Vernal, UT 524 km

We have had enough hot weather. We could almost taste the ice cold drinks waiting when about 15 minutes from our final destination today we met a paving crew. Whiskey Jack was telling us it was 33C. Waiting for a pilot car in full motorcycle regalia at that temperature is not pleasant. This just reminds us why we headed south earlier in the year for our past motorcycle trips.

But this was only the ending of a very nice ride today. CO Hwy 141 follows the Delores River and it has all the elements of an excellent motorcycle road, scenery, curves, little traffic, etc. So for a big part of the morning we were surrounded by rocky canyon walls and water.

CO Hwy 141

Great road!

After bypassing  the Grand Junction urban area we stopped in Loma, CO. Loma is a cattle town. We were looking for somewhere to eat but saw nothing. After an inquiry at a gas station we were told that there is a restaurant in the stockyards. OK. We went to the stockyards and by a process of dead reckoning (a few tables outside and pickups parked in front) we found an unmarked section of the cow complex and went in, thinking "this should be good". And it was! Doug had a sandwich with "home made corned beef" and it was the best he had ever tasted. The restaurant was very busy with obviously locals (remember the building was unmarked). We suspect it is only open as a restaurant in the summer as its main purpose is to cater to cowboy events.

Stockyards Restaurant

We then rode CO Hwy 139 over Douglas Pass (8000+ ft). Parts of it was quite spectacular, very winding but the pavement was in poor condition making the ride less enjoyable. We stopped just over the pass for a break at a long abandoned cattle farm. The grass was green and lush, perfect for a few head of cattle, but I'll bet the winters are nasty up there.

We passed through several small towns including one called Gateway. There were two little boys walking from the river holding their fishing poles. The one had a very nice big fish and was about to trip over his smile, he was so proud of himself. The water looked very muddy so we were surprised he was able to catch anything.

We will most likely make an early start again tomorrow to try to beat the heat.