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Friday, July 5, 2013

Riding 24 hours

The hotel had Internet problems and of course I was having the time of my life and did not  have many opportunities to update the blog....  So here we go. The day of my trip I got to sleep around 4pm and woke up around 11pm. By twelve I was wide awake and ready to start preparing for the ride. I got to the gas station around 2:30 after calling Kitt (riding buddy) to confirm leaving time. I was leaving thirty minutes after him, so we could arrive in Brownfield, TX at the same time. The gas station manager signed my witness form, I got some gas, put away my receipt, and then I was off.

My first gas stop was in the town of Jacksboro. Very uneventful but the smell of doughnuts got me hungry for the first meal of the day.  The doughnut shop was closed,  so I kept riding until my next gas stop in Haskell,  TX. The only breakfast restaurant was also the local gas station.  As I was pulling into the gas station,  I get  news of our first incident. Kitt has run out of gas.  What.. I can't believe it.  We've just started this time critical mission and we have user fueling issues (this will never happen to me.....is this a sign for things to come). This is OK as unplanned stops were calculated into the timing of this trip. This slow down also allowed me to have a decent breakfast. While waiting for my bacon sandwich,  the local folks that were eating an early breakfast asked a lot of questions about my journey and told me of a Cushman rally in Abilene. Very pleasant people as they shared their own stories of traveling adventures. They wished me luck and I was off to the meeting destination.
I finally made it to Brownfield,  TX to meet Kitt and we rode up to the meeting spot at the same time.  We got some gas and after taking this picture we kept it moving.

The roads in west Texas and New Mexico were very boring as they were straight as the eye can see. The ride through New Mexico were straight roads cut through mountains. The view of the mountains in the distance was a scene from a movie or a something similar to an oil on canvas painting. If the roads were not so straight, I may have veered off due to staring at the mountains. We stopped in Roswell for lunch as we were making good time (as we thought)  We ate at McDonald's,  took some pictures and started riding again.

The route we took to California, through New Mexico and northern Arizona, was much better than a southern route west through Phoenix, AZ.  Being in the elevation decreases the heat substantially and makes riding very pleasant for summer weather.  It did give me the opportunity to take a picture of this caution sign.

Once we made it to west New Mexico and into northern Arizona the highway turned into some of the best roads I've ever ridden.  Swoops, drops, and turns were everywhere.  Going through the mountains were outstanding.  I'm glad I got a chance see where I was riding before it turned dark. At one of our stops, Kitt newly broken and welded fixed center stand, broke again and we found a two by four at the gas station to hold it up on stops. Luckily the new center stand he ordered is at his house now but does us no good on this trip.

We were making good time,  even without purchasing an extra gas can and having to stop for fuel a lot..... At least I thought.  Our stops were very long and by the time it became dark,  we needed to do around 170 miles in around three hours.  From Show Low, AZ to Prescott, AZ  was the dash for cash in the dark.  Since Kitt's starting location allowed him to achieve the goal of 1k miles sooner than and I,  during our stop for gas in Camp Verde,  AZ,  he got the attendant to provide the needed information for his iron butt form. I had to ride on to Prescott, AZ, get a gas receipt, and witness signature within thirty minutes.  Well I made it by the hair on my chinny chin chin. It was difficult to find a gas station open after midnight in the small town but I did and get the attendant to sign the witness form.

During the trip, I didn't really get tired or sore.  At the end, the excitement of completing the task or the chance of not finishing on time, kicked in the adrenaline.  We were blessed to complete this with no major issues. During stops, we meet so many nice people. Seeing scooters loaded down with gear lead to question and smiles.  This is an experience I will never forget. 

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