THE DAY IN FINALLY HERE! ...YOUR OTHER LEFT!

Day 1 April 17, 2010

The big day is finally here. We met at 8 AM at Denny's, I-17 and Dunlap. I want to thank Bruce for starting the ride on a humerous note! Most of the riders and families were present when Bruce rode up on his Harley. As he was parking, everyone saw that his left saddlebag was open. Some of the people yelled at Bruce that his "left" saddlebag was open. Bruce stopped and looked at his "right" saddlebag. Everyone laughed and yelled, "Your other left!" Bruce then looked at the left saddlebag and closed it. Everyone laughed and Bruce started us right. Well, it was better that dropping the Motor!



We all had breakfast and soon we said our good-byes and at 9:45 AM left southbound with Chuck in the lead. We rode to I-10 and the eastbound onto the 202 until it met with US60. We had a little construction in Mesa, but we soon got out of it and it was clear sailing. With the temperature at 72 degrees when we left Denny's, the sky had scattered clouds and it was a wonderful day to be riding a Motorcycle.



At 11:00 AM and after riding for 80 miles, we arrived in Superior, AZ. with 77 degree temperature for our first (of many) pit stops. Those Circle K's sure do come in handy when you need them...and we needed it! We just had far too much coffee at Denny's! We left at 11:16 AM and continued eastbound on US60. We drove through the cities of Miami and Globe. We rode through Salt River Canyon and it was beautiful! There was not very much traffic in front of us so we were able to go a little faster and enjoy the curves on the roadway. Ladies, we weren't looking at the other women on the road, I'm talking about the roadway and all of the switchback curves!



We stopped at 1:10 PM after riding 114 miles in Show Low, AZ. at the first Circle K with a gas station. It was 68 degrees. Thinking that Chuck wanted to stop for gas, most of us stopped at the pumps while Chuck stopped at the Circle K store, parked his Motor and quickly went inside to a needed pit stop! We all gassed up after Chuck's pit stop and Jan led up 1.3 miles away to the Subway for lunch. We left at 2:06 PM after finishing our subs.



It was my turn to lead. I lead the group eastbound on US60. We continued through Show Low and then stopped 48.4 miles later at 2:51 PM in Springerville, AZ. What a gorgeous ride, so far! We stopped for another pit stop and a little break, especially after lunch. We learned a couple of years ago that we need to stop and take a break soon after lunch so that we can "wake up." Knowing that we had another 200 or so miles to go before the end of the day, Chuck and Jan topped off their gas tanks so that they could make it all the way without running out of gas. C.E. decided to put on his sweater at this time because it was a little cold. The rest of us didn't. Silly us! We left at 3:15 PM.



We left Springerville and at about 3:30 PM, we entered New Mexico. As we entered New Mexico, we lost an hour because of the time difference. As we headed eastbound, it got colder and colder. The lowest it got was 53 degrees, but nobody wanted to stop and put on their jackets! No one got a hold of me on the CB and told me to stop! I guess they would have IF the others had a CB! I kept going. We entered an mountainous area with lots of trees. It had recently rained and the roadway was wet. Most of the others was some antelope grazing by a fence a distance from the side of the road. Chuck also said that he saw some deer by the side of the road on the other side. Or so he claims! He did. He had a witness! I'll give him that one.



We arrived in Datil, NM at 5:37 PM after riding for 94.7 miles. Funny what fluids and cold weather does to ones bladder. We made our pit stop and returned to our Motors to get our jackets out and put them on. It felt sooooo much better! It was 57 degrees by the time we arrived in Datil. We left at 5:51 PM.



We rode for another 62.5 miles and arrived in Socorro, NM at 6:52 PM. My navigations system took us directly to the Best Western. Jan, Chuck and Bruce went in to make the deal for the three rooms. The young, snot-nosed clerk gave them a price of $90 and would waver on any discounts! Bruce walked next door to the Holiday Inn Express and got a deal of $75 per room. Being the cheap people that we are, can you guess which motel we stayed at? Remember, 1) retired, 2) living on a fixed income, 3) barely squeaking by. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express. We check into our room and took our bags up to our room. We then met at the Motors and rode about a half a mile south to the "El Camino Family Restaurant." We enjoyed our dinner, rode back to the motel, parked the Motors and tucked them in for the night.



We all agreed that it was great to get back on the Motors and do our "ride." At one point, I was riding and I heard the roar of Jan's Motor at my right. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and listened and that "good feeling" came back to me. Don't worry, nothing happened to me as I rode with my eyes closed. My God, it was only for a few seconds! We rode for 403 miles today. The hot tub made our bodies feel real good! We are all going to sleep good tonight. So, Good Night to all and we will chat tomorrow.



p.s. Love your Girls. Thanks for allowing me to make this ride!