Earache Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 My riding buddy Todd and I wanted to get a jump on the riding season and scheduled a trip to Arizona for mid May. Our plan was to depart my house and head due south. Great plan, but it was cold as shit when on the day we were to leave with additional snow in the forecast for when we were to return. Time for Plan B. We loaded a trailer up and headed west to Grand Junction, Colorado where it was warmer and he could head south from there, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Grand Junction is in the western desert so there was no snow. Just a bit chilly but we were okay with that. Dropped the truck and trailer .... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Railed the canyons of western Colorado .... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Headed west towards the La Sal Mountains of Utah ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Quick stop at the now defunct Bedrock Store ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 On to our oh so swanky hotel in Monticello, Utah. Town was a barren wasteland and we were lucky that they even had a hotel, so I should bitch too much. Even had an adjacent Mexican restaurant with decent food ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Tasted better than it looks . Green chile enchiladas .... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 South of Monticello, we crossed into Arizona and into the desert again... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Quick ride through Navajo Nation and Monument Valley... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 American Indian reservations are kinda odd. At every gas stop, you're swarmed by feral dogs looking for some handout to eat. Big groups of them are at each fuel stop waiting for food.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Blasted through Jerome, AZ - a hillside town full of shops and galleries .... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 And then up into the hills of AZ ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Passed by an old schoolhouse in Strawberry . Not open so I shot through the windows .... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Stopped by a reservoir for break and it was officially hot as fuck out -105F / 42C. Had us rethinking our decision to ride Arizona. Heat was hitting hard as I was still used to below freezing temperatures of home ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Relief wasn't far off though as we made it to our hotel north of Tucson ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Had a bit of an injury on this trip. I'd like to say it was a result of staving off a tank slapper with my superior riding skills while doing 135 mph through a tight sweeper. But the truth is a bit more mundane - I slipped in the bath tub and biffed my arm on the way down. Fuckin' hurt! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 To soothe my pain, we're off to the hotel bar and then a fine dining experience at the restaurant. As usual, we got drunk at the bar and never made it to the restaurant. Maybe tomorrow night.... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Next day and we head further south to the old border town of Bisbee, AZ ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Not a lot happening here but some nice older architecture. Most of the town is just kind of over run with hippie types, not doing much of anything . Pretty stark contrast to the last time I was here about 30 years ago. It was a vibrant little town then.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Saw this cool old steel entrance door. Almost looked like the top of an old stamped steel coffin. Very cool ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 A mile or two outta town and we've gone as far south as we can as we hit the wall at the border with Mexico .... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Headed back north and stopped off to see Todd's grandfather in Safford, AZ . Nice place to spend eternity .... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Then we headed north again on a good twisty mountain road. The road surface was kinda fucked up due to the heat - had lots of tar strips and patches but the ADV bikes soaked up the imperfections without too much issue. Would have sucked on a crusier type bike... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 The road snaked it's way north for about 170 miles with no stops along the way. Almost ran outta fuel but it was a fun ride.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earache Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 It just never ends ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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