It was a beautiful morning at Bryce Canyon, and we reluctantly prepared to leave. Once we were packed and good to go, we looked forward to the ride to and through Zions Canyon. We stopped by Foster's for breakfast at the bakery. Mmmmmm, fresh baked bear claws and apple fritters. We ran into our friend Stephanie, who was getting her daily breakfast of milk and doughnuts. We exchanged good-byes, and then rode on.

The road to Mt. Carmel Junction was great. We dropped a quick 2000 feet in altitude, and with each decrease in altitude we noticed an increase in temperature. We followed the Sevier River through Long Valley going past an occasional fisherman or rancher, and herds of sheep, cattle, and horses.

We stopped at Mt. Carmel Junction for a stretch and to take on gas. We talked with fellow travelers, who all were pretty impressed we had traveled so far... we proudly wore our Northcoast HOG patch. We looked across the street and had to laugh at the sign at the Thunderbird Motel. If we had not just eaten breakfast the famous "Ho-made" pies might have tempted us more.

The ride through Zion's Canyon was a thrill. Where the road took us above Bryce Canyon for spectacular views below, the road took us through the bottom of Zions canyon with spectacular views above. Shirlene balanced on the back of the bike, and bracing her arms on Dick's shoulders, took pictures of the unforgettable drive. Shirlene even got a little creative and captured Tom in the rear view mirror. The road through the canyon was a great ride. It curved up and down, went through two tunnels, one being over a mile long through red rock, and dropped us off on the west side of the canyon in the scenic town of Springdale.

We travelled south and west through the Virgin River Gorge, a bit of Arizona, Mesquite, Nevada, and a heck of alot of desert. The temperature was climbing and when we arrived in Las Vegas it was closing in on 100 degrees. Viva Las Vegas!!! We will stay the next few nights with Shirlene's brother Craig and his family. Louise is due to meet us Monday morning.