Uncle Sam 2023: Road Trip Travelogue Part Four

In his final travelogue entry, Eric takes on an iconic route and Elvis officiates two weddings…

Words and photos by Eric Bierny

Day 14: Moab, Monument Valley and Grand Canyon National Park, 330 miles

We loaded the car and went for breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe and said goodbye to Gage. We hit the road to Mexican Hat around 8.30am. After 160 miles, we arrived where French rockstar Johnny Hallyday used to stay when visiting this part of US. When we saw the beauty and the quietness of the site, we understood why he liked the place so much. Continuing our trip to Monument Valley, we soon crossed the Arizona state border. After stopping to take funny pictures at the Forrest Gump Point, we went back on our way to the Navajo Nation. We entered the park and joined two trucks for our guided tour…

Our guide had served in the army during the Vietnam War and was a National Guard veteran. Visiting this park was a blast. The landscape reminded us of the best western movies (with John Wayne, or by John Ford) we watched when we were younger, it was like jumping through a movie screen! We ate at the resort restaurant, then ploughed on through strong winds to Cameron. Once there we visited the Cameron Trading Post, filled our tanks and continued to the hotel in Grand Canyon National Park. Just inside the park entrance, we stopped to enjoy the Desert View Point. We followed small, twisting roads with wildlife crossings and rolled into the hotel at dusk.

Day 15: Grand Canyon to Kingsman, 173 miles

I woke up early for a walk and a coffee – I always enjoy these quiet moments in the morning when I am alone. My brake lock remained blocked, and I tried to open it for 15 minutes without success. Finally, by knocking on the lock with a tool while turning the key, it unlocked. The park visit went above my expectations, we discovered an amazing landscape. We then left for Seligman, taking Route 64 to Willams and then I-40 ’til the Crookton road to join old Route 66. There was a strong side wind with tumbleweed crossing the road, and heavy rain. We took a picture of the bikes beneath the Route 66 road sign and were warned by two cars about rattlesnakes in the area. They explained that rattlesnakes could become aggressive in the current weather conditions. The group stopped in Seligman for a moment and visited small shops, which brought us back to the ’60s! Riding “ The Mother Road” was quite impressive even if weather conditions weren’t the best. Resuming our journey to Kingsman the weather became sunny and hot and we soon arrived at the hotel, unpacked and went for dinner. We secretly booked Las Vegas weddings for two of the couples, as one of the ladies didn’t know about the surprise!

Day 16 and 17: Las Vegas, London and Brussels

After a short rest, I helped my son and his girlfriend pack, and then joined Fab and Vero in the hotel lobby. Our Uber drove us to the airport, and we took our first plane without any problems, but the last group saw their flight cancelled and had to re-book two flights in a rush. Eventually we all arrived in Heathrow Airport, London, to travel the last leg to Brussels together. We were exhausted and slept in the airport during the layover, but the ambiance was nostalgic, as the trip we started to prepare 12 months ago ended. It was a wonderful adventure full of incredible and intense moments that will leave permanent memories. It strengthened the bound of our friendship and cemented our passion for riding.

We arrived in Brussels on 31 July in the evening and drove back home. Waiting for our next trip….