Day Nine – Page AZ to Durango CO
Miles: 310
Breakfast would end up being anything but smooth this morning. We started at the Ranch House Grill which was to open at 6:00 but at 6:30 there were people standing outside wondering the same thing we were. No big deal, we went over to Denny's, walked in and sat down and realized there were two people working and probably seven tables of people holding menus. No big deal, we'll just go to McDonalds. We get there and they are closed. What the heck is going on this town? So, we went to the gas station next door filled our tanks and got a couple of breakfast pitas that were not very good and ate them in about three minutes and got the heck out of town. Despite the rough start we really liked Page and we were looking forward to the ride across the sandstone landscape of AZ and UT. We rode across AZ98 in Indian territory until reaching US160 and then US163 where we rode past Monument Valley. We made a brief stop just north of the entrance into the park. It was not as hot as Death Valley but it was still in the upper 90s and we didn't stop for long. As we got back on the bikes and rode we were approaching the spot in the road where the scene of Forest Gump running was filmed and noticed there were many cars parked there. As we approached I saw this guy in the middle of road and thought to myself he'll move once I get closer but he didn't. As I was right on him I laid on my horn and he looked at me like I was a nut. Unbelievable! I thought he would at least step into the other lane, but he stayed right there. We rode through Mexican Hat and slowed to see the Mexican Hat Lodge where we have stayed on two different occasions. We ended up going to Gooseneck Park which is about a ten mile detour in and out. The overlook is a good one and this marked the third time we have been there. We rode towards Four Corners and were pithing a couple of miles but having been there one other time we knew it was not worth any extra time. We stopped for a quick at the Indian's version of Chimney Rock and thought about getting gas but pressed on. We ended up stopping at a gas station near the town of Towaoc and next to a big casino. We downed a couple of Gatorades and continued on. We were aiming to get to Durango as early as possible as we wanted to hit several breweries in town. As we entered town we rode to the one brewery we could not walk to. It was Ska Brewery and was rated one of the highest breweries in Colorado which we felt made it a must-stop. They had good looking food but we only had a pint. The tap room was decent but not anything outstanding which is also how I would classify their beer. It was good, and I can't remember exactly which ones we drank but nothing earth shattering. We rode to our hotel that was sitting on the Animas River, checked in and walked along the river up to 9th St cutting over and walking further north to Animas Brewing Co. We got some wings and a couple of pints as we sat outside. The taproom was more a restaurant than a brewery and it was a really nice place. We ordered the Pale Ale and it was a little too malty for me, and the wings unfortunately were below average. We next walked to Carver Brewing Co and got their Pale Ale and wings and both were much better. The location of Carver isn't the best as it was likely a small business in the past. We got lucky and had one of two tables that faced the street and were outside. We walked next to Steamworks which was probably the best of the bunch, but after two orders of wings apiece we were not very hungry, so we just had a pint. The place is heavy in the restaurant side of things and there were many patrons eating, but it was still nice. It is a little rare that we are able to hit 4 breweries in one evening on the road as we typically arrive in the evening and don't have so much time after riding all day but we took advantage of this situation.
