29th May - Moab, Utah

Small niggle of US ways is needing to pay in advance for fuel. This applies if you pay by card and do not have a ZIP code. So, I guess on what I need to fill up. Not easy for a bike with a small tank. So, I headed off having only filled to three quarters ("I love your accent"). Once again the road was a gem. Second gear switchbacks around vertical rock faces

I briefed entered Colorado before returning to Utah to visit the Arches NP - an area shaped by millions of years of erosion. Huge statues of sandstone dominate the landscape which is constantly changing as a result of the unstable bedrock underground and the merciless elements above.

Although the park is famous for its arches, I found other examples of the eroded shapes more dramatic - take the balancing stone.

As I was riding through, my fuel was low & my oil light came on so I couldn't doodle too long. Plus the temperature was 33C. Too hot for me in helmet and jacket (which few other bikers wore). 

From today I'm heading east. For me, west is best. That's not a political statement. Just a DRS theory. In the US that's the "how the west was won" story. Same applies to the history of the UK, Ireland, Canada (maybe), France, Australia (broadly)......etc etc. In each instance, the west side of a given country tends to be wilder, more mountainous and less governable & therefore less developed. There are of course many exceptions (e.g Spain, Germany) but I like the theory so, if in doubt, go west.