This is a ride to the best roads in Utah, to experience the haunting beauty of the Moki Dugway switchbacks and the majestic Valley of the Gods. This is where red-rock formations tower hundreds of feet in the air. This is where a road has literally been carved from the face of a cliff.
For our visit of Valley of the Gods we stayed in a motel in Mexican Hat - but having traveled Utah before and after our nice evening in Boulder, we were a bit disappointed by the infrastructure. The only open restaurant was at the San Juan Motel right at the Colorado river.
We started our day and wanted to visit the Valley of the Gods - but due to me having been tired the day before I first forced my little three people travel group to ride one of the roads that we had already traveled to enjoy it again but this time full go energy: the Moki Dugway Switchbacks.
The switchbacks of Moki Dugway are located only a few hundred meters from one of the entry points of Valley of the Gods - and definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
Moki Dugway was constructed in 1958 as a route for transporting mined materials and has literally been carved from the face of the cliff. "Moki" is a local term for the ancient Puebloan people who inhabited the Colorado Plateau hundreds of years ago. "Dugway" is a term used to describe a roadway carved from a hillside. The drastic switchbacks offer stunning views of the Valley of the Gods, the San Juan River Canyon, and on the horizon, you can even see Monument Valley.
Afterwards we finally visited the Valley of the Gods. The road through Valley of the Gods runs between Highways 163 and 261. It is a hidden gem and offers isolated buttes, towering pinnacles and wide open spaces as far as the horizon. The rocks are shaded orange and red from the oxidized iron w in, their sandstone dating back over 250 million years. A 27 kilometer dirt and gravel road winds through the valley. A great place to get away from civilization - to enjoy nature as it has been thousands an thousands of years.
Like Moki Dugway the road through the Valley of the Gods is definitly one of the Must-Visits when traveling through Utah with a motorcycle.
Our next stop was the town Bluff. If you are looking for a place to stay in the area make sure you choose Bluff over Mexican Hat. There is a range of options from rustic cabins, to a big RV park - and as well a good choice of restaurants. In our case we were of course looking for a delicious big breakfast - and found it at Twin Rocks Cafe.
// A roadtrip that dreams are made of: join my journey through the United States of America. From Los Angeles in California on the westcoast to Miami in Florida on the eastcoast.
9,000 kilometers,
13 states,
28 days,
1 motorcycle
// NEW EPISODE OUT EVERY THURSDAY 19:30 CET
// Time of the journey: May-June 2021
// Welcome to the journey! I am Lea Rieck, a journalist and author and I want to take you with me on a motorcycle overlanding adventure to all the wild and beautiful places in the world!
// I circumnavigated the world solo from 2016-2017 and now I am going to all other places I have not seen yet. On the channel: my motorcycle trip around africa/ the first stage of the journey through westafrica, my motorcycle ride from Germany to North Cape "Expedition North" and the best places to do a roadtrip to in Europe. Cureently on the channel: CROSS-COUNTRY USA
// Riding a Yamaha Ténéré 700. Bought the motorcycle myself from the press fleet of Yamaha USA (thank you Yamaha USA for making this possible. Ténérés were short on stock at all dealers I required one at)
Watch the review of my european Yamaha Ténéré 700 here:
• YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700: The...
//Equipment & Gear:
- Touratech Companero Summer Jacket & Pants (given to me by Touratech after my old suit got stolen on the ship from westafrica)
- BMW GS Gloves (self bought)
- Alpinestar Toucan Boots (self bought)
- Klim Krios Pro Helmet (self bought)
- Leatt Neckbrace (given to me by Leatt as my self-bought neckbrace was still in Africa)
- BMW Cooling Vest
Watch the review for my helmets here:
• BEST MOTORCYCLE HELMET...
//Filmed with:
Drone: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 rIII
2 x Go Pro Hero 8
DJI OSMO Pocket
Iphone 12
Tripod: Manfrotto BeFree
Tripod Iphone: Joby GorillaPod
Editing Program: Final Cut Pro X
//Follow me on:
/ lea_rieck
/ got2go.de
www.learieck.de/
#valleyofthegods #mokidugway #usaroadtrip #motovlogger #got2go #learieck