KINGMAN, AZ TO WINSLOW, AZ (Wednesday, July 22)
4:00am - Up and at 'em. Emailing & coffee drinking.
6:00am - Just about finished with my packing, I told Glenn I'd be leaving in 15 minutes as he walked out the door… I thought, just for a quick smoke. He didn't say a word, not even a grunt. 45 minutes later, I figured he wasn't coming back for a good-bye hug or even to kick me in the groin.
6:45am - On the road. The first 100 miles was gonna be much like the previous stretch coming into town… more beautiful mountainous desert on a narrow, winding, two lane road. This is what this trip was about. This is what almost all of my adventure rides are about. Honey and I live for the quiet serenity of the back roads. Freeways are long boring stretches of time, mostly spent wishing, hoping, and looking forward to the exit, to get back on a smaller road.
I wasn't more than 10 miles out of town before I'd completely gotten over the problem with my friend. This was a once in a lifetime adventure for me and I realized I'd enjoy it more on my own. Glenn and I are close and we truly love each other, but our personalities are not very similar. I'm better on my own. I have yet to find anyone who can enjoy my company for more than a few days, without taking some time alone, or else suffer from some sort of insanity or other mental disorder.
8:30am - Peach Springs-Nelson. Franny, a cute blonde behind the counter caught my eye, but I could tell she would not pan out for me… much too frail… I'd break her.
Met Johan and Sebastian, two Netherland biker brothers riding from LA thru Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and San Francisco, before returning to LA. I asked them if they were gonna go thru Yosemite, and they surprised me when they said they'd never heard of it.
I drew them a thumb-nail sketch of the western United States and the planned route they gave me, and showed them that they'd be going out of their way if they didn't go thru Yosemite, and that it would be the highlight of their trip if they did.
I also met Cindy, a gorgeously built, olive skinned beauty, but didn't take the time to pursue anything with her either, and I still don't exactly know why. Maybe it was the look I saw in her eyes, that she could break me… or maybe it was the look I saw in the eyes of her younger brother sitting next to her… the you better not even think about it look.
9:00am - Seligman and The Road Kill Café. The owner's son said he couldn't sell me a drink until 10am, but that he could sell me a bottle of vodka, no problem. I bought a ½ pint of Skyy and a small bottle of grapefruit juice, and had my drink in their parking lot. Respectfully of course… I'm a very respectful functioning alcoholic.
While having my cocktail and smoking a cigarette, I met and took a picture of Steve and Helena, who told me they were newlyweds from New York, on their honeymoon road trip to Las Vegas.
10:00am - Ash Fork. Kellie. Now this is the gal I'd been waiting for all morning. When I asked her if I could take her picture, she posed and instead of waiting for me to say, "Say cheese"… she said, "Say sex". Strong… big boned… blonde… and tall. Yep… she looked like she could take and dish out the kind of loving I'd been thinking about for the last few hours.
For at least 30 minutes I tried to talk her into meeting me after she got off work that day. I told her I was taking a detour, to meet my youngest daughter and her boyfriend, but that I'd be more than happy to buy her a nice dinner and whatever else she wanted, if she'd meet me at a clean motel just down the road in Flagstaff.
I had her convinced that I should be taken seriously, when I told her to go ahead and call her boyfriend, to make sure it was ok with him. She must've told me at least five times during this good spirited courtship... "You are so cute". Sure… cute… that and ham sandwich… that's just what I wanted. I gave her my cell phone number, and told her to call me, if she changed her mind. I left her just the way I wanted to. The way I like to leave all the girls I meet on my road trips… happy and complimented.
I wish the picture I took turned out better… she's much cuter than this…
11:15am - Prescott Valley. Be sure to pronounce it 'press-kit'. The locals are kinda funny about that. I met a family of bikers from Florida and Tennessee: Gary, his wife, his dad, his mom, his uncle, and his aunt. His aunt asked me how far up the road it was 'til the next gas, and after telling her, and about Kellie in Ash Fork, she told me she'd say hi to her for me and let her know that I was still hoping to hear from her. I hope it put a smile on Kellie's face… getting messages from me via random tourists walking into her store.
Noon - Jerome. Jerome is kinda like a bigger, more developed Oatman. An old mining town that now gets its gold and silver from the tourists' pockets, instead of from the ground. It's just up the hill from Sedona and has a magnificent view of the colorful valley below. I highly recommend checking it out, if you're ever in the area.
It didn't take me very long to find my way back to The Grand Hotel. I'd stopped there on my last trip thru the area, and had a great time… with the employees mostly. Young college aged kids, with lots of good fun spirit. I usually identify more with the younger generations than I do with my own. So many of the people my age are just too old.
None of the kids that had been there my last visit were there, but Jason the bartender told me he'd heard about me from Kayla and Matt, who weren't working that day. I love it. I have a reputation. It's nice to know that once in a while, all my hard work and effort pays off.
Tony the on duty manager was a cool dude, and posed with me on the steps out front as I was leaving. Fiona was cute too, but she was just a little too young for me to feel ok about flirting with.
2:00pm - Valle Verde. Yea!! Eron… my youngest and most precious daughter showed up right on schedule, to meet me. Please don’t tell my other two daughters, Kellie & Ashley, that Eron is my favorite.
She drove two hours north from the Greater Phoenix Basin with Sid her boyfriend, to meet me for just an hour or so. She is so beautiful. Again… I apologize for the 'bad' picture. I could use a different one, but I want this story to be authentic and accurate. Plus, it's the only one I have of Sid.
We laughed and cried and talked non-stop about all sorts of things until it was time for me to hit the dusty trail again. If I stayed too long, I wouldn't get to Flagstaff until late, and I'd run the risk of missing out on Kellie if she decided she wanted that nice dinner at a clean motel.
4:00pm - Change of plans. I decided to forgo the very slim possibility that Kellie might make me lucky tonight, and instead veered east, which kept me on the small highway, which would take me in a more direct route to my ultimate destination.
I must admit, the geography was part of my decision. I wanted to stay in the heavy forest for as long as possible before going back up to the high desert plateau. The cool, less arid aroma of this elevation was much more suitable for my not yet adjusted nasal passages. The humidity where I live is 'dry' when the percentage gets below 50. Now I was living with numbers closer to teens, or even single digits.
5:30pm - "Oh my Lord, I see a flat bed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me." Winslow, Arizona.
6:30pm - After John checked me into my room, I had two cocktails with Shauna the barkeep, and a couple biker brothers who were also staying at the Desert Cockroach Inn across the parking lot.
8:00pm - Physically and emotionally exhausted… happily and soundly asleep.
Another short day. 323 miles for a total of 1,096.
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