WEDNESDAY 9/30/09: PEORIA (AZ) TO BAKERSFIELD (CA)
I had my alarm set for 5:30am, but when I decided to get on my feet it was 4:15. It wasn't supposed to be quite as hot that day, but I wanted to beat as much of the heat as possible anyway. Ann got up and hugged me good-bye out on the street @ 5:30, and I took off down the street for the nearest GSMM and some hot coffee.
Down the road at my second stop of the morning, I had a very nice conversation with Gaeir. We found out we both had 'wet dreams' about each other that morning. Actually I bent the truth a little when we were talking… I was actually wide-awake when I got myself wet.
About 30 miles from Quartzite, I noticed a big American flag standing straight out in the wind… a direct head wind. I hadn't realized how strong it was, and I thought to myself that Honey's gas mileage wasn't gonna be too good. Before the thought was complete in my mind, she burped and sputtered, and I flipped her gas valve to reserve, which gave her one more gallon. I was only getting about 25 miles per gallon, and there was no gas between were I was and Quartzite. I assumed my tuck position to lessen the wind resistance and lowered my speed from 75 mph to 65.
One mile from Quartzite, Honey ran dry. I instantly pulled in her clutch and coasted to a stop… right behind an Arizona State Trooper, who had pulled someone over on the side of the freeway. Fernando finished giving the guy his ticket and then walked back and asked me if he could help.
I told him, "If you have a thimble full of gas it would be a great help to me." He shook his head and said, "No, but I can take you up to the gas station and bring you back." I hesitated… thinking about leaving Honey unattended, out on the open road. My five-second hesitation was all the time it took for Curtis the County Sheriff to pull up behind us. He offered to sit next to Honey for me, until we got back.
After getting back with the gas I'd put in my empty water bottle, I was ready to get back on the road. Only ten minutes had expired since I'd coasted to a stop. I LOVE ARIZONA!! Curtis said he worked in the 'Drug Intervention Unit', so he didn't want me to take a picture of his face. I asked them if I could take a pic of their backs. They both smiled and turned around for me.
When I got to Vidal, I went in the door and found Bonnie behind the counter at the GSMM. I had a huge smile on my face. For those of you who haven't read my "Please Allow Me To Introduce My Selves" story… Bonnie is a gem. She said she hadn't received her copy of the story I sent her, so she gave me her mailing address, and I promised her that I'd send it to her upon my return.
As I was finishing my beverage of choice, two biker brothers and a sister pulled up. Peitra, Paul, and Volker were doing a two-week loop ride from LA to Yellowstone and were on their last leg, back to LA to catch their return flight to Germany. I wish I had felt more social… they would've been fun to talk to for a while.
I'm not sure why sometimes I feel like the life of the party, and other times I feel like a wallflower. Do any of you others wonder about your mood swings? I'd love to know I'm not the only crazy one out there. Ok… no I wouldn't. I like to feel special.
My obligatory stop at BK's Pepper Lounge in Needles enabled me to find out why Bonnie hadn't received her copy of my story. Brenda didn't give it to her, as she said she would. In a gesture of repentance, she gave me a free beer and an apology. Sunny the bartender was a cutie and gave me a private dance while she played her favorite Dave Mathews song on the jukebox. Chris Medley, a friend of Brenda's, gave me the impression she wanted me to stick around, but I had to break her heart and get back on the road. This stallion has already been corralled. Sorry Chris.
Sunny & Brenda
Chris Medley
I boogied thru Ludlow, Barstow, Kramer Junction, and Tehachapi, and bedded down for the night in Bakersfield, CA. It was a 546-mile day, and 1,811 for the trip. One more (short) day, and Honey and I would be home in the warm embraces of Gaeir and my Santa Cruz California Coast.
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