Tonights accommodations

The infamous Jarmin's "Men's Club" where we're bunking tonight. Boat. Dune buggy. ATV's. Bar. Couches. For the record...no pole.

Going through the channel

Boating time

Traded the bikes for boats. Rough out on the lake today, but that just makes the ride more fun. Our boat was getting serious air at ramming speed. Gotta love that.

Hello Lake Havasu

We've arrived at Lake Havasu, our destination for the day. The magnitude of the space and beauty we have in this country is so much more noticeable from the seat of a motorcycle. In a car, you ride through or across the desert. On a bike, you ride in the desert. Big difference. SPOT tracking done for the day.

29 Palms

Gas stop in twenty-nine palms. Just outside Joshua Tree.

Joshua Tree

Raimonds and Tina in Joshua Tree. It's beautiful, hot and plain impressive.

Fuel at the Morongo

First fuel stop of the day. I played blackjack at this casino 10 years ago. What are the odds it would be where we stopped? Love it.

Next stop, Lake Havasu

Enough of southern California, it's time to get back on the road. This time, with the Hamsters group. Not your average bunch of riders!

Heading back across the Mojave to our first destination...Lake Havasu.

Proof that it's not just the VROD being in fun places

The Huntington Beach pier

In the OC

Taking a break from riding until Saturday, when we head out for Sturgis. Enjoying the beautiful weather and making new friends. Topic for another post...how motorcycles, or more precisely, the love and passion for motorcycling brings people together who would likely never have crossed paths for any other reason. It's a unique bond that right now, is spanning even language. Me, with zero ability to speak Italian and my new friends with limited ability to speak English, can still have a conversation about bikes and biking. Way cool. Oops, there's that California-speak again!

Phoenix to the Pacific

Started the day in Phoenix, ended it looking at the Pacific Ocean. I've been riding motorcycles for 35 years now. Today may be the most memorable and amazing day I've ever spent on a bike. Almost overwhelming.

Of course, this picture has now mandated that I get the VROD back east. It needs to see the Atlantic Ocean. For that matter, it's going to have to see the Gulf too. Ah, new missions.

Bonus round

I'm not sure whether I'm more excited about the last 50 miles of riding...or this apple pie and ice cream at Mom's in Julian, CA. Both will be hard to forget.

My lesson for today is to always, always follow the routing advice of the local bikers. What would have been a fantastic 400 mile day from Phoenix to OC has turned into over 500 miles with the bonus miles being some of the most incredible riding I've experienced Granted, the price (why does there always have to e a price?) is having to ride on the 5 at rush hour. But it will have been worth it. Totally. (little California lingo there...trying to fit in).

Wish I had room on the bike for one of these pies...

Palm Springs

Made it through the Mojave. Not nearly as tough as I was expecting. Probably due to getting through before noon. Palm Springs is making up for it. It's 101 degrees now. But, on a positive note, Palm Springs is one of those places where the average age drops slightly when I show up. Getting harder for me to do that anymore.

Calling an audible on the rest of today's route. My host in the OC suggested an alternate route that will ultimately put me in Carlsbad, from where I can whip up the 5 to OC. So I'll be seeing the Pacific Ocean today. Which is nice.

Now, out into the heat...

Joshua Tree

One of my favorite episodes of Entourage was set here.

California

Made it to California. Now a quick 100 mile zip across the Mojave and on into Orange County. Piece of cake!

0 for 2

Hope all the other travelers appreciated the lack of rain that my donning of the rain gear undoubtedly helped make happen.

Trade off

Weather radar shows nothing between here and LA. My eyes see dark skies and cars coming the other way with their lights on. On Monday, same situation caused me to spend 20 min putting the rain gear on myself and the luggage. Never rained. Been on the other side of that gamble before.

Logic says gear up. Male wiring says keep going and make good time while you can. Beat the heat. Focus.

Okay. Big Breakfast finished. I'm sure I'll regret that in awhile. Top off the tank and....gear up. Riding in the rain without gear is really not fun.

By the way, no offense to the Arizona fans, but the Univ of Phoenix stadium is quite possibly the ugliest structure man has ever created. It makes the Minneapolis Metrodome look good. For a minute, I thought I was looking at some space themed amusement park. Or really big biosphere experiment. To quote Will Smith in Men in Black..."damn".

Day three. The Mojave

Earliest start of the trip. Hoping to get through the desert between Phoenix and Orange County before it gets crazy hot. 82 degrees now, with 66 % humidity? That's soaking wet for here. So much for the dry heat myth.

Onward!

Videos

Have some of the video from yesterday uploaded and available. It's very raw and unedited. Not entirely sure it's working well. Going for a different video format tomorrow and will see if it works better.

Done for the day

Arrived in north Scottsdale at a secret, undisclosed location. I'll call it "Norm's house". That's all that needs to be said.

Will post about the ride today later. Now, recovering from the last couple of hours of riding in the AZ desert. This just in...it's HOT here this time of year. The reality of what tomorrow is going to be like has officially hit me. Ouch.

Ahh...the Bobbie

Not many people will fully appreciate the sign on the building behind the bike, unless you've lived in the Delaware or West Chester, PA area. It's a sandwich shop that used to ne family owned in that area. Went franchise a few years ago. I found this one in suburb of Phoenix. Had to come here for a Bobbie. It's Thanksgiving on a sandwich. I'm in Bobbie heaven. Why are they all 1,000 miles away???

Globe, AZ

At the entrance to an enormous copper and gold mine in Globe, AZ. These are old school mining equipment.

Good morning Arizona

Entering on US 70. Sort of a side door.

Goodbye New Mexico

Kickstand is up and I'm headed to Phoenix. Beautiful day in the desert. Wish I were more of a morning person and it was 2 hours earlier.

It's all about Lordsburg

Pulled into Lordsburg around 5:30 pm and found strange comfort in seeing that the brand new Hampton Inn (yeah, HHonors points!) shared a parking lot with the Lordsburg, NM police department. Might have something to do with noticing how close to the border this part of the trip has me. Would hate for somebody in South America to be riding a nice, shiny 2004 Harley V-ROD next week.

Speaking of the border, I learned that the Border Patrol folks have absolutely zero concern that one could smuggle anyone inside the luggage on the back of my bike. They waived me through so fast I barely had time to slow down. On the ride down Hwy 70 from Almogordo to Las Cruces (past White Sands), I saw the border patrol stop where 23 years ago, I watched an agent draw his gun on my ironing board. Ask me about that story next time you see me. I laughed out loud as I rode past today.

Another nearly 400 mile day today. I really could get used to these fairly short days. Or more precisely, I could get used to taking my time on the ride, seeing the sights, taking pictures, talking to locals, etc. It's easier to do when you know that all you need to do is whip out 400 miles of riding and the rest of the day is yours. Somehow, I never am in that frame of mind on the ST1300. Guess speed crowds out thoughts of leisure. If you followed the blog today, you saw that I did in fact, stop to take a few photos.

From start to finish, today was a day of contrasts in a single state. Hobbs seemed more like an extension of the oil and gas fields of west Texas. Maybe even more intensely populated with bobbing oil pump jacks. Petroleum fumes filled the air. Like they say, what stinks to the visitors smells like money to the locals. The terrain continued flat and long all the way to Artesia, where pump jacks gave way to pecan tree groves. Saw a couple of very cool bronze sculptures in Artesia (see photos). Not too far west of Artesia, Hwy 82 starts to gently curve and slowly climb toward the Lincoln National Forest, nestled into the Sacremento Mountains. I stopped at a convenience store in Mayhill--a town that consists of a convenience store, a Baptist church and two fuel pumps. The owner of the store was so colorful, I hung around and talked to him for a bit. By colorful, I mean opinionated. By opinionated, I mean died-in-the-wool-southern-New Mexico-conservative-Republican-Obama-better-not-come-around-these-parts sort of guy. I know a little bit about New Mexico politics from my former life, so I had a fun conversation. I'm finding myself more easily amused as I get older.

I have video from the ride down the mountain into Alamogordo, but it's not a format that the iPad liked, so I won't be able to post it until I get to a computer. I did post a few pics from that part of the ride. First time on this trip that I had a chance to scrape the pegs a bit on the V-ROD. Given the amount of luggage on the back, I was slightly less aggressive than normal, which sucks. But, crashing in the mountains of New Mexico on day two was not part of my pre-trip planning, so I took it a little easy.

Ever been to Alamogordo? Sandwhiched between the beautiful Sacremento Mountains and the desolate White Sands Missile Range, which houses the White Sands National Monument. I've been through here before, but had never stopped at the Monument. National monument #1 officially checked off for the trip. Interesting place, but the fighter jets overhead from Holloman AFB distracted me too much.

Hwy 70/82 from Alamogordo to Las Cruces is as straight and boring as a road can be. Fortunately, the speed limit is 75 mph, which makes 80 mph doable (no radar detector on this bike). Came across a very bad accident where it appeared that an SUV flipped, rolled and caught on fire. Authorities hadn't arrived yet, but there were at least a dozen cars pulled over and people were providing aid. Pretty bad scene. Can't figure out how a vehicle would roll on such an incredibly straight road. (Sadly, I came across an almost identical accident about 2 hours later on I-10, just east of Deming.) Prayers to everyone involved in those wrecks.

From the oil fields and plains of southeastern NM, through the Sacremento Mountains, across the White Sands desert and into the beginnings of what is very recognizable as the Arizona desert--even if I'm not officially in AZ yet. This was just day #2? Unbelievable. This is not a trip I will take for granted.

Should have tried to get them to sponsor my trip.

Wouldn't have thought

I'd be putting extra layers to keep warm. Heading into the mountains between Artesia and Alamagordo and it's getting cold when riding. Remind me of this feeling when I'm going from Phoenix to LA!

Secret message

Seems to be a sign informing truckers of some challenging roads ahead.

Actually is a sign telling motorcyclists they are fixin' to have some fun!!

Trail Boss

Downtown Artesia, NM. Not your typical corner decorations at the local Shell station.

Southeastern NM

All the flatness of west Texas, but with a state income tax.

Day two begins

Ready to fire up the bike and head across New Mexico. Not many people start a day where the definition of success is ending the day in Lordsburg, NM. Not judging, just sayin'....

First day done

First day of the trip is done. Right about 400 miles of beautiful weather and some of the straightest roads every made. Nothing quite like the expansive roads of west Texas. Sort of like really long armadillo drag strips. Although, the armadillos can't seem to keep out of the way of vehicles.

All in all, an easy day. Spending the night in Hobbs, NM. Casino right across from the hotel. Didn't need to see that. Must resist...

Leaving Texas

8 hours after leaving Dallas, it's onward into New Mexico.

West Texas

Welcome to what straight and open really looks like. This is west of Albany, TX. For all the flat, I think west Texas as a special kind of beauty. Lots of sky.

Not today it's not....

Texas courthouses

I love how so many small Texas towns have cool old courthouses in the literal town square. This is in Weatherford, TX, west of Ft. Worth.

The trip has officially begun

Filled up with gas at the All-in-One Shell by Christina's. Kickstand is up and I'm headed west. Little later start than planned, but that's not really a surprise. May have overpacked just a bit...:)