27/12/2023
Merry Christmas all. Hope everyone had a good one. Just finalised itinerary for the 'Cowboy Run' in April for anyone who fancies a bit of US action. Three places remaining with free upgrade to BMW R18. Some iconic sights including:
- Monument Valley
- Grand Canyon
- Death Valley
- Route 66
- Million Dollar Highway
- Lake Powell
- Las Vegas
- Zion National Park
- Meteor Crater
- Bryce Canyon
Full itinerary below...
For info on bikes and to book click here:
https://www.dorothysspeedshop.com/thecowboyride
ITINERARY FOR AMERICA
Day One – Monday 22nd April
Having collected the bikes from the southern end of the strip, we’ll start by heading west; destination Death Valley. We’ll skirt around the park, stopping for souvenirs at Area 51 before making bed in small town of Beatty, chance to ride out to the old ghost town of Rhyolite if you’re up for it. Today is a gentle day, a chance to feel at ease with the bikes and get used to the roads on some nice easy long stretches, the desert opening up all around.
MILEAGE: 130 miles
Day Two – Tuesday 23rd April
Today we explore the heart of Death Valley – the hottest place on earth, although more like a nice English sunny day at this time of the year. We’ll head to Furnace Creek, the heart of the park, before climbing the winding road to the summit of Dante’s View for an incredible look out across the salt encrusted valley. The road out via Badwater Basin follows, before arriving in the gambling town of Pahrump for a good feed and a nice comfy bed.
MILEAGE: 180
Day Three – Wednesday 24th April
We back track a little bit today, back through the top side of Las Vegas, heading north-east in the direction of our accommodation that night in Springdale, heart of Zion National Park. To eat up the miles jump on the interstate, or for a more scenic route we’ll venture through Valley of Fire State Park, which adds time but definitely makes for better riding and scenery. Springdale brings a different pace and much different scenery to tonight’s cold beer, with towering green clad cliffs and much cooler air than the deserts we’ve recently crossed.
MILEAGE: 230
Day Four – Thursday 25th April
Our fourth day on the road brings options, with the energetic free to explore the National Park, maybe even take a hike up to the fearsome Angel’s Landing, where rope chains lead a precarious path to the top of the world. Or for the two wheeled explorers, we’ll saddle up and head north to Bryce Canyon, then from there up to ride a little of Route 12, a rollercoaster of a road through bluff grey stone landscapes. All gang members will reconvene that night in Kanab, legendary back drop to many a western, including Billy the Kid, El Dorado and the Lone Ranger. Tales of adventure spilled that evening.
MILEAGE: 50-180
Day Five – Friday 26th April
You’re in for a treat, as today we ride the 89A that leads down through Marble Canyon, one of the finest stretches of Tarmac we’ll encounter all trip. Don’t expect too many corners, but for scenery and majestic two wheeled travelling there’s no other road like it. We’ll arrive in Page on the shores of Lake Powell for a late lunch, filling bellies with Big John’s Texan BBQ delight, before heading out towards Kayenta, in Navajo Land, with chance to stop off and explore the kaleidoscopic Antelope Canyon along the way. But this is a great riding day. It’s what you came here for. And the next day, it gets even better!
MILEAGE: 190
Day Six – Saturday 27th April
We wake and leave early (or stay in bed if you prefer), in order to catch sunrise at Monument Valley. These are the three towering pillars of rock that have dominated many a John Wayne western. It’s a formidable sight, and sunrise should revel them in their finest glory. Soak it in, then saddle up, as we carry on east to Mexican Hat, then north to Goosenecks State Park, and then for the brave, further north up the Moki Dugway, the spectacular spiral road that runs up the spine of this near vertical sandstone wall. All roads will eventually lead to Bluff, another wild west type of town, with a great café beneath towering rock fingers. Finally, from there we cut across Navajo land and on to the night’s watering hole of Cortez, for a night in the aptly titled Retro Inn.
MILEAGE: 185
Day Seven – Sunday 28th April
Day Seven brings more options. For the drained, head east for 50 miles to our next nightly stop of Durango, a cool Coloradan town that holds much to explore. On route, you can even take in Mesa Verde, where ancient cave dwellings can be found at the summit of this serpentine climb. For the marathon runners – and should the weather permit it – the other option is to ride north-east, up to the top of the Million Dollar Highway, named either for its million dollar views or because that’s what it cost to build it. No one can quite decide. But the fabulous high-altitude towns of Ouray and Silverton that dot along it, and the corkscrew corners that link them, certainly reward the two wheeled pioneers of today. The road finally meets up with the rest of the gang in Durango, ready for another day ahead.
MILEAGE: 50 - 220
Day Eight – Monday 29th April
It wouldn’t be a Cowboy Ride without venturing south into New Mexico, where the Regulators roam, galloping past the towering lonely spire of Shiprock, then on through barren wilderness, starting to head towards the setting sun - Las Vegas in the far off distance - as we begin our return to base, but not before the highlights of Meteor Crater, Grand Canyon, Sedona and old Route 66 have welcomed us. The end of Day Eight takes us to the Navajoland Inn, a remote outpost for weary riders, now strengthened by their eight days of roaming.
MILEAGE: 180
Day Nine – Tuesday 30th April
For breakfast we eat on Route 66, reaching the old town of Winslow for photos of the giant emblem painted on the town’s main crossroads. We pick up the interstate briefly – the road that ruined these little old towns – before jumping off to see what damage a meteor did over 50,000 years ago. We’ll stare into the abyss, wondering what the dinosaurs may have thought just as the 1200 metre crater was formed, before riding into lively Flagstaff, where for two nights we’ll unwind and take a look around, including Grand Canyon the next day.
MILEAGE: 180
Day Ten – Wednesday 1st May
Today we’ll leave our bags behind and ride like the wind in the direction of this Wonder of the World. We’ll approach it from the east, riding the rim road that gives you initial glimpse of what lies beyond, until the fernbush clears and you catch full sight of this 6000 foot deep ravine. Have as long as you like to explore and hike around. Even book a helicopter flight. Get there early enough and you can even take a walk half-way down and back. The road back through the forest is an equal delight, with us back in Flagstaff for a night on the town.
MILEAGE: 150
Day Eleven – Thursday 2nd May
Day eleven could be direct and straightforward – we’re only 250 miles east of Las Vegas after all – but instead we’re heading south to the rock shrouded town of Sedona, with great roads leading in and out. It’s one last day of adventure, exploring this northern part of Arizona before kicking our heels and looping back north to Seligman, rejoining old Route 66 at this rustic town that bore inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Pixar movie Cars. We’ll get dinner here at the famous RoadRunner restaurant, before making our way to our residence that evening, the Hualapai Lodge, smack back centre of the longest uninterrupted stretch of the old Mother Road. One last night on the road.
MILEAGE: 180
Day Twelve – Friday 3rd May.
The finale, and whilst we’ve only got until midday, that doesn’t mean to say the adventure’s over just yet. We saddle up early and ride the short distance to Kingman for breakfast at the famous Route 66 diner, before turning north-west in the direction of Las Vegas. On route – if we have the time - lies the quaint little place of Chloride, an old mining town up in the hills that has much to discover. After that it’s one last photograph at the Hoover Dam then into the bright lights of Vegas, drop bikes off and if you’re on a flight that evening then away you go, hopefully with fond memories of an incredible adventure. Cowboy hats safely stowed in the overhead locker. Yeeha!
MILEAGE: 180
