Then, in a rude blast of noise and violation, a minivan came rushing up near us and skidded to a stop in a cloud of dust. The four-wheeled tin can ruptured at the seams and from them a hoard of noisy kids erupted. The parents—screaming conflicting orders to their seemingly deaf brood—tried to coax the last child out to see the sights but Shrek on the minivan’s DVD player was far more interesting. Dad pleaded, “We’ve come all this way. It’s beautiful. You might never see this place again.” Mom sympathized with her smaller version, “Aww, leave her alone. Everything has looked the same for the last 200 miles. It’s so desolate. I can’t believe that people actually live here. I can’t wait to get to Vegas.” How can members of the same species respond so differently to the same stimuli? The biker cliché of destination, journey and life jumped right out and became real. Thankfully, the interlopers were quickly gone, eyes glued to the screen in the minivan, blazing a trail to Vegas. Yet it took a while for the aura of the magical place to return to what it had been. We took the time. We made the time. It’s the one big thing that elevates motorcycle touring above any other form of recreational transportation—that sense of actually experiencing a place as you ride through it—the minute changes of temperature, smell and life.  “Beauty is before me.” (Click image to enlarge)

Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Canyonlands, Arches, Capital Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon—any one of these special places is a world-class destination in itself. To have all of them situated along a wonderfully convenient Grand Loop through northern Arizona and southern Utah is simply breathtaking and what makes this loop such a popular destination for foreign travelers. Underutilized and underappreciated by U.S. tourists, much of it is wide open and uncrowded—perfect for a motorcycle tour. A rider can enter the loop anywhere along its path and easily follow it around and back to the starting point in a week to 10 days. It is a trip well worth planning. It is the ride of a lifetime. (Click images to enlarge)

In the predawn dark, we turned over the big twin engines of our Harley touring bikes—hers a brand new purple and silver, factory custom Road King and mine a well-experienced, black and chrome Electraglide Classic. We elected to make a single hard push from Houston to Gallup, N.M., to allow us as much time in canyon country as possible. A marathon ride like this is neither recommended nor particularly fun, but sometimes it’s worth it.

Relaxed and refreshed by a good night’s sleep, we began our Grand Loop ride by heading directly to Chinle, Ariz., and Canyon de Chelly. This national monument is a deep, wide and winding canyon cut into the sandstone by various rivers and streams, beginning with the Chinle Wash. The ride to and around Canyon de Chelly is fantastic. The roads are smooth, with new blacktop winding around the rim of the canyon, gaining and losing elevation with the surrounding terrain. The many scenic overlooks provide views both deep into the four gorges that make up Canyon de Chelly and up to the panoramas of the high plateaus and mountains in the distance. Throughout the canyon, well-preserved, cliffside ruins are remnants of the Anasazi who thrived in this area for a thousand years until the mid-1300s when, for reasons still unexplained, they simply disappeared, leaving behind a rich legacy of dwellings, petroglyphs and pottery. The canyon itself lies entirely within the Navajo reservation, and access to the canyon floor is limited to 4-wheel and horseback excursions escorted by Navajo guides. It’s great to be exposed to the local history and culture by the people who have lived here the last 400 years or so, and, at the same time, experience the canyon from the awesome perspective of being within. “Beauty is around me. ” (Click images to enlarge)

From Chinle, we headed across the desert to Kayenta, Ariz. The roads were empty of traffic and, as the sun approached the western horizon, the air took on a bit of October chill. The sky and the few high, thin cirrus clouds were illuminated with the most glorious shades of blue, pink and purple. “Beauty is above me.”