DAY 27/28 - Ceder City, UT - Bryce Canyon, Utah

We had a late start this morning and hung out at the KOA till around two in the afternoon. We spent some time talking to the girls who are doing the cross-country on bicycles, and exchanged adventures. They just came down the mountain yesterday from Bryce Canyon and gave us tips on where to camp out and what hikes we should go on. We were glad to hear about a place from a person who has been there, and thanked them for all the information.

As we were pulling out onto the highway towards Bryce, the sky darkened and it began to drizzle. From past experience we decided to get our rain gear out before it starts to pour, so we stopped a few miles up the road and got dressed. The ride up to Bryce was just beautiful. The windy steep road led us high up into the mountains and the view of the horizon was just magnificent. We drove through these man made tunnels which cut through the bed rock and had to stop to take a photo of them. The higher up we climbed the colder it got, and after days of driving through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, it was a blessing to catch some a cool breeze.

We entered the park with our passes and headed to Fair view Point, which is more than half way down the road on the 18 mi stretch of scenic points to stop at. The picturesque view had our eyes caught for several minutes while the sun was setting. Bryce canyon, like the Grand Canyon, is a result of millions of years of geological history and has similarities to other natural phenomenons in the area.

I have been reading the book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert M. Pirsig, and have been enjoying it greatly. The book tells the story of a boy and his dad who go on a bike trip across America and their adventures on the way. Pirsig, from the dad's point of view, goes into great detail of explaining how a motorcycle operates, and through many analogies portrays it on life. The book has little plot to it, but it's so fascinating to see how the issues that the characters experience in the novel are identical to ours on our motorcycle tour.

We spent the next morning on a 2 mi hike down into the heart of Bryce Canyon, and couldn't step more than two feet with out taking a photo. The rock formations are called Hoodoos, which are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of the basins. We hiked down the steep and windy trail and heard every language but English. We met an Israeli family on the way down and wondered why most Americans don't come enjoy the amazing scenery they have in this country. Uri and I had long discussions on our short hike, and we both enjoyed the movement without our bikes for a change. The climb up wasn't to hard and when we reached the top of the trail we saw a full view of the whole area. The combination of red, yellow, white and red rocks was just stunning, and left us speechless. Bryce Canyon should be on every person's bucket list, and I am so happy I got to see the magnificent geological phenomenon.

DAY 26 - Kanab, UT - Ceder City, Utah

After a good night's sleep and being well rested we left the small town of Kanab and headed towards Zion National park. We have been getting really lucky with the weather and usually miss being showed on or riding through heavy heat waves. I won't jinx it, but I am glad and very fortunate to drive in comfortable conditions. The sign up the road showed 33 mi to Zion, so we were glad we were near. The drive up the windy roads was gorgeous, and even though we had to slow down we still enjoyed the scenic route which lead us to the entrance of the park.

We pulled up to the entrance gate and with a big smile I showed my National park pass, the clerk was very kind and let Dovid (which isn't one of the co-signers on the card) through with no charge. We stopped at the side of the road before our way in, to attach our Contour video cameras to the bikes. We have been taking a lot of footage with the HD cameras and I plan on making a short documentary after we are done with the tour. We started heading down the road through the canyon and were just amazed by the colorful yellow and red cliffs which looked as if they were to collapse any moment. We drove through a tunnel which cut through a huge mountain, and as we popped out at the other end we were stunned by the high peaks which overlooked the whole area.

There are plenty of hiking trails at Zion National park and a vast collection of odd and beautiful scenery to see. We got to the other end of the road and pulled of to eat lunch. As we parked we noticed a small creek right beside the road, so we undressed quickly and jumped into the dazzling cold water. It was so refreshing after the short ride in the 100 degree weather, and we were glad to have found a spot with water. We sat down and cooked a delicious meal of onions, garlic, potatoes and rice. We sat by the water and reminisced about the fact that it looked very much like the Dan river back in Israel, and we may as well could have been cooking lunch there. After filling our stomachs we packed up our gear and headed out of the park. At the visitor center I noticed gorgeous photos of caves at Zion and asked how do we get there. I wasn't happy to hear that in order to enter or hike in those caves you need to get a permit, so that idea quickly vanished.

As we headed toward Bryce canyon the wind got extremely strong and it made our ride very unpleasant. We stopped at a KOA campsite in Ceder city and pitched our tents for the night. At the campsite we met some nice people and invited these 2 girls who are doing a cross country bicycle ride from New York to California. They sure are doing something exotic too. After long conversations by the fire, we went to bed to get a good nights sleep before we head up to Bryce tomorrow.

DAY 25 - Glen Canyon, UT - Kanab, Utah

I packed up quickly and went on a morning run on the dirt road to the lake. I didn't know how long it was down to the shore, but just the night before a guy who came up with his truck told us it was around 2.5 miles. The run was nice but it got hot very fast so I got a bit worried cause I didn't take much water. I got closer down into the canyon and saw a sign that said no vehicles beyond this point, which made me happy we got stuck the day before. The road got really muddy and my running shoes were getting heavy from all the dirt and mud that stuck to them. As I got closer to the lake I remembered Uri and Dovid were out of water so I tired to search for a place to fill up the empty bottle I brought with me. Unfortunately there were no facilities down by the shore so I had to resort to a different plan.

I saw from far up that there was a large boat docked by the shore so I ran towards it in order to fill up my bottle. The people on the boat we really nice and even offered me a banana as we sat and talked about what I was doing in the area. They came up from California and have a time share on the boat, so once a year they spend a week or so at Lake Powell with their whole family. After the conversation I ran back up the dirt trail with all the water they gave me back to our parked bikes. The run up was a lot harder and I stopped a few times to walk due to the heat beating on my bare back. I got back to our camp site and found out that Dovid drove back to the main road to get water too, so I was relieved no one was upset I was gone for too long. I gave Uri some water and then he headed up back to the paved road because It takes him longer to ride on gravel with his bike.

I got dressed and packed my bike and as I was turning around my motorcycle tipped over onto the ground. I didn't get nervous cause I leaned at my MSF course a way to pick up the heavy 600 pound bike. However after much effort I didn't succeed in getting it up, and I was stuck in this dirt road 11 miles away from any civilization with no one to help. I knew Uri or Dovid would come back to get me if I was taking too long, but waiting in the heat didn't sound like a good idea. Luckily a GMC truck came driving up the path and the two young Dutch boys with their dad helped me pick up the bike. I thanked them and was all ready to go, when I realized my Honda wouldn't start. Now I was getting a bit mad. The Dutch family got back out of their car and asked me if i needed help, I nodded in approval. I thought the issue was with my battery or something like that, so I suggested to roll it forward with some help and start it in first gear. However the Dutch father got to the conclusion that it is an ignition issue and my fuse is burned out due to a electrical circuit failure.

Along the years I learned to listen to advise from people who seem like they are experts, so immediately I took out my spare fuses. Together we found the fuse box near the front of the motorcycle and the Dutch guy pulled out the dead fuse and replaced it with the new one that I handed to him. I was so grateful for his help and was extremely happy my bike was running again. I rode in front and he drove behind me in case I needed any more help, and after 20 minutes of riding we got back to the main road where I saw Uri and Dovid waiting for me. Wow, what a morning! I thanked the Dutch family again and hopped on my bike so as not to delay us any more. We drove around 60 miles to the near town to fuel up and eat lunch. We were so tired from our previous events that we decided just an hour ago to check into a local motel and reorganize all our gear and get our bikes back in shape.