Day 15: Sonic Booms, Red Rock Canyons, and Free-Range Close Calls
Yesterday was a massive, high-mileage transition from the desolate, alien skies of Nevada to the breathtaking, red rock majesty of Southern Utah. We rode through 250 miles of absolute nothingness, climbed into alpine terrain, skirted dramatic ridge lines, and dodged local livestock in the dark.
From sci-fi send-offs to stunning geographic revelations, here is how the run from Rachel to Torrey went down.
The Morning Log: Sonic Booms and Radiation Checks
We woke up early to a crystal-clear, chilly desert morning at the Little A’Le’Inn. The military skies were already wide awake, with fighter jets tearing just over the mountain tops and rattling the trailer with thunderous sonic booms. We got one final, massive supersonic blast right as we were throwing the leg over the bikes to leave—the ultimate Area 51 farewell.
We took a quick picture by the old tow truck out front and got a kick out of their giant novelty “Geiger counter” that they jokingly use to check the crew for radiation every morning. We actually found out later that we missed the famous Area 51 “Black Mailbox” milestone; we were probably right on top of it but just didn’t know to look for it. Guess we have to leave something for the next trip!
We hit the throttle and pointed the fairings down the Extraterrestrial Highway. For the next 250 miles, the desert defines the word empty. We hammered through the flats, connecting Highway 93 to 196, and pushed hard toward Route 14.
The Landscape Explodes: From Desert Flat to Red Rock Canyon
We jumped onto Highway 89 North and intercepted Scenic Byway 12 East. Up until that point, the scenery was standard desert, but as we made a sweeping right-hand turn through two small hills—BAM!
The landscape absolutely exploded into massive trees, jagged mountains, and deep color. We rolled through several incredible historic towns. One town, Caliente, featured a beautiful old hotel with grand arches across the front that looked exactly like the artwork on the Eagles’ Hotel California album. A lot of these old towns were blooming 20 or 30 years ago and would’ve been unbelievable places to explore in their heyday.
[ ROAD ATTRACTION: ESCALANTE JAIL ]
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The Stop: Pulled the rigs over in the historic town of Escalante.
The Sight: Tracked down an old frontier structure featuring the original iron jail door dating back to before 1895.
The Verdict: The heavy, weathered iron door is still fully intact. We all agreed it would make the absolute ultimate custom garage door back home.
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While we were taking a break in Escalante, Dean’s bike started acting up—his clutch suddenly stopped working. We pulled off on a stretch of Bridgestone road for a bit, twisting wrenches and adjusting the cables until we finally got it tight enough to safely run. Back on the road, we also stumbled across a real-life landmark from the movie Paul: the iconic “Big Chief” gas station!
Ridge Line Views and Highway Explosions
As we kept pushing down Byway 12, the road treated us to one of the most unbelievable stretches of the entire trip—a narrow asphalt ribbon running right along the spine of a massive ridge, with sweeping valley drop-offs falling away on both sides. It was completely awe-inspiring.
We eventually turned back onto Route 14, following a car through the twists. Out of nowhere, we heard a loud POP, and a massive cloud of thick white smoke started pouring out from under the vehicle in front of us. Blake had to fishtail his rig to avoid it, and I slipped slightly right behind him, completely unsure if the car was dumping slick fluids or if its catalytic converter had just disintegrated.
We slowed down to a crawl, and the car managed to pull over at a scenic turnout. We stopped too, and realized the pullout offered an unbelievable view looking back toward the Grand Canyon side of the region. Blake pulled out a paper map to chart our coordinates and realized something crazy:
[ THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GRAND CANYON: MOMENT ]
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The Revelation: Looking across the canyon, Blake realized we were staring at the exact same terrain where we had watched the sunrise a week ago.
The Distance: We were easily 70 to 80 miles away from that original spot, yet the desert air was so clear we could trace the horizon perfectly. Absolutely unforgettable.
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While we were admiring the view, I noticed a puddle of liquid dripping under my touring bike. I couldn’t tell if it was left behind by something else or if my rig was acting up, but I checked all the fluid levels and everything looked perfectly topped off, so we kept rolling.
Free-Range Close Calls and Torrey Luxury
As the sun started to drop, we pushed through the final mountain stretches. A driver in an oncoming lane started frantically flashing her headlights at us around a blind corner. We scrubbed off our speed just in time to find a massive cow standing directly dead-center in the middle of our lane. Everything out here is free-range territory, which means you have to be on absolute high alert for livestock wandering onto the asphalt after dark.
We successfully negotiated the cattle and rolled into Torrey, Utah, checking into the Broken Spur Inn & Restaurant. Mike stayed here a couple of months ago with Roger Davis during our previous Utah trip and absolutely loved the place, and he wasn’t wrong.
We sat down for a phenomenal, heavy dinner at the restaurant, knocked out a much-needed load of laundry, and relaxed.
To cap off an incredible day, since Pete and Dean had somehow never seen the alien comedy Paul, Blake managed to set it up on the TV. Watching a movie about a stranded alien right after eating burgers next to Area 51 and riding past the actual gas station from the film was hilarious and the perfect end to the night.
Tomorrow’s Mission: We are pointing the bikes toward Salida, Colorado, tackling high-altitude mountain passes!
Until then, keep the shiny side up, watch out for the cows, and watch the skies!