BackRoads: Utah - Rock Hunt

The “Mild Bunch”, a group of riders in San Antonio, Texas launch out of Helotes, Texas every year in the last days of May for a long weekend in Big Bend National Park. This ride has been a tradition since 1996. At a birthday party of one of the Mild Bunch members in Jan 2005 someone mentioned extending the 2006 trip to go on up to the Grand Canyon. Being the type of a party where there were some libations, it was not long before the trip was extended on up into Utah.

As it turns out, I’m glad we ran out of alcohol at that party. My gas budget and my butt couldn’t have withstood much more than the trip with which we ended up riding!

Over the next 17 months the ride organizers read everything that they could on the many places to ride and see in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. The main objective was to see as much as possible from the seat of a motorcycle and at the same time minimize the time spent on the interstate super slabs trailing behind diesel-belching, rubber-throwing 18-wheelers.

What we learned is that even after having done all of the research you think possible; there are still hidden gems that are to be found along the path. In short, you’ve got to get out on the ride to find some of the better places.

As mentioned earlier, this trip was to be a continuation of the traditional Mild Bunch pilgrimage to Big Bend so it had to take place in May. There were some of the Mild Bunch riders who, because of little nuisances called “jobs” and “livelihoods”, would be unable to make the entire ride but would have to return to San Antonio the following Monday after Big Bend. They were with us in spirit, though not in body.

Although there is as always much to see and do on the ride to and around Big Bend National Park, this article will be focused on some of the roads and experiences encountered as twelve of the bikes and sixteen riders pressed on from Big Bend toward the Grand Canyon and the wide open spaces and places beyond.

Our route took us from Big Bend into New Mexico to Silver City, through Arizona to the Grand Canyon and on into Utah where we enjoyed the many scenic roads and National Forests that adorn the southern half of Utah. From there it was down through New Mexico and home to Texas. We rode at elevations that ranged from sea level on up to over 9,300 feet where the Aspens were thick and the air was thin. Even though several of the bikes were carbureted, they seemed to adjust well on their own and luckily we had no mechanical problems with the exception of a saddle bag lid coming unclasped at what seemed then as every 100 miles which forced the group to have to stop. (The rider of that scooter is now...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "Utah - Rock Hunt". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Sep / Oct 2006 where this article was originally published.

availabilty: sold out