Days 145, 146,147

20131122. Day 145. Friday

Going nowhere today. 

Ayup, staying in today. So that means breakfast and a French Press full of Thanksgiving Blend will be enjoyed leisurely. Very leisurely today. And because its showering outside, as good a day as any to be here and not on the road.

I have a few things to do inside, and then have to work on my trailer. We bought a new LED light for over the table. Low energy use is big. I dont like worrying about low 12V batteries. So I wire in a switch and hang up that light. Plus we find the switch for the kitchen light.

We notice the sky has some blue showing, so we grab the umbrella and head for the hills. There is a 2-1/2 mile loop trail around here. I need some exercise. All this eating isnt doing the pants and belt much good. Its a neat hike. Up and over a few hills. And over some strange colored rocks

Amongst rocks and cactus and all kinda cool desert plants we havent really seen up close.

It showers on us a bit a few times, but not to badly. We keep moving.

Lauren had spotted a RoadRunner, and we were hoping to see another one, or something equally as interesting. But all we see is cool scenery and nice views.

It was a nice hike, and we enjoyed it alot. 
Back at the campah, I attacked the trailer, changed the wheels and tires, and worked on brackets for the fenders. I also fixed a few things on the RV. Lauren got to enjoy some alone time inside, with a sponge and some podcasts to listen to while she was cleaning. It was a good day, we got a lot done
Dinner was Keilbasa for me, Homefries for us, with a salad also. Dam, we eat good!
Weather today was clouds, showers, occasional blue sky. Maybe 65, tonight its going down into the 40s.

Total miles today was zero on the RV, zero on the Bike, and 2.7 on the legs!

Tomorrow is suppose to be another rainy day, we might go to Benson, find some free WiFi and plan out TurkeyDay

20131123. Day 146. Saturday.

Rainy day in the desert.

Thats rare, or so it seems. We havent seen much rain at all out here. Last time we were in any precipitation was when it snowed on us in Mt.Carmel, You-Tar. That was 25 days ago. Not far enough away that I didnt forget we had a leak in the roof back then. I had patched it a couple weeks ago when we were in Cottonwood, AZ. I double checked it yesterday, it seems like I got it. Today will be the test, as the weather forecast is for close to 1 inch of rain, a slow, steady soaking rain. The kind they like in the desert.
We woke up, and it was chilly in the house here. Brrr. Nothing like a night below 40degrees to remind us why the desert can not always be so appealing. It was damp also. We fire up the Big Buddy heater, and that is like an oven. 10 minutes and its warm enough in here. No problem with liking that. Lauren brewed up a french press full of TurkeyDay Blend, and I, umm, watched. She is so good at it, far be it for me to interfere. No way, I will just cook up some eggs after we shower. These restrooms are really clean, and the showers are ok hot enough, it doesn’t seem like they get used much. These Parks down here are geared towards seniors, and I suspect they just use there RV showers. 
I had a few things I wanted to get done today. Priority was to get the portable heater hooked into the LP tank on the RV. Its a pain, and pricey, to buy the little one pound bottles. I had considered buying a gas grill tank, seeing as I have a 12ft hose with the correct couplings for the heater, but its $49 for the tank, and then it needs to be refilled. Well, We have a good sized tank on the RV, just not sure how big. No specs can with it, so were guessing. Both time it showed 3/4 full on the interior gauge, we filled it up and it took about 3 gallons. When we bought it, it was between 1/4-1/2, and we put in 8 gallons. So, my estimate is it is close to 12 gallons. At 4.2 ponds per gallon, were probably carry 45+/- pounds of LP gas. Thats a good amount, and I plan to use it for the heater. Initially I had planned to tap into the tank on the outside, near where it fills. But then I would have had to bring the hose inside. That means making a hole in the campah, and what-not. So this morning I traced the gas lines, and found the manufacturer ran one inside, under the dinette bench, to the hot water heater. YES! Its 3/8 copper line. That certainly makes this easy. 
We wanted to go in the town of Benson to find some free WiFi after lunch. Or, between showers. We checked the weather app, and it looks like after 1:30 it will be only light showers, or none. 
We geared up, and pulled on the rain pants, and away we went. North on RT90, its only 10 miles to the town. We dodge the big puddles, and try to avoid the overspray from traffic. We get up to the junction of I-10. There is a MickeyD’s there. But first I want to go to the Ace hardware store. That means we have to get onto the interstate and head east 1 mile. Exit 303, and within a 1/4 mile we see the hardware store. Luckily I found a competent worker bee. He got me what I needed. Good job. 
We geared back up, took a quick peek thru town to see if we could find a small coffee shop that might have WiFi, but its a dead horse one light town. We head back to I-10, and cruise west 1 mile, back to RT90. We drip our way into MickeyD’s and park in the corner and hook up. We do some stuff, then a couple blog updates. We figure we better get out before were riding in the dark. So we gear up and head back out. Its not really raining now, just an occasional drizzle. Until you hit 70mph, then it gets c-c-c-cold. Brrrrr. But, its only 10 miles, so it goes quickly. 
We get back to the State Park, just as dusk is approaching us. The RV is a little chilly inside. I get right to work, and within 30 minutes, the new gas line is plumbed in, and were good to go. I have the 12ft hose, so we can move the heater back to the bedroom if we want. It sure is nice. This thing cranks out some heat, up to 18,000 BTU, so it can warm us right up quick. What a relief this is. One more problem eliminated. (Pat on the back, thank you, please)
Dinner was simple and delish. Chicken Fried rice! 
Weather today was crappy. Rain, cold, and just shitty
Total miles today, zero on the RV, 22 on the bike.
Tomorrow were sticking around here, its snowing in New Mexico. We might go see the historic FT. Huachuca. Plus I need to finish the fender fixes on the trailer.

20131124. Day 147. Sunday

Checking out the Fort. 

We woke up and it was chilly in here, and cold out there. Probably 40 outside. That is cold enough for me. But, whatta ya gonna do. It is what it is. We brew up the french press full of turkeyday blend. It is better then good. Then its time for granola and yogurt. Oh boy. I mean. Yum? Ha. After shivering thru the showers, we got into the riding gear and headed to the office to pay for another night. We would rather be chilly here, then cold in the snow in New Mexico. This place is about empty here, but wouldnt you know, someone has the spot reserved tonite. So we have to move. We saw site 14 was empty, and moved into that. Not really a big deal. We did go to the pump-n-dump and flush out the terlit tanks, then backed into the new site, and hooked back up to the utilities. A quick level with the jacks, and were good to go.
There is a historic Fort just down the road, so, we figured we would go look at that today. There really isnt a lot to do around here, so we will give this a shot. Neither one of us are really into the “military industrial complex” but, it is suppose to have a lot of historical stuff about Arizona and the area down there, within a few miles of Mexico. 
So, were just ready to gear up, and we hear the sprinkles hitting the roof of the campah. Not good. I can see blue skies just over there, but its a passing shower here. So we wait a few minutes, then decide to go anyways. Its still sprinkling, but hey, whatever. So down RT90 we go. Its only a couple miles and were out of the sprinkles, and into the sun. Doesnt matter, we have the heated jackets on, so were just toasty warm now. It only takes 20 minutes or so, and were heading in the main gates onto the base? Yea, thats were the museum is. We get to security, show the ID, and he gives us a map, and says have fun. So we ride in and finally stop and look at the map. They dont call this a base, its a post. Hmm, ok. Wonder were the historic fort is? Well, we dont really see much on the map. Luckily someone drives by and sees us looking confused, and offers to show us over to the area. We follow behind him a mile or two, and then he stops and points out all the historic buildings. OK, thanks. We look around, and the buildings might be historic, but there still in use? Ok, so we look for the museum. Nope, cant find that. We follow a road and end up on the hill, overlooking everything on the post.

Another look at the map, and we see were the museum is, so we head back to it. WTF, closed. Figures. Were kinda done now, but we see on the map, ghost towns, so we go take a look. Yup, nothing there either. Time to getdafukouttahere before the snipers target us. Were done. Back to the real world we go. 
RT90 north, and were on the way back to the campah. Its about 20 minutes, and were back, enough of that nonsense down there. I have to look at the bike, see if I can fix the kick stand switch. The one that shuts the motor off if you let the clutch out with the stand down. Thats a pain in the ass when that happens constantly. The first time it happened was in Lake Tahoe after I washed the bike. Now it seems to happen regularly. I cant really do much besides bypass it. But, before I do that, I will try to soak it with WD-40. If there is moisture in there, maybe it will help. Then back to fixing the fenders on the trailer, drilling the brackets so I can bolt them back in place. But, the cordless drill dont have enough sack to finish, so I need to do it in the morning before we leave. Not a big deal.
Dinner was soup and grilled hamster and cheese sandwitches. Yes!
Weather today, was partly cloudy, mostly chilly, with some sun. The weather forecast calls for a frost warning tonight. Uggh! 

Total miles today was Zero on the RV, and about 65 on the bike

Tomorrow we head for the hills, or at least head to New Mexico, and see how much snow they have. Boo

Days 142, 143 & 144

20131119. Day 142. Tuesday

Were on a mission. Well, going to one anyways

Morning arrives rather quickly again, for some reason it happens every day. Were use to it, and brew up the french press very quickly. Then its egg scrambles. Then we shower. Then we gear up to go. What a great habit we have here in our lovely campah. 
Todays destination is Tumaccacori National Park. About 40 miles south of us, within 10 miles of Nogales, Mexico. We cruise out to the Interstate 10, and head west. Were heading to Interstate 19 south. Its about 10 miles to the split. We get onto I-19 south, and traffic thins out quickly. I twist it up, and we get to hauling the mail. Again. Traffic moves out here. Speed limits are 75mph, so 85 is the normal speed. If your in the hammer lane, its 90+. I try not to stay in the hammer lane. No need to get a certificate now. 
I-19 is measured in KM. Kinda odd. I have to keep a running calculator in my head till finally, I just say screw it. We will see a sign for where we are heading. It takes about 45minutes, and were there. Exit 38, Tumaccacori National Park. Off the exit, left, and a left. North on the Frontage road. About 2 miles and were there. We park under the shade tree, and head on in. 

We save $3 each. Because of that spiffy pass we have. The lady volunteer tells us a tour is going out in about 5 minutes, if we go now, we can catch them in the courtyard.

My Beautiful wife waits impatiently for me!

Away we go. The fellow there is another volunteer. He certainly knows this place, and this area real well. We talks about the history of the King of Spain, and how he sent people here to convert the Indians to his religion. And there I go, A.D.D. kicks in, I’m lost to whatever he says. Religion is not exactly my favorite subject. One might even consider me a bit hostile to all that nonsense. But, we hang in there, and listen him up. 

He takes us on a tour, explaining that a “mission” is not a church, its a full blown settlement to convert people to there religion. Its interesting in the sense, they built a small community here, there, and everywhere. Converted those that they could, and cast away those they couldnt. Called them traitors, turned them into enemies. Its crazy. I have little interest in that nonsense, and pay little attention to it. In fact, my disdain, might have perturbed one or two of the other tourists. Go figga. Serves them right, they need a wake up call now and then. DOH!

We finally get outta there with any rafters falling in the old church, so I figured were safe for a few more decades. I dont think this impressed me at all. Done
Lets find a ride back to the camper anyways. We headed south down I-19 to exit 18. Followed River road over to RT82, Thats taking us on the fun ride, up by Patagonia Lake. Another Damb Dam out here. To save water for the population, who chose to live in an area with little to no water. Yes, indeed. We taxpayers bought them a damb dam, so they can live in an area without water??? Huh
Anywho, were motoring right along, at a nice pace. Up towards RT83. In the Coronada National Forest. We get there and head North, thru the cool hills, till we get back into the scrub desert. It sure is flat out here, and a tad boring. 
We get back to the Fairgrounds, pull up to the RV, and were done. Another day in the desert, with a mission. 
Dinner was grilled ham-n-cheese, with a salad to follow
Weather today was sunny, in the 70s, tonight its cooling off, into the low 50s
Total miles today, zero on the RV, 145 on the bike

Tomorrow we head east a bit, to the next state park. kartchner Caverns. 

20131120. Day 143. Wednesday

Heading East? And up? 

Time to move it along. Enough of Tucson. We have seen what we wanted, and been able to spend some time soaking up the warm weather. Hopefully, soaking up some in reserve. We might be needing it. 
Were up around the usual times, and I am a bit motivated this morning. I want to go get a couple scissor jacks for the back of the RV. To much movement during certain events. We need some stability back there, all that twisting and turning at bedtime. I also want to get a new light for the main area in the RV. I need LED lighting, low amp draws, and they last forever. We seemed to have drained the Coach battery kinda low somehow, something is draining it, slowly. Its my next challenge to find. I love electrical stuff. Um, yea. 
So, after a morning french press full of thanksgiving blend I move the campah over to a regular site, with water and juice. I need to get the batteries charged up, and Lauren needs to use the water. The fresh water tank was empty, after 4 days. Not bad, considering all the use. So, I gear up, and head towards the Air Force Base, about 10 miles up I-10 west. I get off exit 265 and go north on the industrial road towards the base, and take a right on contractor way. There are a bunch of auto salvage yards, and all I need are 2 scissor jacks. As long as there in working order, I am good to go. 1st place said nope. Aint got none. Hmm, ok, go to the 2nd place. He said sure, $23 each, plus tax, umm, ok, show me what you got. He comes back with two pieces of shit, rusted, no handles, total junk. I walk away. 3rd place said, he tosses them all into the scrap pile, scrap weight is UP. 4th place says sure, $60 bucks for the pair, but it will take an hour or more for the helpers to pull them. Fahgetaboutit. I was planning to go to Camper World anyways, I will just get the new ones for $70 a pair. I pull in, and of course I spend way more then I expect. But, I needed a couple thing, so thats just the way it goes, eh. I strap the stuff onto the bike, and cruise back to the Fairgrounds. 
Lauren has the wash mostly done, so I load up the bike, and get everything ready to go. She warms up some pasta for me, and were good to go. We head outta there and go north on Houghton Road again. First stop is an RV park, we wanna fill the propane. Its not low, but were still learning about the gauges and there accuracy. 2.9 gallons, and were done. Not bad, $10 worth of propane for 2 weeks. Not bad at all. Then we go get some Petrol, uggh, this is always painful. 21 gallons. It has been a while since we filled it. When we were just south of Phoenix. A week ago. Then to the Starbucks for some freelicious coffee, and an hour or so of internet. Finally we get back to traveling.
Were on I-10 west, were going to exit 302. Were at 275. This is easy. A nice ride upwards. Destination is the town of Benson. Were gonna hole up at Kartchner Caverns State Park for a couple days. Its suppose to rain friday, and saturday. So we will go towards Bisbee and Tombstone on Thursday. The sun is sinking low when we get to RT90 south. Its 10 miles from the interstate to the State Park. We heard a couple strange noises as we were traveling on the Interstate, but just figured it was stuff shifting around.

Cheap Chinese Tires explode.

We arrive just as the sun is gone, and were pulling into a dark park. We pick a site, and find the host. Friendly people. We pay for the weekend, and were done. Settled in. Plugged in to water and juice for $25/night. Fair enough. 

We have a quick dinner of salad and veggie burgers. Done
Weather today was high 60s, and breezy. You can feel the weather changing. Lots of stars out tonite, and a bright moon with them.

Total miles today was 63 on the RV, and 28 on the bike.

Tomorrow were tourists again, going south to Bisbee, and Tombstone. 

20131121. Day 144. Thursday

Tombstone or Bisbee or Both.

We are in the State Park just outside of Benson. They have Caverns here, but, its a pricey tour. $23/each side. Ouch. Thats right, they separate the caves, and charge you $23 for each tour. So if we were to do both, its just shy of a $100 for us. Doubtful we have any interest in that. 
We wake up, get outta bed, drag a comb across my head, on the way upstairs, i forget what I was saying. French Press and Thanksgiving Blend. Now thats what Im talkin bout. Indeed. Of course, some over easy eggs is the correct follow up for that, and we manage to fulfill ourselves up. Sure would be nice to have toast with them. This hobo lifestyle can be so difficult. 
We knew the weather was turning ugly in the next couple days. Friday and Saturday forecast calls for rain. Friday some, Saturdays more. Not much fun there. Use to be we would try to ride away from it, but now that we have a campah, we figure we can kinda hunker on down, and wait it out. And test the patch on the roof all at the same time. Thats a win win for everyone. 
Todays plan is to head south and do a couple tourist things. Tombstone is the home of the OK corral. Apparently there was a shoot out there once, a long while ago. Its a restored town from the mining heydays back in the 1800s. 
We gear up, and make a break for it. Down RT90 southbound we go. Throttle open, wind in the hair, letting it rip. No need to worry about speed limits out here it seems. Everyone just drives at the speed there comfortable. We go about 15 miles, then hang a left on RT82. Easterly direction now. The wind is starting to kick up a bit now, getting rather blustery. We blast along thru the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area without even blinking. Ho-Hum. Its just a riverbed with lots of trees, and it spreads out a bit. Once we cross thru all the greenery, were at the intersection of RT80. Bang a right and were southbound again, 3 miles to go. The weather is noticeably changing here. Big clouds are rolling in, and the wind is blustery. Definitely a storm is brewing now. 
We roll into Tombstone, and park on a side street and wander into cowboy row. Its a neat looking area. No traffic on the main drag thru here.

Just a couple of horse drawn carriages, willing to take you and 3 of your close friends and a tour of the scenic area. With stops at the OK corral, and the legendary courthouse, where the hanging gallows are still there. We pass at the chance to waste $30, and start wandering up the block. The shops were open, but not busy at all. Lots of gift stores, souvenirs and assorted craft shops. Boring. We do the full loop on the boardwalks, and wonder what all the hoopla is about. This is just boring. Unless your a cowboy junkie, and have a big interest in fake gunfights and assorted fuckery, then its a cool place. If not, its why bother. So, we had our lunch on a bench near the bike, and decided to git on outta here. Bisbee is next. 
We blast back to RT80, and continue southbound. Its another 20 miles, and were banging gears and gitting gone. Before to long were climbing into the Mule Mountains. Next thing ya know, were going thru the tunnel and dropping into Bisbee. An old mining town from back in the day. Its turned into a cool little hippy town now. Kinda full off odd people, and hipsters. And artists. And what not.

We park the bike in front of the coffee shop, and head in for a cup.We decide to indulge in some dessert while were there. Coffee was great. Pie was even better.

After getting recharged with caffeine, we wandered around this little town. Nothing to see here folks. Its an OK place. But, its really not very interesting on a cloudy cool Thursday in November.

Maybe a saturday night in October, or something like that. But there was nothing going on here today. Just regular people working. Perhaps if we were into art, or antiques, we might have had some interest. But, we just dont really have any interest in it. Not at all. So we head for splitsville. 
First thing we do is head south of town and look at the, ginourmous hole in the ground. The old copper mines. Pretty interesting.

We take some pitchers, and we notice the clouds are getting darker. And closer. We are up in elevation here, probably 5800 feet. Time to go. Now.

Back onto RT80 north, thru the Mule mountains we go. Its a nice ride here. Pretty close to these mountains. They just seem to rise up off the desert floor. Unique. We get to RT90, and hang a left. Heading into Sierra Vista. We can stop for groceries there and stock up a bit. Once were in town, we see the food store, and stop and shop. About $40 later were done and stuffing the panniers full for the blast back. 
We get back to RT90 North. Its only about 20 miles to the campground. Its a straight shot up and were on the way. 
We pull in just as the sun is sinking low in the sky.

It was not that interesting of a sightseeing day today. Fun to ride, see some new stuff, but not exactly our thing.
We had a great dinner. Lauren made supreme Nachos in the Oven, and rice and beans. Wow, great dinner. No really, my wife is an awesome cook. Me so lucky.
Weather today was cloudy, mid 60s, tonight is thick clouds, maybe mid 50s, dropping into the low 40s.

Total miles today. Zero on the RV, 110 on the bike.

Tomorrow were staying home. We have some chores to do on the RV, and might hike around in the state park.

Days 139,140 & 141

20131116. Day 139. Saturday

Can you say RACE! I thought you could

We woke up to the sounds of the quarter mile track to our east, doing test-n-tune. How sweet it is to hear that. After that subsides a bit, I hear the thumpers ripping it up over to our west, on the motocross track SWeET. Indeed. After that, I hear the warm ups at the oval track just south of us. Its gonna be a great day.

We have coffee, and shovel in some eggs. I think. Dont recall, i was slightly preoccupied. So after the showers are over, we gear up to go to the races. Pack a lunch, and fill the water bag. We hoped on the bike to ride over. To many fences between here and there to hoof it over. We stopped at the RV park (?) office and paid for the weekend, with the possibility of staying longer. And then were off. The schedule says the gates open at 12, so we can be there early, right? First one in is OK with me! Haha.

It takes us 5 minutes to get there, and its a little past noon time. Lauren is clearly way more excited then me, but I keep here toned down and we head on in.
Its $12/each, and worth every penny to me. We got seats at the top of the grandstands, in the shade, and out of the wind. They run qualifying laps, to set times for the heat races. Seems strange to me, but lets go. Heat races start after 2. Before them, they bring all the cars onto the front stretch, and have a meet-n-greet. I head right out there and crawl over a couple cars. What a variety of stuff. But, I also notice a big spread in the divisions. Some have real good shit, most dont.

The racing isnt as good as I wished it would be. New management here. That changes everything. Low car counts. Elite division is Super Late Models. 8 cars. Late models has 7 cars. Modifieds have 9 cars. Only division with a good count is the street stocks, with 17 cars.

They have a division called start stocks, a beginners class. 3 cars. Thats just not a race to me, when the leader wins an 8 lap race by a straightaway.
Even tho its not the greatest racing, I am beyond thrilled to be here. I havent been to the racetrack since Early June. To Seekonk. So, its awesome to smell some burning rubber, smell some 104 octane gas burning. Just being at a track feels so right to me. And Lauren probably enjoyed it more then me. She could barely contain herself during most of the racing. I managed to keep her from climbing over the pit fence to adjust some suspensions, luckily.
After the races were over, we rode the mile back to the fairgrounds. That was an awesome way to spend a saturday afternoon. We had a simple dinner, wraps are great when your in a hurry, perfect way to end the day.  And a beautiful sunset, with the full moon rising in the east, after all that is pretty awesome!

Weather today was high 60s, sunny, some wind. Cooler tonight, maybe in the low 50s
Total miles today, zero on the RV, 3 on the bike.
Tomorrow were going to see the Saguaro National Park, just about 10 miles north of us.

20131117. Day 140. Sunday

Heading to see another cactus or two

Sunday is perhaps the best day in a campground. Everyone leaves. Except us. When we woke up this morning, it was to the sound of dogs barking. Again. Since we got here to the RV park at the Fairgrounds, there has been a dog show going on. So there is a cluster of campers everywhere. And dogs everywhere. And barking dogs everywhere. Boo. I miss lil digga.
We cooked up some breakfast after the excellent french press was emptied. I was lagging today. Not sure why, maybe a day outside at the racetrack wore me out a bit more then expected. But, were not doing a whole lot today, so its good no matter what. We showered in the campah again, its really nice not having to wear shower shoes for a change. This place has showers, but, well, its a fairgrounds, enough said about that. We have hot water, there is plenty around here to refill with, lets use it, and not worry about it. We use very little LP gas, so its not a big deal.
We decided to walk into see the dog show, just to have a look around. I couldnt handle it. At all. Not just cause I miss little Digga, but I had a difficult time seeing all the dogs being restrained and controlled and pranced around like toys. People here have dogs as trophies or some kind of status symbol. I say fuck that, there dogs. Let them play, let them run, let them be dogs! I had to walk out before I started letting the dogs out of there cages and throwing balls for them to chase.

We went back to the campah, got our gear and saddled up and went for a ride. Out of the fairgrounds, and North on Houghton Road, about 10 miles, then a left onto E Broadway. Couple miles down, we hit the Home Cheapo. I need a couple brackets for the trailer, the ones holding the fenders on have broken from vibrations. Its not a very well built trailer. Its inexpensive, so I expected it to be that way. But I did not expect it to fall apart like that. So I got some stuff to patch it up, and we left. Back to Houghton road, heading south. We got to the Spanish Trail and headed east towards Saguaro National Park. As we approached the National Park, we both observed how unusual for a Park to be so close to an urban area like this. And it is. The outskirts of Tucson Suburbs are literally right on the doorstep of the Park. There does appear to be less density, but, its all so close.

We get into the Park, and head into the vissitiss center. This one hasnt been remodeled like all the other ones we have been in lately, so its a bit sparse. I am gonna suspect its kinda low on the priority list as far as National Parks go. But, the guy behind the counter was nice enough, and when we asked about riding the loop on a motorcycle, he said he was a rider and no worries, this one here is paved. So, we went for it. Its a nice loop. Is it worth the $10 entrance fee? Debatable, but, we have the flash-pass, so its kinda sorta free for us still. The toll collector told us to be careful, there are a lot of bicyclist out there, and they wreck pretty often. Haha, two wheeled fools!

Silly two wheelers

We circled our way around, took some pictures, and poked around.

We have seen a lot of cactus lately, so, its not really as impressive as once we first saw them. I suppose I am a tad bit bored with them? Or just feeling a bit worn down. Maybe both.

We continued riding the loop, at the halfway-ish point there was a pull out, so we stopped in to have a gander.

Plenty of cactus here on the hills all around us. We take the bunch of pictures,

and watch the bicycles try to make the hills in here. One of the guys having a rest from his bicycle ride approached us. Saw the plate on the bike, loved it, wanted to know about where we have been, were we are going, he rides a KLR. It is always fun to talk bikes. We got back on, and finished off the loop. It was only 9 miles, so it didn’t take long. On the way out, we stopped to use the terlit rooms,and I went back inside and asked the guy with the Harley, about a good ride up into the mountains. He whipped out the map, and showed me a good one. To late today. But now we have tomorrows plan.

A nibblin taste test, eh?

We left the park, and took a left, and headed south east on The Spanish Trail again. It winds around the National Park. I missed the turn I wanted to take, but a quick glance at the Garmin and I recalculated. One thing I have noticed is the Topo maps I have in there are dated. They dont have some of the newer roads on them. I also have a US road maps chip, but dont really like it as much, the TOPO map has great details about the areas were riding. When I need to find a gas stop, or something, I just use the phone, rather then change the chips out. Anywho, we got back to Houghton road, took a left, and were heading back south again. Back to the RV park at the campgrounds. We watched Motha Nature paint a beautiful Sunset, again. There really nice out here.

The sky is so big and beautiful.
Dinner was Brats and salad for me, salad and a sandwich for Lauren. Perfect. We lounged around after dinner, me typing notes, her reading book number 3247, or so.
Weather today was sunny, in the 70s, so wind, tonight is in the 50s, light breeze
Total miles today, zero on the RV, 50 on the Bike
Tomorrow were going to get some hairs cut, then ride up into the Catalina Mountains for a fun ride.

20131118. Day 141. Monday.

Lets ride to the top

We have spent what seems like an awful long time in the desert. But, I guess its only been a few weeks really. Depends on the definition I reckon. Las Vegas is Desert, Death Valley is desert, Utah is Desert, at least in my little pea size brain it is. Its hot, arid, dusty and sparsely populated. I like the warmth, i like the cactus, i like the friendly people. But, i am getting bored with it. Seen enough of it, time to move along. The only problem, is along means East. east means two things. One, Some higher elevations thru New Mexico. Two, heading east means heading towards home. Boo. No one wants to even think about that yet!
We woke up to another sunny sky, and beautiful 70 degree weather. Of course the French Press was chock full of Thanksgiving Blend, and the eggs were over easy, with some bacon, bacon, bacon. After the showers in the campah, were gearing up and going for a ride. We needed to get haircuts, and we found a place online, just up the road the way were heading. Eclips. $15/each, walk-ins welcome. That took a couple hours, but were pleased with the results. 2 months was enough time between cuts. Where is Sharon!!
After the cuts, were doing a pleasure ride. Up Mt.Lemmon. So, up Houghton Road we go, and then onto Catalina Highway. Were just north of the Saguaro National Park. I asked a biker in the National Park what a good ride was, and he immediately showed me this road on a map. I had spotted it previously, and thought it might be fun. He confirmed it for me!
East Catalina Highway runs right up into the foothills, and as your approaching the mountains, you can see the road, cut into the side. It looks inviting.

On the way to Mt.Lemmon

As we get right into the approach, you can sense the road is fun! There are signs indicating it is a “Heavy Enforcement” road. Another warning to watch your speed. GAME ON! Luckily, its mid day, and a low traffic day.

Heading up

The road turns into the MT.Lemmon Highway, and takes off.
Its one of those roads, and its one of those days. I am on my “A” game. The bike is running excellent. Were in the groove. Its only about 25 miles to the top. Elevation climbs from 3000ft, to over 8000ft. If i could ride this road everyday, I wouldn’t get sick of it. Its right.

This IS what its all about

I am in the moment. Clipping apexes, shifting up effortlessly, leaning in, trail braking, smooth downshifts, fast exit speeds, gears meshing just perfectly, no clutch, smooth throttle applications. It was just perfect. When we stopped for construction, I was all smiles, catching my breath, which I didn’t realize I was holding!!

Once we got over 7000 feet, the temps dropped, and the hands got cold. We still had some elevation to climb, and were going quickly up there. Before long, were approaching the village of SummerHaven. A town that is there for? Why? To justify that road? Works for me! We poke around a bit, nothing to see here. In fact, its empty. Nothing going on here. At all. We ride up a bit further, see the ski slopes. Boo, maybe a 1000ft vertical drop? Maybe 15 trails. One or two nail-biters, and that is it. Time for the descent.
If the ride up was fun, then the ride down should be better. Except now there is some traffic. And there is less throttle and more brakes. We manage to sneak by the slow pokes. And then turn it up a bit. Moving along at a rapid pace. Never really looking at the speedometer, just feeling the ride, feeling whats best, approaching each corner eagerly. Its so fun, until Lauren spots a car further down the hill, looking like a police car. Hmmm, I didnt see anything. Opps, approaching a bit quickly now arent we. Hmmm, back it down I suppose. My Guess is Sheriff John Brown wont like my rapid approach! Fun is over. Settle down and finish the descent. Time to catch my breath again.
We return to the foothills, satisfied that we found the ride. We moseyed back to the RV park just as the sun was sinking behind the horizon.

Just another colorful sunset on the horizon

Dinner was salad and grilled cheese. After dinner, we went out to watch Monday Night Football. At McGraws Tucson bar and Grill. Just a ho-hum place, with awful nachos. And the Patriots Lost.
Bedtime arrived quickly, and were done.
Weather today was typical, mid 70s daytime, low 50s evening.

Total miles today was Zero on the RV, and 98 on the bike

Tomorrow were going onna mission down near the Mexico border.

11/09/13 Lauren catching up. Thanks to Alex and Kathleen for a great week in Sedona!!!!

            It’s all over before it began! I looked forward to Kathleen and Alex visiting us from RI for four months, and now their plane is just about landing back in Warwick. At the start of September I texted them both to tell them how excited I was because it was midway between when we left home and the time until their visit to Sedona.

            David and I settled into a routine of traveling on the bike and now again with the camper. Milestones in our trip, like the cruise to Alaska, the visit with my mom, and soon our trip to Acapulco served as reminders that this trip is not our lives, but a honeymoon, a spectacular break from our lives, a time where we allowed ourselves to step outside of daily obligations and drudgery and enjoy the world around us.

            Spending a week with people from home felt comfortable and relaxing. As we caught up and visited National Monuments and parks, it reminded me of how much David and I have learned about our country, geography, geology, history and botany. I wouldn’t have expected to learn so much while on our trip. We told them about the elevation at which sage grows (3-6 thousand feet) and how riding out of mountains you can track the elevation by the sweet and savory smell of it on the hillside. How Alaska has no snakes. How it feels on a rare dry and sunny day to ride down the coast of Oregon on Highway 101 and feel the water in the breeze of the Pacific Ocean. Probably they thought this was all very boring. But normal conversation served as a benchmark for our trip and how we’ve both changed from it.

            The week also reminded us of home, how life continues on without us. How a new Italian deli opened in Apponaug, or a new Indian place in East Greenwich, or how much candy my cousin Grace scored at Halloween— and how we’re missing out on all of it. News from home felt bittersweet; glad to hear it, though it made me feel a bit homesick, but it was also a reminder of how we’ll have to abandon this routine of travel, exploration and pure happiness and return home to work imposed routines and the stresses of daily life. Hopefully we will not allow those routines to be oppressive, but enjoy them. Hopefully we will continue to travel and make time for exploring despite having to get jobs. And hopefully this trip has made us appreciate small things (like electricity, refrigerators, mustard, dishwashers, fresh coffee, paychecks, hot water, and weekends) and we don’t forget how wonderful these things are!

            We spent the week like real people on vacation, we ate at restaurants, drank more than we normally do, watched a movie, shopped in a touristy area, and relaxed. It was awesome. I especially appreciated not having to cook all week (I only made dinner the first night when Alex and Kathleen arrived in Arizona, since they traveled all day and showed up starving), and having my mom wash and fold my laundry. I was very spoiled!

            It was a fun week, I wish it lasted longer. Tonight we are back in the camper. The sun set awful early and since our batteries suck and we didn’t pay for an electric site, we readjusted quickly to sitting in the dark at 6pm, washing dishes in the dark, and adding sweaters as the air in the camper chilled. No more endless air controlled climate. No more hot water for as long you want to stand under the shower. But we’re excited to keep heading south and to move on to desert and cactus country. And there’s something to be said for being in our own space, our own bed. Even if this space is narrow, chilly, and everything falls off the counters the second we hit 10 miles an hour! 

Days 136,137 & 138

20131113. Day 136. Wednesday

Just another Lazy Day at the Park

Nowhere to go, nothing to see. Sounds OKay to me, lets sleep on in. Well, sleep isnt what I have in mind. Whats next? Lets see, Oh, right. NOTHING! 
Breakfast was extra good today, just relaxing and getting into the warmth. Eggs over easy please, with some Hamster underneath, and dont forget the cheeses please. Its gonna be in the 80s today, and that feels extra good. Its almost hot here! Cant hate that. 

I am going to finish the floor in the terlit room today. There is a patch in the middle that had me concerned. But, I uncovered it and learned it was probably a hole put in the floor to pull wiring thru for the tanks. If it hadnt been accessed in 20 years, why worry about it now. That will probably come back to bite me in the future. On well. 
So, thats the day. I put the new tiles down in the terlit room, Lauren worked on her resume and updating her online stuff. 
Dinner tonight was brats and salads, easy and Good. It was great having a day off. The warm weather makes it easy, you dont feel in any hurry to do much. 
Weather today was sunny and mid 80s, evening was in the mid 50s, and lots of stars out to enhance our viewing pleasure

Zero miles today. And zero miles today

Tomorrow we do a big ride, out to Organ Pipe National Monument. Looks like 300 miles round trip. 

20131114. Day 137. Thursday

Another day, another long ride in the desert

We spent a lot of time yesterday debating this ride were going to do toady. Its a lot of mies. And after our lousy run thru the Snoran Desert, were wondering how this will be out there. But, we figured if we didn’t go, we might wish we had, so we decided it was a go. 
We figured we should be on the road by 10:30, so we got up at 8:30 and set about doing our routine. Better have a good breakfast as its a long day. We had the egg scrambles today, with ham please, and leftover brats on the side. Oh yea. The one screw up is they clean the terlit rooms between 9-10am. Kinda early. Most campgrounds it is after lunch. It slowed us down a bit. We finally geared up and hit the road just before 11am. We pulled out of the park and got to the Shell Station at the frontage road. Game on! 
We headed up onto Interstate 10 and headed North, to the little town of Eloy. Once we got to Exit 208, we jumped off, and headed to RT84. Turned left and headed north a bit, thru the little dead town. A couple miles up, we took a left on West Battaglia Road, and followed that west until we cleared the outskirts of Arizona City. We took a left onto Indian-15. Thats the road name! Southwest direction we go. Its empty here. I mean, nobody on the road. We weave around some small mountains, and past a few old mines. There are a ton of cactus out here. Like trees back home, there everywhere. All shapes and sizes. Its so flat and empty, we get to cruising right along. Hauling the mail in fact. The only people out here are us, and the hundreds of Border Patrol Trucks and cars we see. Hordes of them. Everywhere. I just keep the throttle happy, and the revs up. Until we see a white SUV approaching from the south, no worries… OH shit, there is them strobes again. Light me up. Hmmm, I guess 82 in a 55 is frowned upon on this reservation. I close the throttle, and grab some brakes, and roll by him at a comfortable 60, I flash him a friendly peace sign and wave, he just keeps motoring along the other way. Thanks. No interest in getting hauled in front of Chief Wampum for speeding. Keep it at 70!
We finally get to the end of Indian-15, and bang a right onto RT86. The North Tucson-Ajo Highway. There is a bit more traffic here, but not a lot. Still a shit-ton of Border Patrol. They really are everywhere. Its 65 miles to the town of Why, so we keep the pace around 70+/- and click off the miles. Its interesting scenery here. Not the desert I expected. Lots of cactus, lots of low shrubby like trees, lots of shrubs. And lots of gravel out there. Not sand. Thats good, cause blowing sand is no fun to ride in. We finally get to Why, and take a left onto RT85, the North Ajo-Sonoita Highway. After the fuel stop and ass break, we head the final few miles south into the Organ Pipe National Monument. Its about 20 miles to the Visitors Center. And we pass thru a Border Patrol Checkpoint. Were going south, and there stopping all the northbound traffic. Still gotta slow down to 15 mph and crawl thru the Checkpoint carefully. 
Finally, were there, the vissitiss center is here now.

Cool place. Every thing you needed to know about the desert and the habitat. Its so informative in these museums. We gather a map, buy a sticker, and then chat up one of the park volunteers. I asked about the Ajo mountain road. Its a 21 mile loop around the desert, one way, with posted stops along the way. Bummer of it, its mostly dirt. Boo. But the Park volunteer said it was packed gravel. I mentioned I was riding a big bike, with street tires. He figured no problem, if you know how to ride, go for it. 
So we went for it. Geared up, and took off. The road is right across from the vissitiss center, just over RT85. Right away I was questioning my judgement. Obviously, the guy must never have ridden this road on a big bike before. Its packed gravel mostly, but Damb, its rough.

Washboards, loose spots, fist size rocks scattered across the road here and there and everywhere. What a mess. But, in for a dime, in for a dollar. We kept going. The ride was awesome when I had time to look.

Its slow and winds thru the Ajo mountains, up into the elevation a bit, then around behind some of the mountains. We had a pamphlet with a description of the posted stops, so Lauren was reading them, as I was navigating the land-mines. It was a handful. Come to think of it, Thats an understatement. It was a balls-out-hang-on-this-shit-is-rough-my-arms-hurt kinda ride. Its always an adventure! Right ON! We stopped about half way so I could collect my breath, and we could eat lunch.

Its hot out here. I had stashed my riding jacket in the pannier, but even in just shirt sleeves, it was toasty. We finished our lunch just as the biggest herd of damb bees showed up to try and convince Lauren to share the crumbs. She strongly disagreed with them. We geared up, and got the hell outta there. Still 10 miles to go. Luckily, there were a few paved sections, but that hardly made up for the beating we took on the rest of it. We did stop at a couple spots for pictures, and saw Mexico down thru the valley. I was looking for a big sign that said, “illegals cross over there”but there was none. We were about 5 miles from the border.

Now I know why there are so many Border Patrol. 
Once we finished the loop, we stopped back at the vissitiss center to test the plumbing, and get hydrated. Did I mention its hot, and DRY out here? Well, it is. So we emptied the Camel-Bak, and geared back up for the run back to camp. We have some distance to cover, and its 4:30. I didnt really want to be buzzing along at warp speed on the reservation at night. To many critters to worry about. So, when we got to Why, instead of heading back east on RT86, we stayed on RT85 north. Heading up to Interstate 8, to Gila Bend. Same place as Tuesday. We had to stop at the Border Patrol checkpoint this time, all northbound traffic does. I rolled up in front of the 4 guys. Shut off the bike, he asked us if we were American citizens? We said yes. He said have a safe ride. Away we went. What is the point? Oh well lets go, gotta lotta miles to cover, and the sun is setting. Within 30 miles, we approached another one. What is this? I contemplated running it, just to,see if they have real bullets. Then, I thought, maybe I should screech to a halt, bang a u-turn, flip them off, and light-em up and go. But, instead, we just pulled up in front of them, said were Americans, see ya. We happened to be behind a border Patrol truck heading north also, so I kept pace with him all the way to Gila Bend. Nice way to click off the miles, with a rabbit in front. We got to I-8 just as the sun sunk behind the mountains and the sky lit up with beautiful pinks and reds and orange colors. So awesome.
Interstate 8 eastbound was mostly empty except for some 18wheelers here and there. Speed limit is 75, everyone is doing 80+, so i kept it at 80+++. Moving right along now, lets get back, were stahvin.
It takes us a long hour to cover the 80 miles to get to Casa Grande and the end of I-8. The run down I-10 south was only 20 miles, bit it was a busy 20 miles. What a difference from I-8 east. As soon as we see exit 219 were relieved. Not because the adult store is still open, but because were back to camp, and can have dinner finally.
We pulled into the camp site, and looked at the mileage. 313. Wow. Long day indeed.

Dinner was a stir fry. Fresh and delic
ious. As always. My wife is such a great cook, and I am such a great eater. Perfect match.
Weather today was warm, and sunny, high 80s in the desert, night time its getting breezy, temps in the 50s. Great sleeping weather.

Total miles today, 0 on the RV, 313 on the bike

Tomorrow we hit the road again, heading a bit south, to Tucson. Hopefully we can camp at a WallyWorld for the night, then Saturday were heading to the Fairgrounds, and the racetrack! Woo-Hoo

20131115. Day 138. Friday

Moving south again. 

I suppose were bout outta south to move to. Were only 85 miles from the border of Mexico. And were heading in to Tucson, which will have us around 40 miles from the border. Its gonna be time to start heading east pretty soon. Not really looking forward to that, its cold in the east, right? 
We wake up at the usual time, and brewed up the usual delicious french press. After the showers were over, my awesome wife talked me into doing the usual over easy eggs please thank you. She is a way way way better cook then me, but somehow, she convinces me to cook the over easy eggs. I am just lucky like that I reckon.
I get the bike loaded up, she battens down the hatches and we get our sheet together to get outta here. This was a nice enough place, nothing to fancy, which is fine with us. $25/night with only electric at the site isnt the best deal in the world, but, after some of the prices we have paid just to stake down a tent, its not so bad. I fire the rig up, spins over excellent with the new batteries in there, and we swing over to the pump-n-dump. No, no, thats not what you think! I mean the sump dump. We needed to empty the holding tanks and fill up the fresh water. We expect to be dry camping, so were just filling it up and worry about the weight later. No way do we wanna run out. So we pump it full of fresh water, and dump the black and grey water tanks, and were good to go.
As soon as we get to I-10 south, we notice the wind is blowing good from the south west. A steady 20mph, with some gusts up and over 30. Thats an attention getter. I think we have a loose tie rod, or center link, as the front end gets a bit wormy at times. (I have not looked at why, as I might not wanna know!) It tends to multiply in the wind, and kinda sorta makes it a white knuckle ride now and again. We cruise in the 60 mph range, and dont get runned over by the truckers. It seems the wind slows them boys down also.
We ran down I-10, and exited onto I-19 south towards Nogales. The first exit is RT86. West Ajo road. We know that road from the run out to Organ Pipe Monument. But, were just heading to the laundromat. Gotta wash those stinky socks. It takes us about 1-1/2 hours, and Viola! Clean undies for all! Awesome.
We located the local WallyWorld, and headed over. On the south side of town. I needed to bring back the old battery cores, and we needed to refill motha hubbards cubbards. We also noticed a fresh set of no overnight parking signs!! I guess the local campground industry has lobbied the town council good for that gift. So we did our shopping, and got the stuff we needed for such low costs. Then we headed up to Target for a couple-few things Wally dont have. Once we were done with all that, we jumped back onto I-10 south, or east as they call it. And headed down to exit 275 , South Houghton Road. Were going to the fairgrounds. They have an RV park there. $20/night for full hookups, $12/dry. We dont need the electric, we have good batteries and a genset. We have full water, and the holding tanks are empty. Lets dry camp. The office is closed, so we find the camp host, and he shows us over to the dry camp area. Its just a big old parking lot. We pull up to the edge, where there is some dirt and dry grass area, and we call it our front yard. Host said to pay the lady in the morning, she gets in around 9. 
In a way it seems odd to pay $12/night to stay on the edge of a parking lot, but, they do have showers, it is secured, there appears to be enforcement of a no overnight parking ordinance at the box stores, so what choice is there? We are ok with it. After paying $35/night in California for a tent site, it seems really fair to me. This area has a lot of snowbirds here, so it has to be reasonable, not all of them are stacked with big bucks.
We enjoy the sunsets big time out here.

We settle in, and the supreme cook cooks up a serious burrito dinner. With extra hot peppers in them, just to get the mouth watering. All evening the racetrack next door was having practice, now thats some nice sounds to listen to for a few hours. After that, we just snoozed on out, and called it a night
Weather today was sunny in the 70s, but windy. Tonight its nice, in the high 50s, and very comfortable. We are at 3000ft, but its really dry and nice

Total miles today was 73 on the RV, zero on the bike

Tomorrow is RACEDAY!! Going to the 3/8mile paved oval right over there. 

Days 133, 134 & 135

20131110. Day 133. Sunday

Slow day at the Park

Sleeping in the camper takes some adjustments, after being in a king size condo. For sure. I wake up a little crunchy, but feeling good. The coffee is brewing in no time at all. Were doing no travels today. Staying put here. I have to do the roof vent, and see if I can chase down that PITA leak we have upstairs. 
After breakfast is done, we lounge out. AYup, lets relax, thats what this trip is for. We sorta plan out the next few days, and try to determine were we will camp Monday night. Casa Grande is in the crosshairs. We havent been to a WallyWorld in a while, sound like the plan man.
I dig out some tool, and remove the old vent, and install the new one. Then spend some time chasing out the leaks upstairs. I think I got them, but am sure Lauren will be glad to tell me if I didnt. I take me time, and might even think I did a good job. Time (or rain) will tell. I want to work on the floor in the terlit room, but, dont. Its a lazy day, maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. I am tired for some reason. Musta been all the relaxing this past week. I was talking on the cell with my Dad, and the sun was setting all around me, one of those amazing ones, were the sky turns orange, and pink, and purple. Lauren had dinner ready, so I headed inside.
Dinner was simple again, more salad and Tortellini. Yum
Thats the day. Really. Oh, yea, we did read also.
Weather today was perfect. Sunny, in the mid 70s, cooler tonight, maybe 50

Total miles today was zero, and zero

Tomorrow were heading south a ways. About 150 miles, to Casa Grande, AZ.

20131111. Day 134. Monday

Heading down south to the warmer weather. 

It wasnt cold here , or boring, or anything. In fact, we could stay here another week and love it. But, the feet get itching, and the wanderlust kicks in and were just eager to see more of this state. I have been to Arizona before, and know its an awesome place, but I never really had enough time to explore it proper. Now I do. And the best part is, I get to do it with my best friend. 
So we didnt hurry outta here this morning, no need to really. It is a holiday today, so we pause and say ” why did we pause?” Oh, right, the Veterans! Thanks for doing what you do. Then, we got it together to go. I loaded the bike, and Lauren Battens down the hatches. Next thing you know, were good to go. 
We stop at the water faucet, and fill the fresh water tank. Were planning on going to the WallyWorld in Casa Grande tonight, and unsure about tomorrow night. I would prefer not to haul 200 pounds of water, but, I would also prefer not to run out of water. In the desert. Or, in the anywhere. 
We headed down RT260, towards Camp Verde. Destination is the local Starbucks. Lauren needs to spend some quality time with the internet, its been a while for her. The store is right at the Interstate, so once we escape, were right on the southbound side of I-17. Suddenly I remember how boring the interstates are. But in this big tank, there perfect. You set the cruise control at a reasonable speed, and keep the tiller tilling along straight and just click off the miles. It would suck on the bike, but its ok in this. Besides the fact is, out here, there are not that many roads going places. There is usually one way there. Or a long ass way around to there. At this point, were just trying to eat up the miles. So southbound we go.
Of course the descent into the valley is pretty nice. Riding down thru Black Canyon is always scenic. We left Cottonwood elevation around 3200 ft. The climb on the interstate took us over 5300 feet. The Phoenix Valley is just under 200 ft. So its a nice ride downhill. Unfortunately, we ended up getting into the metro area right around rush hour. Traffic was heavy, with an occasional stop now and then. Beyond that, it was just heavy volume, steady and moving. I will say, the roads out here are designed big. Lots of lanes each direction, lots of flyover ramps. Its built to bogey. We get south of the city, and I-17 merges into I-10. We stop in Chandler and ad some petrol to the barge. Not to bad, 9miles per gallon this time. Okay I guess.
The sun is sinking quickly behind the mountains to the west. Lucky we only have a few miles left. We get to exit 194, and head west on RT87. We go 2 miles and there it is. WallyWorld. And look at the signs everywhere. No overnight parking. Ummmm, thats not the Wallyworld we know? Uggh. WTF. Time to plan out a Plan B. We needed groceries, and were returning the heater we bought in U-Tar. Plus I needed to replace the campah battery. So we went in and blew the budget outta the water. But, hey, at least we can eat for a while, and the RV will start after we use the 12V system for an evening. 
Our plan B is a State Park about 20 miles south. Picacho Peak State Park. So back to southbound I-10 we go. Its a quick trip in the dark. We jump off at exit 219. I dont really like pulling into campgrounds after dark. Its difficult to find your way and get your bearings. Private campgrounds are usually staffed until 8pm or so. State parks are finished at 4:30. On. The. Dot. So its self check in, and self pay. Sometimes the camp hosts are out and helpful. This wasnt one of those times. We get inside the park, and cruise into Loop A. It looks pretty empty, so we do the loop, find a pull thru site close to the terlit house. And were done. An easy day, made a little less easy thanks to Wallyworld recalculating us. 
Were stahvin, so as I get us settled, Lauren whips up some sandwiches for us. It helps quell the hunger pains for us, and after some aspirin, her headache subsides so she can get to sleep. Eating so late makes us both a bit cranky, and gets her queasy. Glad the day is over and we can rest here. In the shadow of what looks like an awesome little mountain.
Weather today was warm. The temps in the metro area were 88, tonight its gorgeous here, maybe 62, light breeze. Windows are open!

Total miles today was 188 pn the RV, zero on the bike. 

Tomorrow we have to go into Casa Grande to do some bizzness, then maybe a ride into the desert for fun

20131112. Day 135. Tuesday.

Cruisng to see the Sonoran (snorin) Desert National Monument?

Were up at the usual hour, and well rested. It felt so good to sleep with the windows open, and the light breeze moving the air thru the campah. The sun is warming the air up nicely here. Its gonna be a beautiful day! We are really looking forward to some warm weather. I know its November, and at home its late fall, and were sitting in the sun hoping to work on our tans. Yay! It wont last forever, as were heading east soon, and there is New Mexico in the way, and a couple few elevation changes along the way. 
This State Park has super clean Terlit and shower rooms here. Its all done by the volunteers and camp hosts. It certainly makes it livable for everyone. We showered and had breakfast, and got our proverbial sheet together and got on our way out. We had to go to Casa Grande to the Social Security office. Were both applying for disability, so we never have to work again, and can get Diggs, and live in the RV forever. 
We cruised outta the park, and headed West on I-10, which actually goes North into Casa Grande. We got to exit 194, and headed west on RT287 into the center of town. We found the office, and did the paperwork. Orville Johnson was the clerk we spoke with, what a chatty cat he was. Nice guy to, very helpful. After we finished up, we geared up, and got back on the steel horse and set our sights on the western hills. Cant go over them, cant go under them, gotta go around them. 
RT84 goes west outta town so we head thatta way. It takes us through Stanville, I almost felt at home there. Till we saw the cows. Actually, we smelt them before we saw them. Once we saw them, it was no wonder why we smelt them. Thousands and thousands of cows, penned in and looking none to happy about it. Makes me wonder why I eat red meat. Anywho, after some miles of industrial blight, and desert nothing-ness, RT84 ends and merges into I-8. So we do to.
The only way there is via the Interstate. When you look at the map the Sonoran desert is a large area west of the town of Maricopa. Once we were at warp speed on the Interstate (have I mentioned traffic hauls ass out here?) we patiently rode along waiting to see a sign that mentioned The Sonoran Desert National Monument, this exit. Exit 154 went by, then exit 140, then exit 133? Hmmm, this is odd. We figured the next exit we saw, we would jump off the Interstate and have a look. Damb it, the next exit was 119, welcome to Gila Bend, AZ? How did we end up here? Oh well, a quick pit stop at the pottery barn/fuel station/truck stop/RV park/slash/slash, we looked at the map. Looks like is we cruise north on RT85, then west on RT238, we will have it back together again.
Recharged and refreshed, off we went. We got to RT238 and headed east. This looks cool, there is even a sign up there, In a small parking lot about 100 yards off the road. Nothing there, just a sign in a dirt parking lot. We keep motoring along, wondering when the vissitiss center will show up? Well, after 40 miles of nothing, we figure we got duped. Nothing to see here folks, move along please. After all, this IS the Snoring desert! Nothing along here at all. Obviously it is just a BLM area, that shows up on the map. Nothing more. O-Kay. Were outta here. Disappointed about this run. We continue on east into Maricopa. Another of the boom towns of the real estate bubble. It use to be a one horse town, and still smells like it. But now there are all these subdivisions and Walmart’s and Burger Kings. Then nothing, just desert all around it. Hard to understand why people would wanna live her to begin with?
We find the road to Casa Grande, its also RT238 and head southeast back there. We cover that distance pretty quickly, it stinks out here. Not just cattle shit, but chicken shit and who knows what else. Lots of dirty industrial sprawl out here also, contributing to the nasty smells. One thing we are seeing a lot of out here is Solar Panels. Lots of places going green. Even Frito Lay has a plant out here, must be 10 acres of solar panels. Nice. 
We get to Casa Grande, and stop in the dollar store for a new spatula for Lauren to spank me with, ummm, I mean, for me to spank her with. NO WAIT, it for the eggs. Haha, eggs of course, thats it. Then we sneak into the Starbucks and score a freelicious pound of TurkeyDay Blend, and then were outta there. South bound baby, hauling ass on the Interstate. Its only about 20 miles to go, and were gonna go go go. Exit 219 shows up before we know it, and were done. 
Dinner is waiting for us. A delicious stir fry! All we had to do was cook it up. Well, not we, but I did open a can or something to help! After dinner were into fly catching mode! Haha, stupid moths got into the campah and tweeked one of us out! No fun there. 
Weather today was the usual, mid 80s and sunny, evening is in the high 50s, with a nice breeze

Total miles today was zero on the RV, and 183 on the bike.

Tomorrow we stick around the State Park, I have to finish the floor in the terlit room in the RV.l

Days 130, 131, & 132

20131107. Day 130. Thursday

Lets ROCK.

Another morning, another french press full of christmas blend coffee. Hell YA.

We took it easy this morning, no hurry to go anywhere. Yesterdays hike and knee twist kinda wore me out a bit. We had another coupon for a local place. So we figured breakfast out was in order.
We hoped into the SUV, and went back north on RT179, to RT89A. Over to West Sedona to the Golden Goose Cafe. Breakfast is served until 1. Lucky for us, we make it in time. No over easy eggs for this guy. In fact, A big ole omelet, stuffed with meat was ordered. With corned beef hash on the side, and a pile of homefries. The yelp review reports this combonation was excellento indeed-O. Lauren had eggs Benedict with spinach, and the report was it exceeded expectations. Kathleen had a malted waffle, with extra flavor, and some over easy eggs on the side. Again, as advertised.  Alex had lunch, a burger with fries I think. He didn’t offer any reviews, so we assume it was acceptable.
After lunch we drove into Uptown Sedona, the touristy area. That lasted about 30 minutes, and we were done with that nonsense. Lets ROCK on. We drove back down towards Oak Creek. There we knew was a good hiking area. We pulled into the parking lot, and headed out. This is Bell Rock, and Courthouse Butte.

Courthouse Butt-E. With the Bell Rock

Its about a mile to the north side of the Bell Rock.

The Bell

We took our time, enjoying the hike.

The Courthouse Butt-E ( I have been in a courthouse or three, and I, for one, can see nothing, even remotely, that would make me think of a courthouse when I looked at this big Damb rock)

It was sunny and warm, just perfect for this activity. We got to the North Side, and Alex and I hiked a ways up towards the peak.

It IS pretty up here, and there, and even over there

For some reason, we didn’t go to far. I saw a few possible routes, but the wingman declined. We poked around a bit, then headed down without a path. We got to the bottom, and no Kathleen or Lauren. Those damb Vortexes musta got them. Or, they sitting on the rocks up above us. Laughing at us. We wait them out, and they finally have to descend , cause we have the water, and then we head back. The colors here are magnificent. Again. Still. Its awesome all the color out here. And the way it changes from the angles of the sun. Simply spectacular.

The angle of the dangle changes the color

We head back to the Condo, and relax for the evening. A quick dip in the pool, and a soak in the hot tub prepares us for an evening dinner of leftovers.

Pretty cool pool

After dinner we head back out to the Red Rocks area, and park in the lot, and gaze at the stars for a while. We all spot at least one shooting star. Its such a dark sky here, the stars are so bright. If were ever gonna see any UFOs, this is where it will be. But, sadly, we see none. This time, but, ya never know about next time.
Weather today was excellent, sunny, mid 70s, no clouds hardly at all

Total miles today was 30 in the SUV, none on the bike

Tomorrow we hang around the condo, and get ready to depart on Saturday.

20131108. Day 131. Friday

A lazy day at the camp/resort site/condo

A relaxing morning, interrupted only by my sweetie bringing me a fresh coffee in bed. Awesome is an understatement.
Its good to schedule a do nothing day, I think we all kinda needed one in a way. The east coasters were still running wide open though. There running out of vacation time, so there kinda egging to do something. I am kinda beat. 4 days of hiking kinda wore me down. One thing about this extended adventure, I am out of shape indeed. Certainly part of it has been due to the knee trauma I have been tolerating. I just cant get as active as I want to be. I am bummed about that, alot. I wish I could ride a bicycle a bit, get some acupuncture, do some yoga or some kinda strengthening exercises. I wont worry to much, because the rest has certainly helped it heal better. I am afraid to get on a scale, I doubt the weight lose has been happening.
I had a couple quick things to do on the bike, Dave had pulled a speedometer cable off the old bike for me, and sent me that and some tools I needed. thanks Dave. Its a pain in the ass to change the cable in a parking lot with a minimum amount of tools around, but somehow, I got it done.
We all hung out in the condo, just kinda doing nothing much. Kathleen secured us a couple weeks of timeshares in Floriduh in January, so thats really great. A week in the beginning of January, and one in the beginning of February. Thats cool, we will certainly have time to enjoy the state. Hopefully it works out so Dave and dawn can come down in February to share the condo with us. It is a 2bed/2bath unit. Sweet!
After a late lunch, we headed for the pool. Well, Kathleen and Lauren and I did. Alex wanted to go swing at some balls on the driving range. Nothing like a bucket of balls and a driving iron to wear ya down a bit. The pool was pretty nice today, not overly warm, but just about right enough for 1/2 hour. Then we slipped into the hot tub for a good soaking and relaxing.

Cool Hot Tubby

Thats really been the theme of the day for us. We had one more restaurant coupon to use up, so before it was to late, we went out to dinner. Back into the SUV, and away we go, up thru the ten roundabouts, and west on RT89A, into West Sedona. We landed at Jose Cafe. It was a basic bar and grill. Okay for a last nights dinner. Nothing to write home about, just ,,,,, meh!

The best part of the Jose Cafe was hiding in the corner waiting for someone to walk bye, and not see the caution sign

After dinner, we headed back to the condo, and started packing up stuff. Kickout time is 10am, so we need to be ready. Kathleen and Alex have a 2pm flight, but have to have the Rent-A-Wreck back by 11:30. So they planned to depart by 9 am. The more we have ready tonight, the easier the morning will be for everyone.
Weather today was the same, sunny, mid 70s. Evening was clear, and maybe 50s

Total miles today was 20 on the SUV, none on the bike.

Tomorrow, the east coasters get back on the Zee plane, and the hobos head south, back to Cottonwood, to the Deadhorse State Park for a couple days.

20131109. Day 132. Saturday

Heading on down the road.

Morning arrived early today. Well, if ya consider 8am early. We got the french press pressing, and enjoyed a last cup in the house. Time to get moving, no time to linger.
Kathleen and Alex were ready to go, and out the door by 8:50am. We thanked them and shared a couple hugs, then waved goodbye. It was a great week with them, really. Kathleen appeared to really enjoy the time with Lauren, and Alex seemed to enjoy just being on vacation in a cool place, with a couple of friendly faces from back home. I am glad we got to share a week with them, indeed.
We had an hour to go before kickout time, but Lauren refused my suggestions to wrinkle the sheets one more time, insisting we load up the campah and git down the road. So we did.

To the victor, goes the spoils ( or the stuff we managed to own from the timeshare)

It took us an hour to reload everything in it, and away we went, just a few minutes after 10am. Down RT179, back to Beaverhead road, and thru Cornholeville to Cottonwood we go. Its only 20 miles, and takes us less then 30 minutes. We pull into the Deadhorse State Park, and they tell us, sorry, were Full. Oh-no! Luckily, she informed us, they have room in the overflow lot. Sheesh, talk about a scare sorta. But that will do for us, bring it on. No problem no electric, were good with $15/night. In fact, lets have 2 nights, just in case.
We found site 213, unloaded the bike and backed in. Good deal. Huh.

Pahking the Campah in the Dead Horse State Pahk

We wanted to go into Prescott to the rV supply store. We needed a new vent for the bathroom. The old one was shot. So after we settled in a bit and had a quick lunch, we geared up, and got on the bike to go.
Well, hello old friend!! How nice it is to be back on the bike again. Its been a while since we have gone for a ride. I miss it. We did a lot of miles in 3 months, and now the majority of the miles are in the RV. 😦
We had a good ride in front of us. Prescott ( pronounced Pres-kitt) is about 40 miles away, and there is a mountain in the way! Woo-Hoo! We left the Park, and headed for RT89A, the only real road around here apparently! Southbound we go, up towards Jerome. The ride thru Deception Pass is a great warm up for the mountain beyond the little old mining town. Mingus Mountain, then Hickey Mountain are in our way to get to Prescott Valley.

We motor right thru Jerome, with barely a glance at all the weekend tourists amongst the hippies. Just cuss a bit when they stop in the road to gawk a bit here and there. Beyond Jerome, the road really starts to twist and turn, and the fun begins. I totally love roads like this. The technical aspect of setting up each curve, clipping the apex, planning the next approach, shifting rapidly up or down, squeezing the brakes just right, rolling into the throttle at the perfect moment, really makes me so in tune with the bike. I am at peace and so in the moment. I wish the ride would never end.

This is about 1 mile of the ride. Simply Spectacular

But before to long, we crest the summit @ 7129, and the sign says downhill for the next 6 miles. Weeeeeee, away we go, down, down, down. Some corners in the mix, but nothing exciting like the ride up there. Soon enough were in the valley of Prescott. Visually, nothing all that interesting now, high desert I guess, were at 5000 ft, and its arid here, not a lot of growth, few trees, almost flat and boring.
We follow RT89A along into the town of Prescott. We need to get over beyond Willow Creek Reservoir. Its a quick ride the few miles from the center of town. We get to the RV store, get the new vent, and a couple other minor items we need.

The truth is revealed about the low suction terlits out here in Cowboy country.

Of course we poke our heads into a few of the new RVs on the lot, sticker shock baby, a couple class B RVs are over 100K. See ya!
We go back into Prescott, and follow RT89 back north till we get to RT69. Were heading south into the town of Dewey. We stop at the Starbucks for are freelicious freebie, then swing into the Trader Joes so we dont starve tonight. From There we get to RT169. Heading south east. I missed the turn for Hackberry Hill Road. Which was probably for the better. Its a slow winding road back over the mountains. Not well maintained, pretty rough, and slow. We ended up riding down RT169 until we got to I-17 and went north 1 exit. Of course its 15 miles between exits out here, but Interstate speeds are 75++ so we made good time. Real good time! Wink-wink! We get to Camp Verde, and Exit on RT260 north towards Cottonwood. This is a 20 mile ride in the twilight, and were back at the Dead Horse State Park just as the sun is dropped outta sight. That was a great ride today, just what we needed to get back into the groove again.
We had a fast dinner of salad and Turkey Burgers.

 

Over the Hills, and thru the Woods

Before we knew it, the cows came home, and were sacked out. Happy to be ready to go traveling again!
Weather today, was the same, mid 70s and sunny, high 40s and starry at night.

Total miles today was 23 on the RV, and 115 on the bike

Tomorrow we hang out and work on the RV, and get ready to go south Monday.

Days 127, 128 & 129

20131104. Day 127. Monday

Looking for that big ditch. 

When we get somewhere, We typically like to get the heavy mileage days done first, and dwindle down to the closer places as time goes on. Today will be the big mileage day. To the Grand Canyon.
So we planned, and managed, to get up early-ish. French press is brewed up, and I get the eggs duty. 8 over easy please. With toast please. Thank youz.
Kathleen has a Rent-A-Wreck, and she trusted me to handle the high speed runs up north. Its a 2013 Nissan Extera SUV. Pretty roomy, and comfortable. We load ourselves up and head north on RT179 thru the 10 roundabouts on our way to Uptown Sedona. We get to RT89A, and head towards Oak Creek. It sure is a beautiful ride thru here. The colors are just gorgeous, all the red sandstone, and the way the sun shines on them is spectacular. We drive up to the top of the Mongollon Rim, and stop at the scenic rest stop Oak Creek Vista.

The top of Oak Creek Canyon

Its breezy up here, so we manage to avoid having to pay of the Natives for some unearned trinkets. Apparently, odd vortexes happen in the ladies terlit rooms up here. Or maybe its all a dream we dreamed, one afternoon, long ago?

Looking down into Oak Creek Canyon

We climb back into the SUV, and cruise the rest of the way up RT89A. A quick run, and were approaching Flagstaff. I point the rig onto I-17North, the fast way around the city. 5 miles up, and we intersect with I-40. We head east on “the forty” about 5 more miles until we get to RT89 again. A quick left and a right, and were back on RT89 North. Sign says, South Rim, 75 miles. I had decided to take RT89 North to Cameron, the head west into the Park. I like the view from this approach.
It took us just an hour to get to Cameron, we added some petrol, and headed west on RT64. It takes us along side the little Colorado River on the north side, and the Grey Mountains to our south. And we stop at one of the cool scenic overlooks.

The little Canyon on the Little Colorado River

I love the view here in the desert. And in my opinion, it is a neat way to approach the canyon, this is like a teaser on the way in to the main event. And it sure is pretty here.

So scenic in this Canyon

Its cloudy,,and threatens to rain a bit. Heres hoping it stays dry today.
We cruise on in RT64 till we get to the tool booth. How nice this flash-pass is. Another freelicious entry for us all. We zoom into the first overlook.

Aint that GRAND

Desert view, where the observation tower is inviting us all inside for a climb on up to see the views. And what a view it is.

Typical tourists, well, two East Coasters, and two Hobos

270 degrees of beauty. Mind blowing. Simply breathtaking and spectacular and beautiful, all in one breath.
Of course were trying to keep moving, and hoping to see as much as possible today, so we don’t linger to long. We stop in the vissitiss center to get a sticker, and ask the helpful Ranger whats the best bang for the buck hike. She sends us to the bright angel trail up past the Village. We pile into the SUV, and head on over. The ride on RT64 is just amazing. Were seeing the canyon from all angles here. And its difficult to keep going, but time is ticking away, and we want to get to the hike.
Once we arrive in the area of the lodge, we slide the SUV into some prime parking, and disembark. The trail is right over there. No, over there. Nope, around the corner, and over there? Sheesh, lets just head north, there is a big damb ditch over there. Finally, we find the trail.

This must be the trail.

It looks awesome. We read all the warnings, and pay no attention to them. Well, we have a quart of water between us, no food, and crappy sneakers. Perfect.  Lets go!
The hike down is easy, and scenic.

Cause you really need to walk thru an arch to make it really real

I have never walked down into the Grand Canyon. One more item off the bucket list. Its so neat, you can feel the changes as you descend and it gets real. Its steep. And no oh-my-god-rails anywhere. We go about a mile. But, the sun is already getting low in the sky, so once we get to the mules and cowboys we stop. We keep Kathleen from snatching up a cowboy and taking him home with her.

Look at that ass

The mules take off, and were stuck with the flies and the shit on the ascent. It takes us a while to go back up, and we do stop frequently. Better safe then sorry.
Once were back up on the rim, we head over to the vizzitizz center, and watch the last showing of the movie. Its pretty good. But its almost 5, and this place closes up at 5. We take a quick walk back to the rim, for one last look at the Grandest Ditch of them all. Its breathtaking, no doubt. And it looks different with the sun at a new angle, colors are purple and amber now. Simply beyond words.

This will never get erased from my memory. Simply beautiful

We take the few more pictures, and move along. We have a 2 hour ride back.
We pile into the SUV as the sun is setting. Were on RT64 south now.

Sunsets are spectacular out here

Going down the road at 75mph, and just on cruise control. Its big open spaces out here, and people haul ass. We follow RT64 until were on the outskirts of Williams, a leftover RT66 town. There we jump on the I-40 and head east about 35 miles. Its easy going on the highways. Hammer down. In Flagstaff we get on I-17 south, its about 30 miles to exit 298 which is Oak Creek, RT179. Its all down hill here. Heading off the Mongollon Rim. Wish it wasn’t so dark here, bet its a spectacular view.
We get to exit 298 and head north on RT179. Thru Oak Creek, and past the Resort, up to Rt89A. Westbound a couple few miles, and were at the Olde Sedona Grill. We have a restaurant certificate here. Its pretty tasty. And after a full day of sightseeing, who wants to cook anyways.
We head back to the resort and all are pretty tuckered out. Alex cranks up the music for all our listening pleasures. Were done for the day.

The grand canyon ride

Weather today was cloudy, and only in the 50s

Total miles today was 330 in the SUV, zero on the bike.

Tomorrow we stay close by, and go see some ruins in Cottonwood, then an afternoon in Jerome.

20131105. Day 128. Tuesday 

Time to see some ancient ruins, then taste some wine in Jerome.

Ah, this sleeping in a bedroom, in a condo is a real treat. We sure can get use to this. Even though we have a campah now, and thats inside for the most part, this house stuff sure is cool.
Today we slept in a little bit, although the east coasters are up early, I cant be bothered to much. Eventually I get it together, and head for the coffee. This brewed stuff is not anywhere near as good as the french press stuff. Just sayin. Kathleen and Lauren enjoyed the morning getting a tour of the grounds, and going thru the gauntlet of the time share selling presentation. Sounds like this is the first place that isn’t high pressure. They were done within 90minutes, and scored a $100 gift certificate to an Italian Restaurant right around the corner.
Before to long, were loading up into the SUV, and heading south on RT89A. Destination is Cottonwood. Home of the Tuzigoot National Monument. There are some cool ruins here, found in the 60s. Old indian ruins.

I love her Tuzigoot !!

Pretty neat. Its small compared to some of the ones up North. But very informative. We wander around a while, and learn more then we ever knew about this old stuff.

I learned its older then me

I am not so sure its that great of knowledge to have, but, I did enjoy learning something I didnt know. It was so good, I cant even remember it all.
We crept our way outta there, and headed up RT89A, into Jerome. Kathleen loved the ride up thru Deception Gulch, especially the high speed hairpin corners with no oh-my-god-rails. Its an old mining town that the hippies saved in the 60s. Its now full of art galleries, and tourist type shops.

Who doesnt love a junky art display full of junk?

Pretty cool. Its laid back here man. Like. Wow. Dude. Ha! Really a fun place, right on the edge of the mountains here. We wander around for a while. The Ice cream parlor run by the hippy wins us over, and we chow out on some good stuff there. I almost enjoyed a real root beer float, except she used vanilla ice cream? I mean, who drinks a root beer float with vanilla ice cream? Whats the matter with chocolate? Thats a real float to me!
Then we head up the hill to a Arizona Winery. Caduceus Cellars is the name. And the wine tasting was just fine.

Line em up and lets get tasting

A bit strange names, but still, well worth the time to enjoy them. We ended up buying a bottle of white “The Diddler”, with high hopes it will work out exactly as planned.
We bailed out just as the sun was dropping behind the mountain. The air was getting chilly on the north side of the hill where we are. Down we go, without opening our eyes until were on the bottom of RT89A, and heading into scenic Cottonwood, AZ. We blast over the back way to Oak Creek, via East Cornville road. Which of course, goes right thru Cornville, AZ. After 10 miles, we hang a left on Beaverhead Flats road, and that brings us right to Oak Creek. It was all desert terrain, with some odd hills, and a few scenic canyon runs along the way. Nice ride.
We land at the condo, and relax a bit, enjoy some ear splitting tunes, then gather ourselves up, and head to Dinner. Its a short walk across the parking lot, and were there. Its called Cucina Rustica. A neat little Italian Joint. With Homemade pasta. We tipped a bottle of white, wolfed down some not really Italian bread with peppered oil, then dug into a cheese plate. Finally the meals arrived and we all shut up and chowed out. Something about fresh made pasta just tastes so good after boxed pasta for months. I had lasagna, and was impressed with the flavor. A bit spicy from the snausage, but it was really good. I didn’t want desert apparently, so we finished up and spilt before the cops showed up! Haha. Just kidding, Kathleen wasn’t gonna run no matter what. Then again, neither was I !

Creepy dude kept staring at me in the terlit room

Back to the condo and were done for the night. Time to relax and turn up the volume again. Still.
Weather today was sunny, temps in the mid 60s.

Miles today was 70 in the SUV, none on the bike.

Tomorrow were heading back north, above Flagstaff, to the Sunset Crater, and the the Wupatki ruins.

20131106. Day 129. Wednesday

A ride into the sunset, crater that is.

Another lazy morning was interrupted by the east coast contingent. All wide awake at that crazy hour of 8 am? Really, whats with that, huh?
The coffee keeps tasting better when someone else brews it, so I guess its not so bad after all, right.
We feast away on eggs, and get the proverbial shit together. Trying to have an early start isnt always easy for us hobos! Anywho, we get loaded up with a snack pack, and climber on into the SUV. We blast down RT179 to the Interstate. No need to be scenic here, lets get to the Parks. RT179 takes us to I-17, were we head north. 40 miles to Flagstaff, and were back onto “The 40”. We head east to the RT89 exit, same way we traveled Monday. About 30 miles north, and we see the signs, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. We head into the vizzitizz center, and flash the pass. Good for 4 thanks! We gather some intel, then make it out alive. Thank goodness for that. Into the SUV we pile, and eastbound we go. Its only two-tree miles and we can see the old volcano. Its a funny looking hill, with the top missing. Of course we gawk at all the piles of lava. Its so strange seeing a field full of the stuff. We see the trailhead and whip on in to the parking lot so we can have a hike. Its only a mile or so around. And its right into the lava beds.

See the sunset? Me neither?

Of course one of us lands a bit funny and gives the knee a twist, just to make things interesting of course. It can only make the hike more enjoyable. Kathleen wants a hiking stick for these hikes. She says its to help her balance. I think its going to be a whacking stick, so she can whack me as were hiking. So she is denied the chance to buy one for $120.
After the scenic tour of the lava beds and the view of the mountain without a top, we decide to mosey onwards. North we go, towards the Painted Desert. We stop at a scenic overlook, with no view, and attack the snack pack. That damb bird will get its picture takin, like it or not, right?

Kathleen stalking that damb bird

We enjoy the snacks, but not the view, then get back into the SUV and head on out. Northbound that is, towards the desert overlooks.
We see the sign for the 2.5K run, but figure we will drive instead. We cruise in and see the Wukoki ruins.

Wukoki ruins arent ruined yet

We do the walk, and climb up into them. Its so amazing. These are built into the rocks, and are well designed for something over 1000 years old. We poke around them for a bit, and really enjoy the visuals. We even saw some Apaches approaching from the east!!
After these ruins, we drove back over to the main road, and headed to the Wupatki ruins, right around the corner. We stop into the vizzitizz center again, and wander the museum a while. Fascinating stuff here. Its really interesting to read how badly the white people fucked over the native americans. Time and time again. Relentlessly. Chased them out of everything they ever knew. Chased them away from life as they knew it. Screwed them over every chance they had, and didn’t care one bit. Its very depressing when you think about it. But, I digress.
We walk out to the ruins, and these are totally amazing. Not that the last ones weren’t. But these are huge.

100 rooms, with a VIEW

100 rooms, with a ball court, a ceremony ring, even a blow hole. We take the tour with the narration by numbers, by the english genius. Its really cool to see and read it all. The colors here are so bright.

Crazy cool colors

The clay is redish orange. Very colorful. And gorgeous. We take it all in, and cant help taking a few hundred pictures again. I am a bit done with old ruins, so we muster on up, and git on down the road. Back to RT89 southbound we go. Hammer down. A quick stop at the Safeway for some vittles. Then, Lets get back to reality. It takes about 1-1/2 hours via the interstates to get back to Oak Creek.
Once we settled down, Alex whipped us up some Enchiladas, with a lot of cheese and chicken for us, veggie style for my sweetie. Dinner was EXCELLENT. And filling. And encouraged some serious terlit time for those of us without an iron coated stomach.
Weather today was the same, sunny, high 60s, chilly at night, a lot of stars out.

Riding into the Sunset, Crater that is, even tho it isnt

Total miles today was 190 in the SUV, zero on the bike.
Tomorrow we take it easy, stay local to hike in the Red Rocks near here.

We’re lucky David didn’t fall in…

Thanks to Kathleen for taking the world’s goofiest photos all week.

Grand Canyon Pictures

I love this place, it makes me cry, it’s so beautiful. The day was cloudy, which was a bummer. Last time I visited, the sun made the rocks seem purple and pinker. But it was still spectacular, plus much less crowded in November!

 

We took tons of pictures once we figured out how our cameras work:

 

And we hiked into the canyon a bit, which was great. The trail had steep switchbacks and gave a lot of perspective on how deep the canyon is:

It was a very narrow trail!

Ok, not quite so narrow.

We also went to an observation tower, but Kathleen wouldn’t give us quarters. So we had to pretend we were impressed with the view.

The view was better without paying 25 cents- no quarters necessary!