Almost perfect, then deja vu...

Yesterday was an uneventful day, just blasting along the interstate.  After 700kms, and an ever increasing temperature, I pulled into a campsite slightly before my target.  As it turns out from continuing on this morning, 10 minutes further and I would have found a KOA, with a pool and internet!!  Instead I had no shade, and spent the night 100ft from the interstate.

When I did laundry a few days ago another motorcyclist had obviously used it just before me as he left two new sealed earplug sets in the dryer.  It was a higher end one that I had never tried before.  The earplugs are attached by a yellow cord, as they sit way further inside your ears, so you can pull them out.  Well I am now a convert, 100 ft from the interstate and I didn’t hear a thing!!  I am sure it isn’t necessary to wash and dry them before using...lol...

This morning I was up early and off.  I had camped just past The Petrified Forest, and just south of The Painted Desert.  So I set a route for Page Arizona, and although my GPS said to take hwy 89, I chose 87 which seemed more interesting.  So why do they call it the Painted Desert???:

So I casually rode on as I only had about 400kms to do today.  Not a bad way to spend your day riding down the highway:

Then all of a sudden it came to a screeching halt.  At 1:30 with about 30kms to reach Page, or about 20 minutes, the road was closed, and I had to detour.  282kms!!!!!  3 hours later I reached Page!!!!  I even went through Jacob Lake, where Matthew and I camped before heading to the North Rim of The Grand Canyon.  Oh and by the way if you wanted to go to the North Rim today, you can’t, the road is closed.  If you detour about 400 miles you can get to the South Rim!!!!  Of course it also turned out to be by far the hottest day I have had yet too!!

So I arrived in Page and was slightly disappointed.  I knew it was on the edge of Lake Powell, but it isn’t a lake community down by the water’s edge.  It is up on the top of the canyon, so much for a nice dip before dinner....

I have booked a hotel room for a couple of nights as there are quite a few places I want to see in the area.  So weather permitting it should be a nice break from all the highway miles.