Day 18-Sun., 5/25/08 - Heading north on I-15 from St. George, UT Ted and I decided to see the northern part of Zion National Park. We had gone through the southern part before. The day was cloudy and cold. Rain was forecast but we left when it was still dry. It's amazing how warm it feels when you are not moving. It wasn't long before we were stopping to add layers.

Zion National Park's brown sign came into view and Ted and I left I-15 for a wondrous experience. The beauty is breathtaking! Red rocks, at all angles, shoot into the sky. After stopping at the Kolob Canyon Visitor's Center, and buying a "Utah Rocks" t-shirt, we drove the five miles up and into the canyon. The scenic overlooks were filled with other people hiking and enjoying the magnificent, dramatic rock formations. There were no guardrails and the drop offs were significant! We used the pullouts to do our gawking.

After leaving Zion we continued north up I-15. The traffic was light and virtually no truck traffic. The sky was heavy with rain clouds but we escaped with only a few sprinkles here and there. It continued to get colder. Finally we stopped at a Dairy Queen/gas combo and broke out our newly purchased Gerbing electrically-heated motorcycling jacket. Oh! What comfort! I cranked it up until I was toasty and then leveled it back some. Ted ended up turning his off because it was putting him to sleep - that's never good! We both love the Gerbings and plan on using them without hesitation again.

As the late afternoon approached we were worried about getting a hotel room on this holiday weekend, much like what had happened in Hurricane/St. George area, so we decided to stop and find a place. The mountains that had followed us north were snow covered and cloud shrouded. At the base of some of these mountains we found Payson, UT and pulled off the interstate. The Comfort Inn was right beside a Flying J Travel Center. After checking in and some bike photos we walked over to the Flying J restaurant for a meal.

Today when we think about what stands out in our minds it has to be the rocks at Zion and our electric jackets. The snow covered mountains and grassy plains of Utah make this state unique and beautiful. Salute Utah! (We see Jason tomorrow!)

Miles - 267
U-turns - 3
Cattle Grates - 4 (at interstate entrances and exits!)
Highest gas seen - $4.10
Highest gas paid - $4.10
Highest elevation - 6,838
Highest temp - 55 degrees
Lowest temp - 47 degrees