Day 3 - Henderson, NV to Springdale, UT

Well.... today was one of the unplanned events that seems to turn these trips into an adventure. We left the Las Vegas area early and only had to ride about 180 miles. We had planned on getting to Zion Park early and take the day to explore inside the park. However at our last rest stop (only 50 miles from Zion) my bike wouldn't start. So we got to experience (yet again for those who recall last years blog entries about our Alaska trip) the pleasures of roadside assistance, tow truck drivers, and waiting and wondering.

The real burden fell on Walt. While I was in the tow truck Walt rode back to Las Vegas. Although the mileage on just one leg was not too bad the heat of the day (105 to 110 degrees) and the fact that Walt had to ride it THREE times made for a KILLER day. Walt is an amazing person and an amazing friend. While I was calculating and figuring out worst case contingencies Walt remained hopeful and positive that the problem would be diagnosed and solved quickly.

BMW of Las Vegas helped us out and got my bike checked out right away. The problem turned out to be a bad battery. The battery was only a year old so we're assuming that perhaps the heat was just too much for it. From now on a new battery will be part of my trip preparation!!!

My bike was ready to go at 5PM. After a little consultation Walt and I decided to go ahead and ride back to Zion again and get the trip back on schedule. We knew it would be a hard day and that we'd get to our hotel after dark but the alternatives were less desirable. For Walt this meant he had to ride 500 total miles today in desert heat. For me it worked out to mid 300's.

We got into Springdale, Utah about 9:30 in the evening. Riding in the evening hours was really a nice treat. The heat dropped a little and we were able to see some of the canyon colors in the twilight of the day.

We were running the entire day on a small continental breakfast and lots of liquids (and a Clif bar for me) so getting a dinner in the evening was a real treat. The day ended quite well considering. We're staying at Flanigan's in Springdale. This place is really quite nice. The food was excellent. We got a good nights rest and all is back to normal.