Day ONE in AZ -- WOW!

Riding my motorcycle is like therapy for me; there's is nothing more calming and pleasurable. Doing this in the mountains is probably the epitomy of this therapy -- the "Dr. Phil Moment" if you will. That's what I did yesterday.



I have uploaded about 30 pictures to my photo album: CLICK HERE (WARNING: clicking this will re-direct you away from this blog. Maybe better to 'right-click' and open a new window).

I left Belleville Sunday and went to Dallas where I met Brandunn for dinner. I drove 650 miles and was on time. He drove 5 miles and was 30 minutes late! Wassup with that? LOL But it was good to see him again and catch-up.

Monday I deliverd the steel tubing I had on and then reloaded two pieces going west and away I went. Tuesday I made my first stop on the TX/NM border and delivered a brand new Ford pick-up. Ironically, my route took me on a diagonal thru NM and back down into the far west tip of TX (El Paso) before crossing back into NM on I-10. My first NM scale decided they wanted to do a DOT inspection. The fact I had a sticker showing I had just been inspected - with zero defects - less than 2 monthes ago was unimportant. I now have a new sticker.

I dipped into TX, thru El Paso and then back up into NM thru another scale. I had to buy a $11 trip permit and continued on across. The next NM scale - my FOURTH in the state - decided they wanted to do ANOTHER inspection. When I showed them my pretty, new, yellow sticker I had just got that morning they changed their mind, thank you very much.

Wednesday I made a small side trip to pick up another vehicle and then continued on to Phoenix where I made both deliveries before lunch. My cousin was still out of town but had left a key for me so I was able to 'check-in.'

Yesterday was my first venture out on two wheels - more than 250 miles! I rode east on a heavily traveled two-lane road to Canyon Lake. It was beautiful. There has been alot of rain here also so things were quite green, and yellow and purple and red. The desert flowers were doing well. But there was so much traffic, and the road quite twisty that I had to pull over and actually stop many times to be able to 'see' the vista. I wished that there weren't so many people.

Be careful what you wish for! Shortly after passing Canyon Lake the asphalt road turned to dirt. I could have turned around but it was only 22 miles to the dam and asphalt again. What the heck. I had not washed my bike yet from my trip so off I went. 99% of the other 'tourists' opted to turn around. It took me almost three hours to cover that stretch! The road was fairly decent, considering. But many stretches were wash-boarded so bad that 8 mph was the best I could do. Then there where the soft spots where the front tire would decided to take a different track inspite of my desires. My top speed was rarely more than 18 mph.

Amazingly, I caught up with another group of bikes at one of my many stops, There were five people on 3 bikes from England. I had to laugh - not in their face of course - at their choice of clothing. They were dressed for 30 degree weather with head-to-toe rainsuits and full face helmets. It was 90 degrees out! They had to be dying when they stopped because there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

By the time I got back onto asphalt at the dam on Lake Roosevelt, it was after 3 and I was whupped. I had ridden about 130 miles and my butt hurt. My sunscreen was a magnet for all the dust and perspiration. I was ready for a shower and a shot. But first I had to go about 20 miles north and then make a left turn and 72 miles back west to Phoenix. I hooked up with an SUV that wanted to get there as bad as I did and we flew.

Today is a kayak day. My cousin is very out-doorsy, you know, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, yada-yada-yada. More fun in the sun for me. More tales to tell tomorrow.