Day 25

Tigger and I stayed in bed until almost 5:30 this morning. The tire needed replacing and we were not sure where to start. We had breakfast, repacked the gear since it was in complete disarray from my episode yesterday and started looking once again for solutions to our problem. Around 8:15 I called a local phone number I found on Google and to my surprise, someone answered. I asked him if they possibly had my tire in stock and when he said yes, I was elated. I asked him how soon we could come over to get it installed and after a slight hesitation he said come as soon as possible. When I arrived at the address he had given me, it was a very small house with a garage and small shop out back. I hesitated to even pull in since it looked like there was no one there, but I was desperate. I saw an individual through the window, so I walked in and introduced myself. He grabbed the tire, went to the garage and proceeded with the replacement. We had some conversation about his business and he explained to me what he did. It was not until after I left and started thinking about what he had told me that I realized the he was not a retail shop at all, but an internet based business. He saw a fellow motorcyclist in need and was willing to help.

We finally got on the road about 10:30 and the temperatures were already above 90 degrees. We were heading for Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. This is a group of parks I visited last year and I knew we were in for a treat. After the first 100 miles the temperatures started to drop as we gained altitude. Part of the ride involved a section of road known as the Devils Backbone. It is a narrow ridge where in places you could do a Thelma & Louise off of either side. Capitol Reef is another of those parks you seldom hear about but should visit if you ever get the chance. Next was Bryce Canyon and last was Zion. In Zion we rode through the mountain rather than over it. The tunnel that was built many years ago was not designed to accommodate the large motor homes in use today so it becomes one way when one of these gas guzzling behemoths needs to pass through.