Hello all,

Dennis Peacock said it takes three weeks to relax. I am out three weeks and 3 days now. I'm still in need of much more practice. Much much more.

Song of the day: "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

I wonder, can you have the same song twice? (Who is asking?)

Honorable mention song: "Tuxedo Junction" Manhatten Transfer (the boop Bop song Gina)

Thought of the day: The old Boy Scout Motto; "Be Prepared" isn't hoaky at all ... do it!

This ride ... from Bryce Canyon in Utah to the Grand Canyon in Arizona is stunning.

It was not as hot as the low dessert around La Vegas, instead of 110 it was probably 95, which felt hot but not bad out on the road. When i dunk my shirt to cool off it stayed wet longer.

But the scenery was awesome.

The route takes you from directly north of the canyon to the south rim entrance, so i road around the Grand Canyon. You can see hillsides and canyons that you know are what the canyon is like all along the way from afar.

The ground is red and the rocks are red and the dirt is red its amazing. Then you come around a comer and everything is black, or grey or sand. Its a barren wasteland that looks like Star Wars was filmed there.

All along the way there are these shelters the Indians use to sell jewelry in. Shacks that have been there forever.

This blogger interface is so pathetic ... but this pass you see here ... its next to this as i am writing but who knows where the pic will be when posted?

This was so fun to ride through. Deep red walls of rock towering above your head ... the ride through there was intense ... the sight of the horizon ahead ... the heat blowing in your face, you can feel the hot air from the valley below hit you as you go through this.

What a great ride.

These next two pictures are just on the other side of the pass. The first is looking back at the exit and then down along the road. You travel through the v-shaped pass and then along a red ridge of rocks like this for about 100 miles. All along the bottom Indians live. I can't imagine living there? Neither can you.

Then after a while you start seeing these little beginnings of the Grand Canyon.

I wanted to stop every 5 minutes and take pictures but you can't.

Finally, i arrive at sunset over the Grad Canyon.

Now the "funny" story ...

I miss-judged the distance to my hotel inside the canyon park from the turn off hwy 89, which is easy to do. I arrived at sunset so i was then riding along the canyon rim. It was so beautiful at sunset, you can see into it around every other bend. But its dusk and every rider knows that is dangerous because of deer jumping in front of you. I went forever and ever and started thinking i was lost. Trying to remember how far the road was from he turn off to the lodges? Its hard to judge distance on winding curving roads through mountains and i was basically lost. But there is only one road so i just kept going thinking i must run into the lodges soon. I probably saw 10 elk cross the road. None were dangerous they were all well ahead of me. But the next thing i saw was one of those warning signs that you see for deer jumping. Only this one had a mountain lion on it. I thought o great, lost in the middle of no-where. I decided to check and make sure i was good on gas. That's when the horror hit ... i was on my reserve tanks. Then i tried to remember turning on the reserve tank and exactly where i did? Running out of gas on the lonely road of the south rim late at night in mountain lion country was not my idea of a good time. I started thinking abut how i would fight a lion? What strategy? UFC knee to head? Could i get inside a mountain lion's arms to grab the heck and pull the head down to my knee? Yes i thought but i'd have to take claws on my shoulders and pain. Or the Master Chief eye gouge? And hope it runs off? Or how fast could i get to my knife? I figured that would take too long.

Anyway, I saw the reflection of a park ranger jeep on the side of the road and follow him to the gas station. I did not make it. Had he not been there i would have ran out of gas. The ranger gave me a ride and loaned me a gas can and i was back on the road. He also told me directions to my hotel, which i was about 15 miles short of.

So then i just had to ride through elk and mountain lions infested mountains to get to civilization. The ranger told me there had only been one sighting of a lion in the last 9 months. So i had tat going for me, which is nice.