Last Stop Before Mexico

Since my last post, I've continued to travel west and then north to Salt Lake City, where I stayed stayed with my girlfriend's family.  After spending two days in Salt Lake, I made my way south to the town of Moab, Utah, where Arches National Park is located.  The ride from Salt Lake to Moab was especially enjoyable.  I had planned on taking a dirt road that cut across the desert to make the ride a little more interesting.  As I pulled off onto the dirt road, I found myself in the middle of a vast expanse of nothingness.  Not expecting the scenery to change much for the rest of the ride, I couldn't have been happier when the road began to drop into canyons that I hadn't know existed in that area.  As I continued to head southeast along the road, the scenery became more and more spectacular and the cliffs and rocky outcroppings seemed to double in size every couple of miles.  I was especially surprised to come across a petroglyph painted on a perfectly smooth sandstone wall.

I eventually emerged onto the I-70 and headed east and down to Moab.  While in Moab, I visited Arches National Park.  The park is incredibly picturesque and a place where I could have easily spent a whole day, but I'm content with what I was able to see during the couple hours that I was there.

Waking up the following morning, I hit the road early and made my way back into Colorado. (I think it's obvious that Colorado is my favorite state)  The mid-southwestern portion of Colorado is exactly what I had always envisioned the Rockies to look like.  Unlike some of the browner portions of the range I've visited, the mountains in this area are covered with lush green forests.  The town of Durango itself has a lively atmosphere and a great small-town feel.  I want to thank Lynn, Hal, and Marie for inviting me to dinner and showing me around town.  I had a great time in Durango and in Colorado in general, and I can see myself spending a lot of time there when I get back from this trip.  I road on to Lake Powell in Arizona, where I spent a full day and two nights with the other half of my girlfriend's family.  It was a relaxing two days, and it was different to see a lake surrounded by desert, rather than with trees and houses like back in New England. 

My ride from Lake Powell to Tempe, Arizona, was the most interesting day of riding throughout the last week.  To start, while fueling up at a gas station near the Lake, a brief conversation with a guy there landed me a job as a courier for the day.  The deadline for submitting hunting permit applications was 7pm that evening, and the guy needed to have several applications delivered to the fish and game headquarters in Flagstaff, AZ.  He was originally going to make the 180 mile drive himself, but after finding out that I would be passing right by the place, he handed me the applications and gave me $25 for my troubles.  But the best part of the day occurred later that afternoon while heading south on I-17.  While riding along an empty stretch of road, I was suddenly hit in the chest and face by some unknown object.  I originally thought that the zip-lock bag that holds my maps in the map pouch, had somehow worked it's way out and rocketed up into my face with the 70mph winds.  I pulled off into the shoulder and found that all of my maps were still on board.  Baffled by what the UFO could have been, I rode up the shoulder back to where it all happened.  I turned around again and creeped down the shoulder scanning the road and the grass to my right for the mysterious object.  I happened to glance back to my right, and was shocked to see a coyote coming at me in full sprint and only 30ft away.  I gunned the throttle to put some distance between us, but this guy was determined.  The coyote continued to sprint down the shoulder of the road, darting into the scrub brush off to the side from time to time.  I figured I'd see how long I could get the coyote to follow me, so I stayed in the shoulder and enjoyed the chase.  As I saw another car crest over the hill behind me, I can only imagine what the driver must have thought when he saw what was happening.  Finally, as the car approached us, the coyote darted out into the left lane of the two-lane highway, and narrowly avoided getting hit by the car.  As I shifted my attention to the road ahead, the coyote had disappeared by the time I looked back.  I continued down the road to Tempe with a huge smile on my face.  To start, I was glad I saw it when I had, because seconds later I would have had a passenger on board.  Second, what are the chances, and how cool is it, to have been chased by a coyote down the shoulder of a highway?  Well, I think it's pretty cool at least!  By the way, after two mourning dove flyby's on the same stretch of road, I concluded that it was probably a mourning dove that gave its life for me to have the coyote encounter.

Comments

[Mom & Dad]

Hi Jeff,
Amazing Pictures! Amazing Video!
Amazing Stories!
We love you & miss you,
Mom & Dad

[Jeff Walls]

hi jeff. my friend is David Weber. He told me about your journey. That coyote story is strange and awesome. I lived in Scottsdale for a time and never heard anything like that. I wish you luck in Mexico and will follow your journey.
-Jeff

[Jerry Wingen]

Hi Jeff:
What an interesting incounter! Was that Coyote hungery or just bored with his life?
I have driven that road between Flagstaff and Tempe. Your pictures are amazing.
Jerry

[Joanna]

I am now going to check this more than my facebook account to see if how many more people in the accounting world you can get to read this. I am now waiting for Weber and Papandria to make postings.

BTW: I had a similar experience last week. (except the coyote was a poodle, and I wasn't laughing, I was also on a bicycle)

-Joanna

[David Villa]

Your trip sounds awesome thus far, I wish you luck and would give you a charm that would render you immune to coyotes and bad drives if I had such a charm or the opportunity to hand it to you. I'm 0 for 2 on those unfortunately.

My own journey currently places me in Kuwait. Ku-waiting (hahhaha) to head north by the begining of next month.

Drop a line when you can.
Be well.

[Tracy and Mike Horgan]

Hi, Jeff!

We're camp friends of your parents. It's so cool that you are sharing your adventures! We'll be following your posts and talking about them with your Mom and Dad.

Enjoy the ride, have fun, and most of all, be safe!
Tracy and Mike