10,000 Miles and Some Very Nice People

I hit a big milestone today. I went passed the 10,000 mile point on my tour!!!!

As usual, I stopped to take a picture of what the road was like at this thousand mile point, but I thought it was time I included myself in the picture....

Having reached this point, I suspect I am going to do more than the 15,000 miles I previously predicted. Maybe more like 16,000 or maybe 17,000? Anyway, it felt good reaching the 10,000 mile point and it doesn’t feel like I have ridden that far.

In a comment on yesterdays posting on my blog FLHX Dave mentioned a very good road he knew that was close to Heber in Utah that went up to Mirror Lake, near to where I would be riding today. I changed my route so that I could ride the road he suggested and Oh Boy, am I pleased I did – the road was superb! It climbs up to over 10,000 feet and has some gorgeous bends. The views are spectacular too!

Here is a short video I took from part way up the road....



Thanks Dave – it was a great suggestion!

I soon reached Mirror Lake and the scenery was beautiful....

There was a lady painting a picture of the lake and I stopped and chatted to her for a while. Her name is Susette Gertsch, a retired school teacher who now has a new career as a painter. Although we only talked for a short while, I could tell that Susette and an interesting and very nice lady. She has made a “contract” with herself to paint 300 paintings in one year. Today she was painting number 294 and she invited me to contribute a few strokes on the painting, which I was glad to do. Her one year finishes at the end of August, so she has just a few more to paint in the next few days. She has painted all year round and has a special suit that allows her to paint in the cold weather. The lowest temperature Susette has painted at during the last year is 17F / -8C. Wow, that is cold.

I showed Susette the Leading Ladies and she was appreciative of the skill the painter of my bike had with an airbrush. Susette has sold some of her paintings and I am tempted to buy the one she was painting today. Maybe I will ask if it would be for sale.

Susette’s website and blog can be found here

Here is Susette at her work....

I had no idea just how much you have to bring with you when you paint....

Here you can see the view that Susette was capturing....

I hope that she was pleased with her painting today. I was certainly very pleased to have met her.

I continued riding and at the next lake saw people fishing. Now, if you had a whole lake to use like this....

Would you all cram together like this?....

I saw a field with tree’s that was very reminiscent of a scene I know in England....

Now I need some help from my US readers. I passed many wooden structures at the side of the road today that looked like this....

Can anyone tell me what they are for and what they do? I think it may have something to do with snow, but I am not sure. If it is snow related, and in some way they help to stop snow from getting on the road, who builds and pays for them?

I wanted to see the Flaming Gorge National Recreation area as my map told me two things. I would have to ride 60+ miles on an interstate (groan) and I would have to return to Wyoming to get there. I got to Green River in Wyoming and had a decision to make. I had been playing “dodge the rain” (I am now an expert at this sport) for the past two hours but it seemed a might just get rained on for the 3rd time on my tour if I carried on riding. I check at the local information center and realised I would be short of time if I tried to see the Gorge today, but I having seen the delights that Green River had to offer, I decided to press on anyway, hoping to find somewhere to stay that was better than at Green River.

Soon, the chances of me staying dry looked very slim as I was riding into this....

I even took a video of this strange weather....the quality is rubbish as I took it while riding with my point-and-shoot camera.....



Remarkably, I found somewhere to stay before I got rained on – the almost brand new R Hideout (website) at a place called Manila, in Utah, very close to the Gorge.

I was able to park my bike right outside my room....

I got chatting to the owners of the motel, Brent and Elaine Stewart who have had the dream of running such a place for a long time and who have been building the place for the last three years. It opened just this summer and I have to say it is one of the best motel type places I have stayed at. They have done a great job. This is them.... very nice people....

As it looked like rain, I moved my bike under the shelter of the overhanging roof and this then became the centre for the other guests to meet and talk....

From left to right, here are Deter and Monica from Germany, Candy and Gary from the USA, Rose and Bill, originally from the UK. We were comparing road stories, sharing a drink, which then led to sharing a meal. More nice people.

It was a day for meeting nice people!