Dolores to Dove Creek, CO Mon 7/20/2015

     Today is decision time.  I'm getting close to running out of time to be able to make it to San Francisco before I have to be back in Mesa, Arizona for the start of school.  In less than two miles there's a junction in the road.  Do I stay on State Route 145 to Cortez, Colorado and head for home  through the Navajo Reservation via Kayenta, Tuba City, Flagstaff, and Payson?  Or do I turn right  and head northwest on State Route 184 to Dove Creek, Colorado and then across southern Utah and continue on to San Francisco?  My calculations tell me I can make it if I average 50 miles a day.  Now I''m thinking, I can do this.  So I turned right and steered my tires onto SR 184 asphalt.

I stopped at a gas station just out of Dolores to buy a highway map of Utah, and as I was about to leave I met Bryan Myers from the Dallas, Texas area.  He was transplanted there from Pennsylvania and he's riding the same route to San Francisco as I am.  He said  he'd ride along with me for a little while, but I told him don't let me slow you down if you have a schedule you have to meet.  Soon he was getting further and further into the distance ahead of me and then I lost sight of him.  We met up a couple more times.  Once at Hite Marina at Lake Powell and again at Hanksville, Utah.

Bryan texted me this picture on August 9th with this message:  "Larry, this is Bryan.  Rode across the Golden Gate Bridge today...you'll have to do it...great fun!  Feet in the Pacific yesterday.  Emotional when I first saw water!  Your turn soon!!!  You have my admiration Larry. Glad our paths crossed.  Bryan."  I was very glad our paths crossed, too.

Narraguinnep Reservoir west of Dolores, CO.

Sleeping Ute Mountain near Cortez, CO

Cultivating in process.

The area between Dolores and Dove Creek, CO is touted as the pinto bean capital of the world.

More farmland.

Sprinklers watering the thirsty crops.

I think this is a alpaca.

Looks like a sunflower seed field.

Pinto bean elevators.

A welcomed motel in Dove Creek, CO.  I'll be in Utah in a few miles.