SAN RAFAEL
a desert adventure-ride web-narrative staring Billy Aller
fresh from previous staring roles in Black Mesa and Tabeguache.
BILLY ALLER ON SUZUKI DL650 V-Strom (Click on picture above for full-sized photograph)
Billy Aller, salesman at Davis Service Center, Montrose Colorado
riding like a dark angel through Valley of the Gods in southern Utah, demonstrating that yes, they do "ride what they sell." Wouldn't you buy a 650 V-Strom from this man? email Billy
Supporting  
cast  
  • Gene, R1200GS
  • Jamie, DL650,
  • Loren, KTM 950 Adventure
  • Verle, KLR650
    • Story  
    highlights  
  • Fast ride: on dirt, sand and rocky roads from UT313 to Junction 173 on I-70, then on to Green River on abandoned US6.
  • Lunch: at Ray's Tavern in Green River, UT.
  • Another fast ride: across the San Rafael Desert.
  • Lots of sand: after the first 30 or 40 miles.
  • Rough ride: from Hans Flat to the Flint Trail.
  • Challenging ride: down the Flint Trail.
  • And yet another fast ride: south to Hite.
  • Bench racing: in a rented mobil home at Hite with snack food for dinner, a bottle of Scotch, and three bottles of good wine.
  • Side trips: to Muley Point and Valley of the Gods the next morning on the way home.
  • Brunch: Twin Rocks Cafe in Bluff, UT
    • Story  
    synopsis           		Sunday, March 26, 2006: Five Colorado riders from Montrose and Cedaredge meet in Delta for a ride across the San Rafael and beyond into the beautiful, rugged deserts of southeastern Utah. Rider ages range from a youthful 32 to an aging-but-still-functional 67. All are experienced riders; all ride together frequently; skills vary from very, very fast and competent to fast enough and acceptably competent.

    The route: South out of Green River Utah, 70 miles across the San Rafael Desert to Hans Flat, on south across 11 miles or so of rough, rocky, sandy 4WD road to the Flint Trail, then 3 miles in distance/1000 feet in elevation change down the steep, rutted, rough Flint Trail with snow, ice and mud near the top, on south another 40 miles or so of occasionally rough, rocky and sandy 4WD road to paved UT95 a few miles north of Hite. About 120 miles of unpaved road with no towns, no houses and few people. At various places in the desert Billy and Jamie hit speeds of 100 MPH on their 650 V-Stroms. Asked if such speeds were possible, trail guide Verle replied, "Sure, I've done 100MPH myself on a DL650 on unpaved roads." But who is to believe Verle? More telling is this quote from a companion fast rider: "The desert terrain has significant and sudden elevation changes. Sometimes we can see for miles. Billy's dust cloud would just get farther and farther away until finally it wasn't there any more."

    The plot thickens with a pleasant lady Ranger at the entrance to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the boundaries of which the riders would be within for the next 50 miles or so. With a smile, she offers her version of a predictable question: "You sure you want to take those big bikes down the Flint Trail? It's rough, rutted and there are reports of snow, ice and mud near the top." Verle, the self-styled trail guide, smiles too: "If the guy with the new $17,000 BMW does it, we all will." Verle promises to walk the top of the trail before riding and rejoins the group to find them fixing a flat rear tire on Gene's R1200GS. Verle rides ahead to check the Flint Trail. It's just as the ranger described. Naturally, this doesn't discourage these riders who always want to go forward, not backward.

    Tire freshly plugged and holding air, Gene does take the R1200GS down the steep snow, ice and mud trail, an impressive feat indeed, literally a "cliff hanger." Loren rides old-man Verle's KLR down the first two sections of snow. Jamie, who on his DL650 forged ahead down the first section, walks back up and rides Loren's KTM down. Billy, who had ridden his DL650 down as though he didn't notice the descent was dangerous and difficult, waited patiently at a switchback below. The riders regroup. There are more sections of snow and ice. Committed now (who could ride back up), Verle rides the KLR through the remaining snow sections himself with the engine dead, feathering the clutch as a rear brake, walking it down the snow. It's easier than he thought it would be.

    Billy and Loren arrive fairly close together at Hite, well ahead of Gene who is nursing a low tire and Verle who appreciates an excuse to slow down. Jamie arrives a few minutes later having stopped frequently to take pictures. Loren has rented a mobile home for the night and rousted a helpful employee who opens the small store so they can buy snack food. The mobile home is clean and comfortable, well stocked with dishes, even wine glasses, and has a microwave oven and coffee maker.

    The next morning, Gene's rear tire is flat again but likely leaking slowly. Gene decides to air the tire and head home by the shortest route. The remaining riders continue on with a planned visit to Muley Point, Moki Dugway and Bluff for an early lunch. The ride home continues through Blanding, Monticello in Utah, Paradox Valley in Colorado, down the Dolores River to CO141 and through Gateway to Whitewater.

    Those readers wanting blood, gore and romance will be disappointed; nobody crashes, there are no girls in distress to be rescued, the ranger is probably married, the waitress at the Twin Rocks Cafe is cute but very young. It's a riding story, told by people who ride and ride a lot and ride hard and fast. This story packs a lot of action into one day. Adventure short-tripping: what could be more fun for adventure-seeking riders who, for various reasons, can't ride far and long.

    Billy says it well at the end of the first day: "I've dreamed of this ride. I just didn't know where the road was."

    Still Shots by Verle (click on small pictures below for full-sized photographs)
    Outside Ray's Tavern, Green River, Utah.
    The New Wild Bunch, ready to head towards Robbers Roost.
    Jamie working himself up, not to climb a hill but to descend a cliff.
    Jamie goes. Loren is ready to score him points if he dabs.
    Jamie is cautious but very much in control. Why do pictures fail to show how steep it is?
    Jamie looks back; Billy starts his descent.
    Billy goes quickly as Billy does but what does Loren see on the trail?
    And off they go. Hey guys, it's steeper around the corner and the snow covers the road.
    Still Shots by Jamie Nance (click on small pictures below for full-sized photographs)
    Verle, doing his favorite thing, on a favorite motorcycle, on a favorite road. The wild bunch with Loren behind Jamie's camera.
    Gene (upper left),
    Billy (upper right),
    Verle (lower left),
    Jamie (lower right).
    (Top of Flint Trail)
    Inspiration: This adventure was inspired in part by an article entitled "Canyonlands: Adventure Touring in Utah", authored by Verle Nelson, published in the October 2000 issue of Dual Sport News. Appropriate parts of that article are reproduced below:

    ...pick up another dirt road on north towards the town of Green River. This road is not marked, but you can't miss it. There is a "View Point" sign nearby although the view point is on the other side of the road. Follow your map for about thirty miles, duck under I-70 and you will be on old US highway 6 and 50. Travel it westward fourteen miles to Green River where you will find water, gasoline, food and the road south across the San Rafael desert.

    It's easy to find the San Rafael desert road. From downtown Green River, head south on Long Street. Follow the most obvious road, over the railroad tracks, under the Interstate highway and on south into the desert. If this was 100 years ago, you might be Butch Cassidy headed for Robber's Roost. Some members of the Wild Bunch did cross the San Rafael desert on their way to the Roost; others went to Hanksville first.

    Some people may find the San Rafael desert boring. I like it. It's a big place with very little human activity. Once, about midway across this desert, I paced a small herd of wild horses. They were running fast on a parallel course — not too close, but close enough for me to sense the powerful muscles of the proud white stallion in the lead. Big desert, no fences, pure freedom. Soon, they veered off behind a butte and were gone. A dreamlike image I'll never forget.

    It's seventy miles, more or less, to the ranger outpost on Hans Flats. At about 29 miles, take the left fork towards Horseshoe Canyon. You may have heard about some really impressive pictographs in Horseshoe Canyon. You've probably seen pictures of them in National Geographic and other magazines. Life sized, ghost-like figures painted on the canyon wall — you find them after walking several miles down into the canyon bottom. My wife and I hiked the round trip years ago on a 105 degree day. We had long-sleeved shirts, hiking boots, one-gallon canteens and really big hats. Add this to your list of places to re-visit with your walking shoes.

    Skip the side trip to the Horseshoe Canyon parking area and follow the road to Hans Flat. Check your map if in doubt at intersections. You won't be far into the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area when you come to the ranger outpost. You must stop here. Tell them you are just passing through, assure them your motorcycle is street-legal, promise not to camp in their domain and be on your way.

    It's nine more miles to the Flint Trail. I suggest you pull off to the left soon after leaving the ranger outpost — on an established trail. Park your bike, find a comfortable spot and admire the view from the Orange Cliffs. Look close and you may spot Murphy Hogback.

    The Flint Trail is one of those spots where you quickly lose several hundred feet of altitude by switchbacking down the face of a cliff. It's easy or difficult depending on recent rains and washouts. If you are riding a big, heavy dual sport with tall gearing, you might want to walk the trail first. It's hard to change your mind when you are part way down on a steep section. There are several tight, rough turns. Be careful. Just past the bottom of the Flint Trail is an intersection. Study your map or follow the signs to Hite, 35 miles on south.

    After five miles or so, you will see a side road to Sunset Pass. If you are making good time, check it out. It's only about four miles or less to the top of the pass. From there you will be looking down South Hatch Canyon toward the Henry Mountains. You are seeing some really remote country, now. You can't get there in a vehicle except by the road you are on which ends up in a stream bed and is really hard to find from below, or you might come in from the west, down Poison Spring Canyon from highway 95. After you ford the Dirty Devil river and drive for miles (on a road that may or may not be passable anymore) to North Hatch Canyon you can cross a ridge into South Hatch. I like South Hatch Canyon. I've camped there several times and I've never seen another soul. That was mostly long ago. I had a boat named South Hatch on the Chesapeake Bay — surely the only boat on the east coast named after a remote Utah canyon. [Note: since this article was published, I rode west over Sunset Pass and out through Poison Spring Canyon. The road down from Sunset Pass into South Hatch Canyon no longer disappears in a stream bed; it is now marked and easy to follow. The road from North Hatch to the Dirty Devil was easy riding but showed evidence of recent road work to repair washouts that would have made the road impassable. The Poison Spring Canyon road frequently travels the boulder-strewn stream bed, an exceptionally rough route. --Verle Nelson]

    Meanwhile, back on the road south, continue on towards Hite. This road ends at highway 95, midway between two arms of Lake Powell. One arm extends up the Dirty Devil, the other up the Colorado. Turn south yet again and cross the bridge over Lake Powell. Two miles beyond the bridge, a road to the right leads to the Hite campground and marina. Go there for water, gasoline and snack food.

    Verle Nelson — Cedaredge, Colorado — March 28, 2006