With weather looking like there would be no more rain I left my son's house hoping to ride at least 500 miles so the dealer could do the 600-mile check on the new XR650L before I began the trip back east from Salt Lake City.  I also planned to buy a snowmobile suit in Salt Lake City because I was certain  I would find a much better selection there than in Virginia.  I need the snowmobile suit because I ride my motorcycles year round.  I began with two snowmobile dealers in Salt Lake City.  One had nothing in stock in my size, and the other had prices I wouldn't pay.  Disappointed, and resigned to a very chilly ride because the temperature was about 42 degrees, I headed south on Interstate 15, the highway to Las Vegas.  By then it was 11 AM, and I still had over 400 miles to go.

    A few miles south of Provo, Utah, a billboard for Zeeman Family Sports got my attention.  Following its lead, I easily found the store in Spanish Fork, a delightful small town, and began my second memorable business transaction in Utah.  Even accounting for it being well after the snowmobile season, I received outstanding service from an enthusiastic and helpful saleswoman.  A half hour later I had a set of Sno Rider bib-type pants, jacket, and mittens (for really cold weather mittens are two or three times better than gloves) that will keep me warm at 60 miles per hour and five degrees F., maybe colder.  I don't think wind chill charts go down that far.

    Needless to say, I was warm as toast for the rest of the day, which ended at 7:30 PM after 490 miles.  The combination of the extra-insulated jacket and bib pants gives extra protection to the chest, which gets exposed to cold air from both outside and inside.  The next test came at 10,000 feet and 35 degrees in the Rocky Mountains - no chill.  After that was the freezing drizzle on the eastern Colorado plateau the morning of Day Three.  Again, I was warm and comfortable.  The Sno Rider suit was definitely water resistant, too.

    If you need winter sports equipment in Utah, see Zeeman Family Sports in Spanish Fork first.  You won't be disappointed.

    Update.  On a recent visit to Utah I found Zeeman Family Sports closed on a weekday and there were "Clearance" signs in the window.  I hope they are not going out of business, but that certainly is the appearance.

    The Sno Rider suit has served me well through two winters so far, including a trip to Syracuse, NY, in March.  The temperature got down to 29 degrees in the hills between Binghamton and Syracuse and I had light rain during my stay.
 

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