Having visited Monument Valley in Utah the previous day, I was expecting something a little less impressive from the Grand Canyon. I mean, how big can it be, right? It’s only a hole in the ground after all. I was up before the sun and headed to see the hole in the ground. I made my way across the desert and experienced what had to be one of the scariest moments of my trip. A sandstorm came out of nowhere, and did it’s best to kill me. Fortunately, I came across a gas station and the owner let me shelter until the storm had passed. It was very short-lived and I was soon on my way again. The bike wasn’t looking too happy about the whole thing though. I promised her a good wash the next day and continued.

I approached the Canyon from the North, heading up to the North rim. At that time, the road was being repaved, and in effect was a dirt track. They had dug all the tarmac for about 25 miles up in preparation for relaying. Hmm, I though on the way up, “as long as it stays dry, I should be fine.”

Harley Davidsons are not renowned for their suspension, and mine took a battering. But I parked near the rim and walked the rest of the way up to Bright Angel Point. It was a beautiful day. Clear blue skies and a perfect view. I was not prepared for the size and scale of the thing. Unless you have seen it with your own eyes, the Grand Canyon cannot be appreciated fully. It’s huge. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, “The Grand Canyon is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to the Grand Canyon.”

For a while, I just sat on the ground leaning against a dead tree and took in the vastness of the Canyon. Then I noticed a little storm in the distance. Just a few dark clouds, and the suddenly, there were a lot of dark clouds. Enormous, rain filled, thunderclouds. Maybe they won’t come this way, I thought. No, they did. Oh well, maybe I can just wait it out. It’s only a little thunderstorm. I took shelter in a little wooden hut and decided to wait out the now torrential downpour. I didn’t think it rained in the desert. Idiot. After about 2 hours, it was clear it wasn’t going to let up and I didn’t like the idea of trying to make my way down a dirt road in the dark while it was raining. So I decided to make my way down before it got dark.

Of course, by now the dirt track was actually a mud bath and I had great fun using a Fat Boy as a dirt tracker. By the time I eventually made it back down to Jacob Lake, both I and my bike were completely covered in mud. I cleaned up alright, but the bike was never quite the same. The chrome lost a little luster and the paintwork never seemed to have the same shine. Poor thing. Next stop the Rockies.

Of course, when I was there, the Grand Canyon Skywalk was not there, but these videos give you an idea of how huge the thing is. You have to go.