Cornering Consciousness

Two weeks to go before Summer semester begins and there’s a break in my days, a perfect time for a quick trip to knock off some bucket list items, like the Shafer Trail, Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway, Halls Crossing and a bonus – the Burr Trail. Other things had come together as well, the Tiger for one, and the right gear for this 902 mile trip in three days, from 1200 feet to almost 10,000, 56F degrees to 103. After living and riding in Southern Utah for twenty years it’s a switch to start my travels now from the Wasatch Front with cooler temps that tease you into thinking status quo on weather conditions and temperatures, all of which are amplified on a motorcycle. The Tiger is packed for the range of temps mentioned above, along with gear for the random squalls that pop up down south. My route south took me through Emigration Canyon, over Parley’s to Heber, through Starvation State Park to Duchesne, on to Green River and then to the Canyonlands National Park turn...

I've had the luxury of keeping my daughter's 1992 Ford F-250 while she's been in training and she's reached a point where she can now have her own vehicle at her new base, the Presidio in Monterey, 842 miles away. Not only is Ol' Red over 25 years-old, it has over a quarter million miles on the clock, but since I drove it up to Bountiful from St. George and have used it to haul tons of yard waste to the dump, I had confidence in the beast, even at 9 miles-per-gallon, to make it to the DLI and brighten up a certain PFC's life. My return strategy was to ride my Triumph Tiger 800XC back to Bountiful, but not after spending the weekend with my daughter where I had the very distinct pleasure and honor to accompany her on her first motorcycle ride on her new motorcycle. The truck and Tiger made it to the Presidio without even a hiccup, though Red required a quart of oil toward the end of the trip. While standing still on I-5 in Sacramento during rush hour traff...