Arizona...Another Epic Trail

The one thing I love about the motorbike is you can pick up and go just about anyplace without a whole bunch of money.  Yup, that what I love about road whoredom....it's just a low cost way to escape from it all.  If you find the right posse to ride along then it's even better.  Most would say what you are about to read is a nightmare.  I call it living a dream.

Plan?  No plan really.  The only plan was to make it 750 miles to Arizona by Sunday to attended a "Black Leather Tie" occassion at Caveman and Boston's Casa.  Always a good time over there with good people who accept you for who you are.  By what route?  Dunno.  Where to stop?  Dunno.  What was going to happen?...certainly don't know.

Let me wander just a bit here.

"Escape...yeah.  Every man needs to be free for a short time.  A good man knows responsibility, honor and hard work.  A good man also is well familiar with balance.  I have watched men walk the line their whole life, only to tell me, near the end, that they regret not doing certain things.  That frightens the hell out of me.  Not much makes me nervous...but not wavering from "the line" is really one of the great fears for me.  Balance...yeah....you need to have it or you become bitter and apathetic.  In my opinion, always walking a line that is put forth by other men is a horrible crime.  You absolutely have to blaze your own way at times or you might as well be dead.  If you are happy with just existing then good for you...but be advised...some of us just can't do that.  This doesn't mean that you are allowed to hurt people along the way.  You must always exercise respect and honor.  Give what you get, and in turn, get what you give.   A good man embraces all aspects of life.  He knows why things are the way they are and the absolute necessity of it all.  There is no black and white...he simply does the best he can.  There is a time for compassion and there is a time for aggressive counter action.  The real key to life is finding yourself knowing precisely when to stand down, and when to draw down.  Once again....there is the true balance.   Anyway...I think you get the point here."

My escape-Just the highlights;

Saturday, May 28th

0930 hrs - WillyD and I head out from the Central Coast of California.  Normally the skies are fog ridden in the home town, but today the temps are in the mid 70's and the sky is blue.  A rider could not ask for a better day no doubt.  We hit the highway and I feel all my stress, anxiety and pisstivity melt through the bars, down through the frame and onto the blacktop.  A trail of  finely ground, coal tinted dust dissipates behind me as I leave it behind.

1400 hrs - Awesome weather...the best.  Things are going way too good as WillyD and I roll into Bakersfield.  A quick break at a Shell fuel dump and we head out with another rider we picked up along the way.  Heading over the Tehachapi pass is always awesome.  Off in the distance I can see the wind is really picking up.  The hillside that is clustered with a hundred or more electric producing wind mills are hypnotizing.  I'm in a trance watching them spin at a high rate of speed and I almost feel like I'm watching the world through a giant kaleidoscope...vertigo sets in so I start looking at the road ahead.

1300 hrs - We stop at the top of Tehachapi and give Rat a call.  The wind is fierce and I'm watching my bike bounce around on the jiffy stand.  We were trying to hook up with the infamous Rat, but he was extended at work.  It looked like he wouldn't be available until 7pm..."Sorry we missed you Rat, another time maybe...we'z gotta' move on."

1800 hrs - WillyD and I are heading into  Barstow.  The wind is fierce...maybe one of the worst winds I have ever ridden in.  Waves of sand and dirt blaze across the roadway.  A huge dust devil is coming up onto the roadway on our left.  A quick twist of the throttle accelerates us past it just in time to avoid certain pain.  My concentration is deafening as my grey matter constantly monitors the gusts of wind and sends corrective measures down through my arms and into the bars.  "Push towards the wind, lean...wait....wait....release and straighten up now!...next gust....push into it and lean....release!"  It all goes down instinctively...thank God that my fairing forces that front wheel down on the asphalt.  Sand is getting in my eyes and making it hard to see.  The distance ahead dark and hazy...not from fog but from all the dust and dirt being blown into the atmosphere.  We pull off to let the blood flow back into our arms and grab something to eat.  I decide I'm gonna grab two patriot missile sized hot dogs.  I have been trying to eat better recently so I grab a big, juicy green apple for desert...boy...was that a mistake.

1930 hrs - We are back out in the wind, but only for a few minutes.  As soon as we connect with I-40, going east, the wind is to our backs.  It's frickin' paradise now.  Tearing across the desert at 80mph and it almost felt like we were standing still.  The wind pushes us down the roadway..."This is what it's all about!" I think to myself.  I check out the awesome scenery as we move on down the road.

2100 hrs - We just celebrated crossing into AZ.  The brain buckets came off and we danced around in a Pilot parking lot in celebration.  The police arrive just in time to calm us down.  A squad car blocking our exit and another parked next to us.  We sat down and waited for the lecture....which, for some reason didn't happen.  They just left us alone and left.  Yes!!!  Then the revenge of that healthy green appled kicked in....yup, I sprinted to the head just in time to unload all of it.  It wasn't pretty.  Thank you Pilot truck stop...you are my best friend.

2230 hrs - Arrival in Parker, AZ.  Lots of people running around in the festive party mood.  The infamous green apple strikes again without warning...c'mon...what the hell!?!  I barely make it to a Chevron...damn...that was close.  WillyD and I sit out front for awhile watching a swarm of NightHawks doing their thing above us.

2300 hrs - We head out to nowhere.  Running through the Arizona desert is peaceful.  The temps are perfect and there is no moon so it's pitch black.  The stars are bright and I can't think of much that is as peaceful as what I'm experiencing at the moment.  I listen to the v-twin hum underneath me.  I count the various critters running across the road in front of us while trying to identify what they were.  WillyD won't vere for anything that isn't at least as high as the front wheel...no mercy there so watch your ass small critters.  We pass an overturned melon toting big rig that had apparently run off the road.  No assistance to offer there...looks like the authorities have it under control..."Hope there are no other drowsy melon jockeys coming our way."

0030 hrs - We find ourselves out in no man's land.  An abandoned gas station and a recently closed cafe are at the crossroads.  It looks like a fine place to get a couple of hours of sack time.  We pull under the protection of the pump overhang.  One lonely spot light is all there is around and there are two motorhomes parked in the area...most likely "weary" travelers just pulling over for the night.  I roll up the jacket for a pillow and lay down on the cement slab.  It's cool and feels good on my spine.  Bugs I have never seen before scramble around on the ground next to me in the lighted portion of the slab.  I watch them battle for survival...UFC has nothing on these little warriors.  I look up at the sky and watch dozens of small brown bats dart about underneath the light, trying to score a meal.  Some of them close enough to reach out and touch.  I grin and think to myself how great this all is.  WillyD is laying on the other side of the bike and already sawing logs.  The generator, of one of the motorhomes, has just shut off giving way to silence.  I can hear the moths, that are desperately trying to evade the bats, occasionally slam into the tin overhang we are under.  The sound is interesting to me...it's the same sound I hear when one smashes into the fairing of my bike at high speed.  "Those little bastards must be moving fast!" I think to myself as I drift off.  I'm not sure if I'm asleep....I know I'm dreaming...but I can still hear everything that is going on around me.  It's not real sleep but it will do for now.  As safe as I feel...I can't afford to be out cold....no way.

Sunday, May 29th
0120 hrs - "Something doesn't feel right...better take a look" (continued)