Bryce Canyon was worth the effort. Even the road heading towards it was spectacular. The most amazing thing about the Canyon was its sudden appearance. All around is open rangeland, with scattered pine forest. We parked the bike, walked a couple of hundred yards along a marked trail and suddenly the ground opened up into this surreal canyon, all oranges, yellows and ochres. No warning (well, there were barrier rails), there’s a 300 foot drop and things like stalagmites everywhere.

David again demonstrated his ability to spot things rodent, spotting a chipmunk that came looking to get fed. No one else seemed to notice it—or maybe they are simply too commonplace to bother with, I don’t know.

We rode further into the park to look at few more views and spotted what I think was a California Condor—there are 8 or 10 pairs of them nesting in the park, and it was a huge bird.

We decided we had had enough parks for the time being and hit the road, heading for Salt Lake City. We followed back roads about half way, then got onto Interstate 15, a real superhighway.

Along the way we stopped off to visit a hunting, shooting, fishing superstore. What an eye-opener! Rifles, machine guns, pistols of every shape and description. Racks and racks of spinning and fly fishing tackle, with float tubes, boats, catamarans designed as fishing platforms. Camping equipment, knives, you name it. I could have spent days in there (and my yearly income!).

Running up towards Salt Lake City the views are impressive, with the mountains suddenly rising behind the city. Something to look forward to, as we were going to have to go through them to get to Wyoming.

We found ourselves a comfortable motel near ‘downtown’ and went to the local ‘sports bar’ for dinner. The maitre d’ was a great chap, had spent 7 years in Scotland—Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Hebrides—as a Mormon missionary. (That must have been a pretty thankless task in the Hebrides; I am surprised he got out alive!) Again, no one batted an eyelid when David ordered a beer, although our new friend did look a little put out when he asked David why he was riding pillion and not on his own bike and David told him it was because he was not old enough, being only 18! He didn’t say anything then, but did have a quiet, friendly word in David’s ear on the way out.