After a 300 mile ride that got us into Vegas around 2 AM, a few drinks,some food and more time than we needed at the blackjack tables, we would call it a night around 4:30 AM. Not bad for Vegas unless you have to be on the road early the next day.

Sunrise came around and 3 of the 6 of us were awake. A few hours later the rest of us threw down some greasy breakfast sandwiches and guzzled hotel coffee before hitting the road to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The ride off the strip was as congested as expected but once we cleared Vegas, the road opened up and scenery never to be found on the East Coast would appear.

We were all starting to overheat and fuel was creeping a little low, so at noon we stopped in Mesquite NV to fill up. As you can see, it was 102 degrees which serves as an uncomfortable riding backdrop no matter how accustomed to the heat you may be.

The only benefits were that it wasn’t cold, it wasn’t raining and after-all, we were riding motorcycles to kill time for 10 days.

We eventually stopped for a bio break and to get off the road for a few.

After two hours we would get off the interstate (I-15) and move onto a few small roads on the way to Zion National park. It was time for lunch so the Historic Pioneer Restaurant would do us right. The food was pretty good and the waitress incredibly friendly going out of her way to fill our water bottles with iced water for the road. After lunch it was a two minute ride to the gates of Zion National park. The $12 charge of admission was well worth the entrance even if the park only spans seven miles West to East. Some of the rock formations were incredible and the red roads likely created from the same rock that surrounds your Zion experience were really unique to see. One thing that stood out to me was a one lane tunnel that allowed us to travel under a rock formation bringing you from one end of the park to the other. The tunnel wasn’t lit and would’ve had zero visibility if it weren’t for our headlights.

After leaving Zion it was time to fill up and shoot over to Bryce Canyon. At the fill station a cop approached us and asked if we were missing one from our crew. Apparently somebody went down a few miles back and it didn’t look good. It always sucks to hear about this and jolts a bit of reality into the trip. It usually reminds you to double check your lid when setting out.

Just before leaving the station, one of our crew made a new friend. A Girl doing a canyonering thing (no idea what that is) got into a conversation with us and then ultimately followed us the 80 miles to Bryce Canyon. She was even bold enough to get on his bike for a little blast before we hit “Inspiration point. The view here was spectacular and somebody actually said “That place is really in the United States! Holy Crap. Take a look and enjoy.

Now it was time to shoot back another 250 miles to Salt Lake City. It was already after Sunset so we wouldn’t make it to Salt Lake before 2 AM for a few hours of sleep before tomorrow’s ride. We had finished 550 miles today and have a lot left before we get to Sturgis.

Other pictures from the day below

Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon to Salt Lake City