Ben is in the air, en-route from Manchester via Frankfurt to Denver, and I will be collecting him from the airport in about 5 hours. I have been agonising over the trip and choice of vehicle – the mornings are still really cold in this part of the world. However we travel, to get to Moab we have to cross the Rockies. We live on the eastern slopes, and we need to climb over the hill and down the other side, to get to Utah and the amazing landscapes there.
We live at 8400 feet altitude, and need to travel about 160 miles before we come down to a reasonable altitude of around 5000 feet, where we can expect better temperatures. The early part of the day at home has temperatures around 2-5 degrees C (35-40 f), which is pretty cold for a few hours of motorbike travel. Once we get down to the lower climes, the days should be really warm – but I will need to consult with the boy as to whether we want to brave the cold and pack a bunch of extra layers for the mountain legs. The alternative is to take the Jeep – which is fun to ride, too – but not as much fun as the HarleyArmchair Davidson. We’ll see what he thinks once he lands.
Meanwhile, here is the route I am thinking of taking us on:
- Day 1 – Home to Moab via the Colorado National Monument
- Day 2 – Local around Moab
- Day 3 – Moab to Glenwood Springs via Naturita and Gateway
- Day 4 – Glenwood Springs to home.
