One last Southern Utah, ride before it gets too cold!

[SupraSabre]

This week seemed to scream... Take a ride Bob! So I did!

I had been fighting with my self on if I should take a ride, or work on the yard. The ride won!

I had a basic idea where I would ride, so I headed west on SR56 to SR18. I took a snack break in Enterprise, before continuing south on SR18.

There were a couple of vehicles in front of me, but I minded my manners, and stayed behind them as we were going through some twisties. As we were approaching a passing lane, we encountered a LONG gravel truck (double trailers) and we had to wait about 1/4 of a mile before we could pass him. The car in front of me got passed him and pulled to the right, so around him I went. The pickup truck in front stomped on it, but I was soon on his tail. As we were getting close to the end of the passing lane, I poured on the coals a little more to pass him, only to see that he decided he wanted to stay on my tail.

Of course I wasn't having any, so I got through the twisties and he was a little distance back, but I could see he was trying to catch me. And of course, I wasn't having any of that, either! We had a great straight away, so I decided that if I was out far enough, he would quit. As I was passing a monument, at the side of the road, it looked like there was a Park Ranger there (we were in the Dixie National Forest) I continued for another mile or so, watching that park ranger, and I could see he was moving. Hum? Well a couple of miles down the road and I could see a white pickup behind me, but I couldn't tell if it was the guy I passed earlier, or the Park Ranger (both were white). In the meantime, I slowed to about 5 above the speed limit and continued on my way south. As I was approaching the next town, Veyo, where I had planned on turning, I had slowed down to the speed limit and I could see that the white pickup was gaining on me, so I made my turn toward Gunlock, and the white pickup continued south on SR18. It was the guy that I had passed that started this fun!

I continued down the road to Gunlock, which is narrow and not a very straight road at all! So I had to watch the vehicles coming the opposite direction. I was about 100 yards from one curve, when a guy in a dually, pulling a trailer was going too fast, or just not paying attention and came well into my lane, almost going over the white line on the shoulder of my lane! I quickly hit my headlight modulator to get his attention, and he pulled back where he belonged.

Continuing on this road, it goes through the VERY little town of Gunlock, and then runs next to the Gunlock reservoir for about 3 or 4 miles. A few more miles and it ran into US91 (the old road that was used before I15 was built, coming from Las Vegas. Following US91, it takes you into ST George, where I cut across town to I15 and took it the 45 miles to home. Before getting home I stopped at a Chevron and filled it with 92 octane, what they call Boat Gas (no Ethanol), then went home.

I didn't stop to take any pictures. Overall my trip was 153 miles, putting me at 3,274 miles for the year!

Over double, than I did last year! Maybe next year, I'll add a few more.

 

[Chris09]

great story and account of what goes on; glad you made it through. I got into the real thick of it myself this last weekend; I always prefer to get everyone ahead of me first and figure out who is who; one will take the ticket the other will hit the first deer while the guy you just passed will have it for posterity

 

[Ned in Utah]

Felt like I was riding with you. I'll bet I've ridden that same route 100 times or more when we lived in Cedar City. One of my favorite loops. Gunlock is amazing when the water is flowing over falls. It amazes me how fast those guys in those PowerStroke Fords drive them. Usually way over the speed limit. Can't tell you how many times I've been tail gated by one who was trying to push me down the road. Interesting your "handle" too as I rode that loop for years on my V65 Sabre before I bought my '94 ST. The picture was taken out at the old koke ovens on HWY56.

 

[snowmoer]

That is a good loop ride Bob. I did it a few years ago. If you like local history, stop at the state historic site for the Mormon massacre that happened there. It is south of Enterprise. It is a good little site.

 

[SupraSabre]

That is a good loop ride Bob. I did it a few years ago. If you like local history, stop at the state historic site for the Mormon massacre that happened there. It is south of Enterprise. It is a good little site.

Um, that's where the Park Ranger was sitting... at the site of the women and children monument.

When I blew past there I was WAY OVER the speed limit. Until I got home, I didn't know just how far I was over!

 

[SupraSabre]

... Interesting your "handle" too as I rode that loop for years on my V65 Sabre before I bought my '94 ST. The picture was taken out at the old koke ovens on HWY56.

When I came up with that handle, I had a 1985 V45 Sabre (A true 750cc, from Canada) and I had just bought and rebuilt the top end of a Toyota Supra. Remebering the ole Super Sabre jets of the early 50s, I came up with the SupraSabre.

My V4 Sabres

 

[drbuzzard]

i would have put off the yard work for a ride, glad you got out and made it a day of riding