works and the way they interact with the American federal law, which doesn't have much affect on the reservation land. It can be quite dangerous to drive through the reservation so we tried to learn as much as we can from locals who interact with the Indians.

The ride to Flagstaff was longer than expected due to rain and thunder storms that put us in a slight delay. We stopped to eat a late lunch at a place called "Hopi cafe" which we found out later wasn't even in Hopi reservation land, but the food was good. We met another rider there who told us we have to visit this store that sells petrified wood. So after a long conversation with him we drove to Holbrook and we were really amazed by how many artifacts they have. From pieces of meteorites to petrified fossils, all in one store. I bought a postcard as a souvenir and we headed to our final destination of the day, Flagstaff.

As the sun was setting we could see nothing but cattle grazing nomads land, and horses roaming the fields. A month ago when I was in Chicago for Bruce Doblin's wedding, Rick sat with me and gave me a list of close friends of his for me to contact if we need a place to sleep at. So a few days ago I spoke to Kate Sorensen who lives on a ranch right between Flagstaff and the Navajo reservation, and she invited us to stay by her for the night. We arrived at the location she gave us which didn't even have a zip code because the area is still being developed as we speak, and gave me a big hug even though I have never met her. Kate was an amazing host and was very kind to all three of us. There was one thing we hadn't expected on doing that night, and it was the 8 mile long dirt road leading to the ranch. Our touring bikes were slipping and sliding all along the sandy way and I can count on two hands the amount of times I almost slipped and fell. We drove very slowly, around 15 mph, but it sure was an experience.

The night at the ranch was very relaxing. Kate gave us the option to sleep on the wooden deck they just recently built, which has a magnificent view of the whole area. The ranch's water is collected from the gutter, and electricity from solar panels. The exclusive place gave all three of us a feeling we made it to somewhere special, and we enjoyed our stay very much.

DAY 19/20 - Lubbock, TX - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Grants, NM

Three weeks have past since we began our motorcycle trip which is hard to believe. When time isn't of matter there is a feeling it doesn't move, but when you want to do more in less of it, it just goes by like the wind. Our tour so far has had lots of ups and downs but we constantly are trying to improve it. There are days we all feel like killing each other and days that we enjoy one another's company to the extant of sleeping together on the same motel bed. Honestly, our vision of trip before we set out, retroactively speaking, was very different than reality as it is now. The thought of riding into the sunset with no worries is very unrealistic due to many factors which we hadn't (or didn't want to) account for. Motorcycle maintenance and experience is one the factors which causes this tour to be more difficult, but in the other hand is fundamental to our personal voyage. Time plays an important factor due to the fact that it puts constant pressure on all of us, but slowly we learn to deal with it.

We spent most of the day in Lubbock in a local motorcycle shop fixing a mechanical issue with Dovid's bike. The mechanic, a Mormon, told us about his military service and his various tours in the middle east, so we definitely had a common topic to converse about. Later on in the conversation we found out that all three of us made a big mistake while changing our engine oil. We bought from the local Walmart in Dallas 10w 40 synthetic car engine oil. We hadn't noticed the fact that is wasn't made for motorcycles so we went on with our doings. The mechanic explained to us (,and other repair shops on the way too,) that the car engine oil is bad for the motorcycle because it can cause the clutch plats to slip. So far we haven't noticed much difference but we sure will use the correct oil next time.

The ride from Lubbock west was interesting. I say that because every 20 or so miles the scenery changes. I can be cruising on my bike while surrounded by trees and greenery and then suddenly find myself in a desert land with a few shrubs on the side of the road. The whole drive I was trying to classify New Mexico in some way but the minute I catalog it in my brain as A, the view changes abruptly and I feel defeated. More than half of the ride was hot and dry and I did feel like back at home. I feel bad sometimes that we drive through small towns and don't stop to get a feel of the place. I can't blame anyone but the feeling just sticks with me. Riding in a group (as I mentioned before) can be extremely complicated, while trying to satisfy everybody's needs. The further we get on our journey I learn more things. I learned just recently that this whole area is the heart of the Native American tribes and today we hope to see a bit more of their culture in the town of Gallup.

These past two days have been more outdoorsy, we stayed one night in a state park and the other at a KOA campsite. The main difference is the quality of camp ground. While the state park provides some water and restrooms, the KOA's provide showers, pools, and even breakfast! The price per person is around the same, so for the future we know where to stay the night.

The roads down south aren't maintained as well as the ones up north, so the ride is a bit more bumpy, but so far it has not affected us nor the bikes. We arrived by dark at the second campsite and were welcomed by the owner who kindly gave us cookies. The KOA's are privately owned and to acquire a license they have a minimal amount of amenities which are decided by the organization. We pulled in a parked and noticed a huge snake right near our campsite. It looked very terrified so the owner cautiously scared it away. We got some pictures and met some other curious campers too. We were introduced to this one traveler that came all the way from Denmark to tour North America on a KLR 650. He is a lot older than us but because we both are doing the same adventure, we had a lot to talk about.

After an appetizing meal of salad and fettuccine Alfredo, we went into our tents and fell asleep. I got a few hours of rest when suddenly I heard some big booms. A few seconds later it began to pour. With no notice at all a flood of rain came down upon us and soaked my tent. Immediately Uri and I jumped out and in less than 30 seconds covered all our belongings. I have been sleeping without the external tarp because the view at night of the stars is just astonishing. Except for some cloths all our equipment stayed dry and now I plan on being more aware of the weather and prepare for it.