Day 4 - AZ 60, Salt River Canyon, and AZ 89 / 89A

SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE - Day 4
Starting Point: Show Low, AZ
Destination: Flagstaff, AZ
Day 3 mileage: 382.4
Cumulative mileage (GPS): 2816.3
Cumulative mileage (Odometer): 2866.1

My original post at the end of Day 4 was brief and to the point: Annette is here, so I'm not writing about anything tonight. Part of the reason for the this has to do with the fact she is not a fan of me staying up late writing, going through photos, or editing videos. More importantly, I just wanted us to enjoy the evening together. So we did. Almost a month later, I'll fill in the details on a great day of riding.

We don't make many hotel reservations before leaving on our motorcycle adventures. If we are going to be at a popular destination (such as Yellowstone in 2014) or if hotels are scarce (such as in western Montana last year), we'll make reservations in advance and make sure we reach our goal destination. Most days, because I want to maintain the flexibility of changing our route or stopping early due to weather, fatigue, or mechanical difficulty, we don't make reservations. I choose our intended destination based on the availability of suitable hotels. If the girls are with us, they start making calls as we ride sometime after lunch. When the girls are not around, we have to do this work ourselves.

On the previous day, we stopped for gas in Eager and discussed whether to stop there for the night or press on to Show Low. Once we made the decision to continue on, I made a call to choice #1 in Show Low (a Hampton Inn, I think), only to discover there were no rooms available. At this point, I made assignments to each of the guys to call hotels and check on availability. Someone talked to a Days Inn who had five rooms, so we reserved them and started on our way. The Days Inn proved to be a good choice for the night... nicer than we expected, where we could park right outside our rooms. Laundry facilities were available, there was a free cooked-to-order breakfast the next morning, and there was a good restaurant right across the street. All was well.

After a good night of rest and a hearty breakfast, we set off for Phoenix to pick up Annette and Elizabeth. Our 170-mile route to the Hilton Airport was almost entirely on Arizona 60.  While we could have taken a more northerly route, I chose to route us to Salt River Canyon Overlook. Often, when we route ourselves to a scenic location like this, the ride to get there is uneventful. This was not the case with AZ 60. We were pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable (sweepers with frequent elevation changes) and scenic the route was. After a couple of scenic overlook stops, we arrived at Salt River Canyon Overlook, which proved to be a nice stop.

Leaving the overlook, we set our sights on getting to the girls, wanting to waste no time, as the temperature was rising. We had no idea at this point in the day how hot it would get. Arriving at the hotel, we enjoyed a quick reunion with the girls, then set off to grab lunch. We had asked them to pick out a place close to their hotel, and they did. We arrived to find a long line out the door of the barbecue place they had suggested. Not having time to wait in line, we decided to find something else.

The temperature was 107 when we left the girls’ hotel. And for some reason, I routed us on AZ 60 on our way to Wittenburg, Prescott, Jerome, Sedona, and Flagstaff. This was already a tall order in terms of time and distance. AZ 60, nice from Show Low to Phoenix, turned out to be absolutely miserable through the city… stop and go in extreme heat, with few options for lunch. In restrospect, I should have routed us north on I-17 to get out of Phoenix, then west on AZ 74. So much for hindsight. Extremely hot, we stopped for a long lunch at an Applebee’s, where we cooled off and hydrated. This choice, though necessary, would cost us later in the day.

After lunch, we set our sights on AZ 89 and Prescott. A review of this part of our route included in the ride summary reads like this: "The scenery on the mountain of the red rocks is phenomenal. Every turn presents a breath taking view. If you rode no other road in Arizona, this should be the one!!!" Road can become steep at certain times and very twisty ... you may have to take breaks to allow your brakes to cool (depending on your speed).” The ride to Prescott was all of this and more.

Arriving in Prescott, we rode down Whiskey Row, stopped to walk around the town square, grabbed some ice cream, then set off for Jerome. We were pushing pretty hard at this point, as we knew getting to Flagstaff by sundown was going to be challenging. At the same time, I was determined to stop in Sedona and check out this artsy little town. We rode to Sedona in 2012, our first visit to this part of the country, but didn’t have time to stop. This year, I had several scenic locations built into the plan, and was determined to see at least some of them.

While we had a wonderful time riding through Jerome and Sedona, the sad truth is, as I watched our ETA in Flagstaff, we had to make the painful decision to ride through these great little towns without stopping. I was not happy – but, in light of the time we arrived in Flagstaff (no pun intended), we made the right call. We checked into our hotel, had a late dinner, then called it a day.

Here are some more images from Day 4:

AZ 60 on the way to Salt River Canyon and Phoenix

Stopped at a scenic overlook...

... as we approach Salt River Canyon

Trent and Randall hanging out at the canyon...

... while Matt gets a close look at the river

Another shot of the bridge over the canyon

AZ 60 on the way to Phoenix

Picking up the ladies at their hotel in Phoenix. 107 degrees.

Riding the twisties on AZ 89. Video to come later.

Prescott, AZ

Checking out the town square 

Whiskey Row

These ladies were ready for a break

Matt and Steve

Caption not necessary

Trent is focused on his ice cream...

... before getting back on his bike to leave Prescott

The Beemers navigate more of the twisties 

Jerome, AZ. One day we'll have time to hang out here

Approaching Sedona, AZ 

Riding through Sedona on our way to Flagstaff

Day 3 - The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway

SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE - Day 3
Starting Point: Iraan, TX
Destination: Show Low, AZ
Day 3 mileage: 696.9
Cumulative mileage (GPS): 2433.9
Cumulative mileage (Odometer): 2476.5

After Day 3, I posted the following: Once again, it's late. We rode 696.9 miles today. We're tired. So this update will be brief - and I'm going to bed. I'll fill in the blanks now and provide more detail.

More from the original ride update: Here's what we have ridden so far, as recorded by our Spot Gen3 satellite tracker. This device is pretty cool - but it does not record detail - as in the curves we might ride.

Garmin's BaseCamp - the software used for planning these motorcycle adventures, on the other hand, provides an accurate representation of what we will encounter - and what we rode today. Suffice it to say the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway is the most challenging road I've ever ridden.

Here is part of a description of the byway from openroadjourney.com:

A favorite of motorcyclists and driving enthusiasts, the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway is an adventure of switchbacks, steep grades, and hairpin turns and is know as one of the best driving roads in the nation. The road is steep and winding, and many sharp curves lack guardrails.

The average daily travel for the heart of the byway is less than 100 cars. There are over 400 switchbacks!

We're worn out - but had great fun and feel a genuine sense of satisfaction in knowing
we survived this one. Now to find a T-shirt that says we did it...

I'm going to bed.

Our day started with an early departure from Iraan, Texas. The rain of the night before had brought with it cold air - and we all started the morning dressed for the chill. I had purchased a heated jacket liner for use at elevation. This was the opportune time to check it out. So I put it on, plugged it in, and experimented with the various temperature settings. That thing works! I was happy with my investment.

While this was all good, I discovered a problem as soon as we left Iraan: the front speakers on my bike were not working. My aftermarket system installed by Soundz Customz while at Bike Week in Daytona would come on for just a split second, then shut down. This had me irritated and distracted as I tried to figure out what was going on. The stock rear speakers worked fine, but I had a no-go on the front speakers (the only ones you can really hear) - and I've been spoiled by the level I can get out of the amp and speakers installed by the guys at Soundz Customz.  Anyway... back to the heated jacket liner....

The bad news is I had never used heated gear (I live in Florida, for goodness sake!) and forgot to unplug before getting off the bike at our first gas stop. This was not a problem, as it unplugs easily. The real problem was in forgetting to plug it back in when we started riding again. Coupled with the fact that I had left enough slack in the power cord that the end of the cord reached to the belt drive pulley, where it was cut up by the friction... where the wires shorted out, causing that fuse as well as the fuse for my horn to blow... Not long after I realized the error of my ways, I was able to pull off the interstate, free the wire from it's position against the pulley, get the wires taped up, and continue on my way. Amazingly enough, the plug still worked once I was able to replace the fuse. Anyway, we pressed on to the west.

Somewhere along the way, we encountered a Border Patrol checkpoint that required vehicles to stop, looking, I suppose, for those who might be transporting illegal immigrants. Officers looked into each vehicle and sent the drivers on their way. We, obviously, were not transporting passengers, so we were waved on through the checkpoint, but not without our trying to recall with certainty that our respective states (Florida and Louisiana) had concealed-carry reciprocity. Of course, we checked before we left - but one tends to get tense at moments like this!

Regarding the audio issue... somewhere in the monotony of the interstate, I was able to call Soundz Customz, who informed me I probably had a blown tweeter. I could, they said, disconnect that speakers one at a time to confirm this - but who has time to pull the fairing on a ride like this? I decided I was going to have to live without my front speakers. Sigh...

So on we went, determined to ride the Coronado Scenic Skyway. It was mid-afternoon before we got there, and I was apprehensive about getting off of those roads before nightfall. We had a pull-up-short destination in the ride plan in the event we were behind schedule, though - so we thought we would be okay.

I've already written about the challenge the Coronado proved to be. We got our money's worth on this one, for sure. Switchbacks, hairpin turns, elevation changes, wildlife in the road - the experience was filled with adventure, for sure! Here is a link to a 12-minute video that offers an idea of what the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway is like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yd6th1EUc

At Eager, we stopped for gas and discussed whether we would stop for the night or press on to Show Low. We all agreed we wanted to continue on and get back on schedule. We arrived right at our hotel right at dark - but we arrived safely, thrilled to have experienced such an great day!

Here are some images from the day:

The GoPro does not capture accurately the colors of the sunset as we approached Show Low.

Day 2 - The Texas Hill Country

SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE - Day 2
Starting Point: Kerrville, TX
Intended Destination: Fort Stockton, TX
Actual Destination: Iraan, TX
Day 2 mileage: 462.7
Cumulative mileage (GPS): 1737
Cumulative mileage (Odometer): 1767.4

Day 2 was intended to be a long ride day. We were to ride the Twisted Sisters, then make our way back to the interstate, pushing west as hard as we could to position us to meet the girls in Phoenix on time. Here's the way the day went down:

• We left Inn of the Hills in Kerrville right on time, at 7 AM. After a quick gas stop, we were on our way on Texas Highway 16 to get to the Twisted Sisters.
• We went to Bandera first - the Cowboy Capital of the World. We walked around a little, then grabbed some quick refreshment at OST - the Old Spanish Trail Restaurant. We met a nice man here who gave us a map of the Hill Country. He is pictured with us below.
• From Bandera, we set out to ride The Sisters - and this was GREAT fun!! These roads are like a motorcycle rollercoaster that goes on and on and on. I'll post video soon. Oh, my - this was so much fun!
• Leaving the Hill Country, we stopped to say goodbye to Joe Thomas, who rode with us on Thursday, then set out to ride 200 miles west on the interstate to our intended destination of Fort Stockton.
• A really intense thunderstorm system, coupled with a serious need for fuel, caused us to leave the interstate in search of gas, food, and a shelter from the storm. We thought we might wait for the storm to pass, then continue on to Fort Stockton, but finally decided to spend the night at our gas-stop town - Iraan, Texas. It was an interesting little place...

Riding the Hill Country proved to be a nice break after the long interstate ride, for sure. After riding across Texas west of the Dallas / Fort Worth area in 2012 and 2104, I was pleasantly surprised by the topography. I remarked on several occasions that, if I had been blindfolded and dropped off in the Hill Country then asked where I was, I never would have guessed Texas. The roads are characterized by continual elevation changes, and the greenery was much more lush than I would have expected.

The Sisters were fun and offered some challenges. Honestly, I had heard enough about the dangers of the Twisted Sisters - and noted the signs like the ones pictured here - that I expected the challenge to be greater. The roads really offered a very nice let's-have-fun experience, and proved to be a great warm-up for things to come later in the trip.

Some of our apprehension had to do with wondering if we would encounter standing water or debris on the roads due to the recent flooding in Texas. The roads were clear except in one notable instance.

Our first stop after leaving Kerrville was in Bandera. This was a great little town, and did not disappoint. Visiting Bandera was like stepping back in time... the town retained the flavor of years gone by. The locals were friendly. I hoped to see people on horseback, and we did not - perhaps because we arrived so early - but the visit was worthwhile, none-the-less. Of course, we had to stop in at OST - the Old Spanish Trail restaurant. Though we had breakfast at Inn of the Hills, some quick refreshment was a good thing.

From here, we set out to ride The Twisted Sisters and enjoyed several hours riding through the Hill Country. While these were not the most technical roads we've experienced, they were great fun, and should be ridden again if we ever venture this way to ride Big Bend National Park.

We stopped for lunch in Leakey, Texas. Conversation with locals while at lunch revealed tension over something called Jade Helm, a military operation that would have strong presence in Leakey. From the perspective of some locals, this operation has to do with putting down the influence of local militia. If seems another perspective might have something to do with containing Mexican drug cartels. I have no idea. While this calls for some research on the subject to satisfy my curiosity, on this day, I just felt impressed to get on the road before we encountered any difficulty.

I always like to build options into our route... things about which I say, "We probably won't have time to do this, but..." This day had a 60-mile option to ride along the Guadalupe River. In retrospect, I wish I had opted against this. We had ridden at the Sisters at an attention-getting, adrenaline-rush kind of pace, so we were ahead of schedule. The extra 60 miles proved to be just more of what we had already experienced, with only occasional views of the river. Had we headed straight to the interstate, we might have arrived in Fort Stockton on schedule, ahead of the storm that caused us to pull up short of our intended destination. And I would have avoided the "one notable moment" I referenced earlier.

The roads had been unexpectedly clear. I had let my guard down regarding road conditions after many hours of not seeing much water at all. We were in one of those places I always enjoy... a long sweeper that was punctuated by a curve to the left during a pretty good drop in elevation. I was leading, and came flying around that curve, into the drop, to see water standing all the way across the road. Yikes! I voiced my concern in animated fashion via our trusty Scala Rider communicators, and got on the brakes quickly. Of course, at the speed I was traveling, I didn't have time to slow down much - and I wasn't going to go through the standing water - unaware of the road condition beneath the water - while braking. So I got off the brakes, held on, and hit the water. The result was soaked legs and water up over my head that had me wiping my sunglasses dry as we continued on - but we all survived the notable moment and continued on our way.

Pointing toward the interstate, we pulled up just before getting onto I-10 West to say goodbye to Joe Thomas. He had business concerns that prevented his riding on with us - so we said our goodbyes, watered a few trees, and started west with our sights set on Fort Stockton.

The adventure of the afternoon continued as I made a bad call on when and where to refuel. Sometimes I plan fuel stops in advance. This was the case earlier in the day, when I heeded warning to not get caught on the Twisted Sisters without gas. Planning fuel stops is, for the most part, problematic, though, because the fuel consumption on our Harleys goes up pretty significantly when we ride much above 80 MPH. The speed limit in west Texas is 80. And we were riding a little north of that in order to try to reach our destination as early as possible. I realized too late that we weren't going to make it to our intended gas stop at the rate we were burning fuel - but I had this epiphany AFTER we passed the best gas stop. To complicate matters even more, I was monitoring a growing thunderstorm that was in our way. There were two things I really didn't want to experience: trying to find gas in a thunderstorm, and trying to find a hotel in the rain. So I made a decision to leave the interstate (no gas within miles on the interstate, according to the GPS) and head north to Iraan, Texas for fuel. I also thought we might grab dinner while waiting to see if the storm would blow to the north and let us get to Fort Stockton without getting wet.

Pulling into Iraan, we found gas quickly, but also found quickly that our food options were pretty limited. The gas station attendant first told me the only food available was the food there at the station (unacceptable to our little group), but another employee told us of a cafe just down the street. We made that our destination, and ate an okay meal while monitoring the weather. We finally decided to wait out the weather by spending the night in Iraan, and agreed to leave early the next morning so we could get back on schedule. So dinner at the Old House Cafe and a night spent at Mesa View Inn marked the end of our day.

Here are some photo highlights of the day:

Inn of the Hills in Kerrville, TX

Breakfast at Inn of the Hills before starting the day. That's Joe.

Gassing up before we go.

Badnera - Cowboy Capital of the World

Fail! This place was closed when we arrived.

Our only scenic overlook for the day. The rest of the day - riding hard! 

Lunch in Leakey, Texas

Saying goodbye to Joe before hitting the interstate. 

The 80-MPH speed limit helped us get west quickly.

Rainbow over Iraan, Texas

Really strange sky as we checked in the Mesa View Inn