Day Eight – Las Vegas to Page AZ
Miles: 333
We left before Embassy Suites was serving breakfast and there wasn't much around so we just rode. In just short of 100 miles we stopped in Mesquite to gas up and we got some breakfast snacks. Not much but the previous night's dinner was still with us. On the other side of Mesquite is the town of Littlefield where we jumped off the interstate to stop at some falls on the Virgin River I spotted on Google Earth. After climbing through the brush there was really nothing to see. I guess the falls are only in play during rainy season which probably is not long. We continued on, riding on I-15 until we reached the exit to Zion National Park. Before reading the park we rode back to the Grafton Ghost Town. We had wanted to visit this place in 2009 but we didn't have enough time, but we did this year. The road back to the town is not in great condition but there was also no one on the road so it was nice. Once there we stopped at the Russell House and the old church walking around and taking some pics. The structures are very well preserved and kept in really good condition. There are many structures clustered together in small groups of two or three and roughly 300 yards apart. We only stopped at the one cluster but it would have been easy to spend more time there. We went back to the main road and headed toward the park. We stopped just outside the entrance at the Zion Brew Pub for lunch. We had gotten hungry so the wings really hit the spot. We rode through the park and noticed how crowded it was and decided to just ride through and enjoy the scenery without stopping. We rode through the tunnel catching the time just right so we didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes as the vehicles in the tunnel only go one way alternating between east and west travel. The ride through the park was nice and we took a leisurely pace. Once through the park we stayed on UT 9 until reaching US 89. One of my favorite roads in the country, we rode with great purpose soaking in the scenery and the vastness of the area. Once on the other side of Fredonia on US 89A the curves begin to pick up and the adrenaline pumps a little more. This is a great ride and we were really hit the curves as we rode past Jacob Lake and the road down to the North rim of the Grand Canyon. Maybe next time through we'll ride that, and staying in the town of Kanab which really looked quite nice. So our next stop was a little pull off overlooking the Vermillion Cliffs. This was a really good stop with a great view of the cliffs. We continued on and as the road straightened out we rode at the base of the cliffs for about 30 miles before reaching Marble Canyon and the Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado River. There are two Navajo bridges at the site; the old one which is now just for pedestrians was finished in 1929 and served US 89A until the new bridge was put in service in 1995. They look nearly identical except for the fact that the new bridge is more than twice as wide. We stopped at the interpretive center and walked on the old bridge. It was a short 40 mile ride to Page and we arrived in plenty of time to ride to the Glen Canyon Dam and bridge. We walked on the bridge looking at the dam, decided we go into town for some dinner. We ended up at the Bird House and got some fried chicken to go. It was quite good, and we enjoyed a bottle of Cab while we sat in the lobby doing our normal routine. The Hampton Inn in Page was very nice and had some tables out in front so we finished out there and readied ourselves for the next day.
