I’m just finishing a leisurely 100-mile cruise through California’s Joshua Tree National Park on a late afternoon in April. I head north on Highway 247, and soon after entering this massive OHV area, strong wind gusts from all directions start shoving around my laden, 712-pound Honda Interstate cruiser.

Something is rustling outside. I'm lying in the tent and my thoughts circle around bears. But bears here in this semi-desert area of Arizona? Can't be! I just want to continue sleeping. no way. The strange visitor outside rustles more. I shout through the canvas of my mobile accommodation, shake the tent's walls. Doesn't bother him. Finally I decide to get out and scare the harasser away.

The modern-day popular media has often portrayed the Anasazi people as having mysteriously vanished without a trace. Some have even implied that there is a paranormal or extraterrestrial explanation for their "sudden" disappearance. In our quest to better understand the more earthly explanation for the Anasazi's disappearance, Steve and I continue our September riding adventure, along the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway, into the remote southeast corner of Utah.

"Nobody goes up the mountain anymore," laments Bob, my newfound, 76-year-old friend. "Everybody takes the highway. You got to go up the mountain!" Since this local character clearly has had much time to collect wisdom, I decide I best take him up on his advice.

Extreme elevation changes, serpentine stretches of blacktop, and awe-inspiring scenery are the rule, not the exception in Northern Arizona. In a loop-ride of just over 300 miles, one can sample most of what makes this region world-famous. Visit a mining town, ride along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, buy Native American jewelry on the Navajo Reservation, dine in the pines of Flagstaff, and gape at the Red Rocks of Sedona - all in a one-day adventure or leisurely spread over a weekend.Sedon