Post by Yotes65 on Jul 23, 2010 11:02:01 GMT -7
Greetings All,
I decide to run up to the Four Corners & back to Phoenix in one day… below is a story of my adventure.
Friday, May 2nd, 5:30 AM… My day started out by waking up at 5:30 AM… It feels like I did not even go to sleep the night before... I always get excited the night before I’m taking a road trip. It doesn’t matter how short or long of a ride it may be. Just for the fact that I am getting out of town for a bit on the bike always makes me happy. I was smart enough to have the bike all packed & ready to go the night before. By 6:00 AM, I was ready to run out the door, just wanted to double check a few items.
Before I left the house, I’d decided to take a snap shot of the bike while she was still nice & clean. Damn, just notice the camera has only an 11 minute charge on it… oh well… I will have to deal with it. I’d later discovered that although the camera was secure in the Charging Cradle, the cradle itself was not plugged into the electrical socket. What a bone head move. Off to the Gas Station. I decided to use the local Circle K by the house. The time on the receipt was 6:15 AM and off to the big blue yonder I go…
I headed out the 101 East towards Shea Blvd. and then headed over to Fountains Hills. For those that live in Phx, there is a Speed Camera that I found on Shea just East of 120th Street. There is a camera for both directions on Shea. For those that use this road, be careful for it is camouflage within the Mesquite Trees in the median.
I’d arrived in Fountain Hills 15 minutes past my scheduled time. I did not think that there would have been that much traffic on the 101 at 6:30 AM… From Fountain Hills I take Hwy 87 up to Payson. The construction zone has been extended since my last ride thru here two weeks ago… I was eager to go zipping thru the construction. However, I though it would be best to pick a car and stay behind it till I was out of the construction zone… good thing, there were at least 2 LEO’s stationed in the medians waiting for some unsuspecting driver to go flying by. Not me, not today.
I was able to make up the 15 minutes that I lost earlier… I’d arrived in Payson @ approx.7:50 AM. No need to stop for gas or rest. I’d kept heading thru Payson towards my next destination – Winslow. At this point I’m getting a bit cold. Why in the world did I wear my Mesh Jacket… what was I thinking? As I pass by the Wal-Mart, I questioned whether I should stop & buy a sweatshirt or keep going. I’ll be fine, no sweatshirt needed.
It was a Beautiful ride between Payson & Strawberry… very little traffic. And what traffic there was, they were nice enough to move to the side to let me fly on by. After passing Strawberry, it was time for the short stretch to Winslow. Now it’s getting colder and I’m cursing myself for not stopping for a sweatshirt. Note to self here: Wear a different jacket for the Bryce Canyon Ride I'm taking in two weeks. Zipping thru the trees along Hwy 87 on the way to Winslow was great. No Traffic!! I came up the 7400 ft Elevation sign… I though about stopping for a photo opp… however at this point I have turned into a damn frozen human popsicle. All I was thinking about at this point was getting to my next gas stop so I can defrost. Before I knew it, I’d past the signage for Winslow’s City limits. Wait a minute, where is the damn town, all I see is a State Prison. A few minutes later I’m in the Downtown Section… blink an eye & you might miss it. OK, it wasn’t quite that bad. Remember that I am still a frozen popsicle and all I wanted was a hot cup of chocolate to warm me up. No time for photo’s here. I will have to ride back up on another day. Arrival time: approx 9:05 AM. I’d found the Flying J Truck stop and decided to head in for a hot breakfast. Who cares if I just ate before I left home, I needed to defrost before I got back on the bike. After eating, I gas the bike up and was ready to hit the road again. Time back on the road: 10:00 AM. Time to jump on I-40 and head to New Mexico.
As I’m cursing to myself along I-40, I kept thinking, why the heck am I doing this? Why didn’t I wear my Winter jacket? Approx 30 miles past Holbrook, it hit me like a brick wall: I have my rain gear with me. My rain jacket could serve as another layer to keep the cold wind off of me. Eureka, what a great idea. Man, what a feeling it was to be warmer. I was now comfortable and could go any distance. Off to Gallup I go. I have no clue as to the time that I’d arrived in Gallup. I had plan on stopping here for lunch. However since I just had a large breakfast in Winslow, I decided to skip lunch for now and keep going. Half way between Gallup & my next schedule gas stop in Shiprock, NM, I’d noticed that I was going thru fuel a bit faster then I had plan. Hmmm, could it be because of flying down I-40 like a bat out of Hell… no problem. I would just have to keep my eyes open to see how far to the next town. By the way, for those that do not know it, Western New Mexico does not have any towns. I was fortunately enough that they did however have plenty of gas stations out in the middle of nowhere. I ended up stopping at a place call Sheep Springs to gas & take a quick 10 minute break. Getting gas this early would throw off my whole schedule of gas & food stops. Who cares, I’m having a blast! Between Sheep Springs and Shiprock were a few spots that would have been some great locations for pictures. Off in the distance I could see what I believe were the Snow cap Rockies. If only I had charge the camera properly. Duh!
Since I did not need to get gas in Shiprock, I’d blasted on thru. Stopping for lunch did not even cross my mind. My goal was to get to the Four Corners and home again before 11:00 PM. I arrived at the Four Corner’s at approx 2:00 PM… Wow, 2 hours ahead of schedule. I’d paid my $3 to enter the area so I could take a few snapshots to send to co-workers to prove where I was… I guess I was expecting something a bit more of the Four Corners… On the way out of the area I notice a body of water just North of the entrance. Looking at Google Maps, it shows a small river (no name) and it appears that Hwy 597 may end at the edge. Some day I will need to head back up to investigate.
After a few snapshots of the area & a stretch of the legs, back on the bike I go. Now for the long ride home. I decided to stop off in Kayenta for gas and lunch. I’d tried calling home but there was no cell service. How in the world could that be no cell phone service in Kayenta? I had service up at the Four Corner’s and there was NOTHING around. Oh well, no need to stick around. Once out of town, it was nothing but a lot of straight roads until I connected to Hwy 89. During the ride from Four Corners down to Hwy 89, I’d kept playing with the idea of heading over to the Grand Canyon. I’d figured if I could get to the GC before Sunset, all would be fine. As I approached Hwy 64, the turn off to the South Rim, I had to make a decision on whether I would go for the GC or just head home. As the turn off was approaching, I’d remember how cold I was earlier in the day because I had the wrong gear… I’d figure it would be better for me to bypass the GC at this time and continue towards home. I could always make a day trip to GC and back on a later ride.
Soon I was in Flagstaff… my last stop for gas. After a quick stop and walk, I was back on the bike heading home, time: 6:45 PM. On the way out, approx 25 miles past Flagstaff, I saw a beautiful site… 3 deer just 10 feet off the side of the road grazing on the grass. I was thinking “Damn, I wish I had a camera mounted on the bike”… then I realized, “Oh crap, please do not move, do not dart out onto the freeway”. Soon I was past the deer heading down I-17. Traffic was picking up a bit. Soon it was getting dark and I was having a bit of fun on the curves heading down the hill. This was a blast compared to the long and straight roads in Northern AZ.
Before I knew, I was pulling into the Circle K were the ride had started. I used the same pump that I used earlier. Time on the receipt, 8:12 PM. Just a tad under 14 hours.
After a wonderful day of riding, it was nice to be home. One of the main reasons for this trip was to get a feeling how it would be to take on an SS1000. If I would have gone over to the Grand Canyon, I would only need another 125 miles to have completed the SS1000 on this run. No big deal, another day, another ride.
Here are some basic stats on the ride:
Total Miles, Door to Door: 786.1 Miles
Total Trip Time: 13 hours, 57 minutes
Total Rest Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Gas Usage: 41 MPG
Average Speed (including rest time): 56 MPH
Average Speed (not including rest time): 74 MPH
Bonus Points: No Mishaps nor Performance Awards...
I decide to run up to the Four Corners & back to Phoenix in one day… below is a story of my adventure.
Friday, May 2nd, 5:30 AM… My day started out by waking up at 5:30 AM… It feels like I did not even go to sleep the night before... I always get excited the night before I’m taking a road trip. It doesn’t matter how short or long of a ride it may be. Just for the fact that I am getting out of town for a bit on the bike always makes me happy. I was smart enough to have the bike all packed & ready to go the night before. By 6:00 AM, I was ready to run out the door, just wanted to double check a few items.
Before I left the house, I’d decided to take a snap shot of the bike while she was still nice & clean. Damn, just notice the camera has only an 11 minute charge on it… oh well… I will have to deal with it. I’d later discovered that although the camera was secure in the Charging Cradle, the cradle itself was not plugged into the electrical socket. What a bone head move. Off to the Gas Station. I decided to use the local Circle K by the house. The time on the receipt was 6:15 AM and off to the big blue yonder I go…
I headed out the 101 East towards Shea Blvd. and then headed over to Fountains Hills. For those that live in Phx, there is a Speed Camera that I found on Shea just East of 120th Street. There is a camera for both directions on Shea. For those that use this road, be careful for it is camouflage within the Mesquite Trees in the median.
I’d arrived in Fountain Hills 15 minutes past my scheduled time. I did not think that there would have been that much traffic on the 101 at 6:30 AM… From Fountain Hills I take Hwy 87 up to Payson. The construction zone has been extended since my last ride thru here two weeks ago… I was eager to go zipping thru the construction. However, I though it would be best to pick a car and stay behind it till I was out of the construction zone… good thing, there were at least 2 LEO’s stationed in the medians waiting for some unsuspecting driver to go flying by. Not me, not today.
I was able to make up the 15 minutes that I lost earlier… I’d arrived in Payson @ approx.7:50 AM. No need to stop for gas or rest. I’d kept heading thru Payson towards my next destination – Winslow. At this point I’m getting a bit cold. Why in the world did I wear my Mesh Jacket… what was I thinking? As I pass by the Wal-Mart, I questioned whether I should stop & buy a sweatshirt or keep going. I’ll be fine, no sweatshirt needed.
It was a Beautiful ride between Payson & Strawberry… very little traffic. And what traffic there was, they were nice enough to move to the side to let me fly on by. After passing Strawberry, it was time for the short stretch to Winslow. Now it’s getting colder and I’m cursing myself for not stopping for a sweatshirt. Note to self here: Wear a different jacket for the Bryce Canyon Ride I'm taking in two weeks. Zipping thru the trees along Hwy 87 on the way to Winslow was great. No Traffic!! I came up the 7400 ft Elevation sign… I though about stopping for a photo opp… however at this point I have turned into a damn frozen human popsicle. All I was thinking about at this point was getting to my next gas stop so I can defrost. Before I knew it, I’d past the signage for Winslow’s City limits. Wait a minute, where is the damn town, all I see is a State Prison. A few minutes later I’m in the Downtown Section… blink an eye & you might miss it. OK, it wasn’t quite that bad. Remember that I am still a frozen popsicle and all I wanted was a hot cup of chocolate to warm me up. No time for photo’s here. I will have to ride back up on another day. Arrival time: approx 9:05 AM. I’d found the Flying J Truck stop and decided to head in for a hot breakfast. Who cares if I just ate before I left home, I needed to defrost before I got back on the bike. After eating, I gas the bike up and was ready to hit the road again. Time back on the road: 10:00 AM. Time to jump on I-40 and head to New Mexico.
As I’m cursing to myself along I-40, I kept thinking, why the heck am I doing this? Why didn’t I wear my Winter jacket? Approx 30 miles past Holbrook, it hit me like a brick wall: I have my rain gear with me. My rain jacket could serve as another layer to keep the cold wind off of me. Eureka, what a great idea. Man, what a feeling it was to be warmer. I was now comfortable and could go any distance. Off to Gallup I go. I have no clue as to the time that I’d arrived in Gallup. I had plan on stopping here for lunch. However since I just had a large breakfast in Winslow, I decided to skip lunch for now and keep going. Half way between Gallup & my next schedule gas stop in Shiprock, NM, I’d noticed that I was going thru fuel a bit faster then I had plan. Hmmm, could it be because of flying down I-40 like a bat out of Hell… no problem. I would just have to keep my eyes open to see how far to the next town. By the way, for those that do not know it, Western New Mexico does not have any towns. I was fortunately enough that they did however have plenty of gas stations out in the middle of nowhere. I ended up stopping at a place call Sheep Springs to gas & take a quick 10 minute break. Getting gas this early would throw off my whole schedule of gas & food stops. Who cares, I’m having a blast! Between Sheep Springs and Shiprock were a few spots that would have been some great locations for pictures. Off in the distance I could see what I believe were the Snow cap Rockies. If only I had charge the camera properly. Duh!
Since I did not need to get gas in Shiprock, I’d blasted on thru. Stopping for lunch did not even cross my mind. My goal was to get to the Four Corners and home again before 11:00 PM. I arrived at the Four Corner’s at approx 2:00 PM… Wow, 2 hours ahead of schedule. I’d paid my $3 to enter the area so I could take a few snapshots to send to co-workers to prove where I was… I guess I was expecting something a bit more of the Four Corners… On the way out of the area I notice a body of water just North of the entrance. Looking at Google Maps, it shows a small river (no name) and it appears that Hwy 597 may end at the edge. Some day I will need to head back up to investigate.
After a few snapshots of the area & a stretch of the legs, back on the bike I go. Now for the long ride home. I decided to stop off in Kayenta for gas and lunch. I’d tried calling home but there was no cell service. How in the world could that be no cell phone service in Kayenta? I had service up at the Four Corner’s and there was NOTHING around. Oh well, no need to stick around. Once out of town, it was nothing but a lot of straight roads until I connected to Hwy 89. During the ride from Four Corners down to Hwy 89, I’d kept playing with the idea of heading over to the Grand Canyon. I’d figured if I could get to the GC before Sunset, all would be fine. As I approached Hwy 64, the turn off to the South Rim, I had to make a decision on whether I would go for the GC or just head home. As the turn off was approaching, I’d remember how cold I was earlier in the day because I had the wrong gear… I’d figure it would be better for me to bypass the GC at this time and continue towards home. I could always make a day trip to GC and back on a later ride.
Soon I was in Flagstaff… my last stop for gas. After a quick stop and walk, I was back on the bike heading home, time: 6:45 PM. On the way out, approx 25 miles past Flagstaff, I saw a beautiful site… 3 deer just 10 feet off the side of the road grazing on the grass. I was thinking “Damn, I wish I had a camera mounted on the bike”… then I realized, “Oh crap, please do not move, do not dart out onto the freeway”. Soon I was past the deer heading down I-17. Traffic was picking up a bit. Soon it was getting dark and I was having a bit of fun on the curves heading down the hill. This was a blast compared to the long and straight roads in Northern AZ.
Before I knew, I was pulling into the Circle K were the ride had started. I used the same pump that I used earlier. Time on the receipt, 8:12 PM. Just a tad under 14 hours.
After a wonderful day of riding, it was nice to be home. One of the main reasons for this trip was to get a feeling how it would be to take on an SS1000. If I would have gone over to the Grand Canyon, I would only need another 125 miles to have completed the SS1000 on this run. No big deal, another day, another ride.
Here are some basic stats on the ride:
Total Miles, Door to Door: 786.1 Miles
Total Trip Time: 13 hours, 57 minutes
Total Rest Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Gas Usage: 41 MPG
Average Speed (including rest time): 56 MPH
Average Speed (not including rest time): 74 MPH
Bonus Points: No Mishaps nor Performance Awards...
