10th September 2013 - Hot Tub at Torrey and a lot of Rain

Both of our alarms went off at 6:30 so we woke in time to share breakfast with the rest of the gang.  The Grand Canyon was completely filled with mist and visibility was even worse than the day before.  We were scheduled to leave at 9 am Arizona time which was 10 am Utah time so it was a late start.  Our tactic of sticking close to Rafe proved well founded as he actually took off at 8:45 but we were ready, which was not the case for Steve and he complained loudly when he finally caught up with us!

The weather was still a little "iffy" as we headed north to Bryce Canyon.  We all agreed to have lunch at Ruby's at the entrance of Bryce Canyon NP, but to then head on to Torrey over Boulder mountain including a few high 10,000 ft passes.  This was along Route 12, a favourite with the American riders, however the rain was getting heavier and things looked ominous up on the high passes..

Ruby's is named after the original owners of Bryce Canyon.  By the time we got there it was teeming and the place was full of wet tourists including a fair few bikers.  The staff took it all in their stride and we soon found a table and had food on it.  We got back into our wets and headed off down Route 12.  The rain got steadily worse until we could hardly see where we were going at the top of the pass.  Then it suddenly brightened and the sun came out.  We all stopped in the sunshine at a lookout over what was known as Escalente and took off all our rain gear once more.

View over Escalente

Joe , Dan, Rafe, Al, Dick and Mark in a buoyant mood

 

Dick shows Sean the Hokey Pokey while Billy ties his hair

Rafe suggested that we take a short hike in an nearby park but this was another Holy Person incident for when we got there the hike was 3 miles not 1 mile and we hadn't enough time.

Alan, Rafe, Colin, Don and Sean miss out on the hike

So we set off for Torrey but after 10 miles the sky darkened and the rain came back and so did our rain gear.  We climbed up to Boulder Pass at 9,600 ft (the highest mountain in Australia; Mt Kosciusko is only 6,600 ft high).  The rain got heavier and heavier and most of us had to stop to clear misted goggles.  Rafe's were so bad he finished the ride without them.  When Alan and I stripped off in our room I found that despite the downpour I was dry inside my Dainese jacket; even some postcards in an inside pocket were unharmed much to my surprise.

We were staying at a large Best Western Motel that was obviously a favourite of Rafe's and we soon found out why.  Rafe, Joe and Dick made a beeline for the Hot Tub! In the pouring rain!  Alan and I decided to do a bit of washing in the motel laundry.  It wasn't the only time the guys used the Hot Tub, it was a very popular spot.

Joe, Rafe and Dick enjoy the Hot Tub in the rain, the highlight of the trip for them

We had dinner at the restaurant across the road and watched a fine sunset over the hills behind the motel.  I found out that Dan actually knew what a Honda RC30 was so he got the full works from me on the wonders of Honda's finest road bike ever and so he avoided me for the rest of the trip!  The weather prediction for the next day was dire and I got several flood warning texts on my phone during the night.