I had decided to enter Mexico from Arizona in order to find a smaller border crossing. I wanted to make it as painless as possible! Besides, I`d heard a lot of horror stories of the drug war that is taking place in and around the major border towns where shootings are commonplace. Bill and Lori had offered me a room if I wanted to stay with them before heading for Mexico and Bill said he would give the bike a quick check before I set off. Knowing the score this time, I set off in the dark from San Diego and reversed the route back to Phoenix via Yuma and Gila Bend. I arrived in Phoenix early in the morning.
It was great to see Bill again and we caught up over a quick breakfast in Dunkin` Donuts. He was in the middle of putting his bike together and as he greased the swing arm bearings on his bike he casually said,
“We should take a look at yours while you`re here” I looked at his bike scattered all over the garage in bits and said,
“Isn`t that a big job?”
“Not really. Just a few bolts to unscrew” He replied, making it sound so simple.
“Yea, I suppose you`re right.”
And so began a simple check of the swing arm bearings on my bike. He was right. In no time at all we had the swing arm off. As he inspected the bearings, his face adopted a serious frown. All the bearings were rusted and stuck, with no movement whatsoever. This wasn`t looking good.
“What do you reckon Bill?”
“We need to order a whole set off new bearings for the swing arm and links.”
Oh, shit!
After ringing a couple of dealerships, we had to place an order (no one stocks these parts). With any luck they would arrive the next day if we were out of luck they would have to flown in from Germany and could take several days. I was desperately trying to “go with the flow” and accept the fact that things don`t always go to plan. I`m still finding that part of the journey a bit of a challenge.
I slept fitfully that night, wondering how it would go the next day and whether the parts would arrive. A quick call in the morning brought the good news that the key parts had arrived! The next major hurdle was going to be removing the rusted bearings and fitting the new ones. For this job we had to go and buy a 6 ton press!
With temperatures high and sweat pouring we (Bill) managed to figure out how to put the press together (flat packs aren`t my strength!) and then came the very delicate task of removing the old and fitting the new bearings locating them within a millimetre.
It was like key hole surgery but I had total faith in Bill`s ability and in the end "Dr. Bill" pulled it off! The man`s a legend! After many hours sweating and hoping, the job was done. Believe me, the beers tasted good that night.
Bill wanted to accompany me to the border and even though I was now a day behind schedule, we decided to use the next day for a test ride for both our bikes. It had been a while since Bill had been on his bike and he was keen to put it through its paces, so he took me for a ride to Superstition Mountain which was on the old Apache trail and included a steep dirt trail section. This was where he was in his element, so I let him kick up some Dakar dust while I just concentrated on staying upright!
By the time I`d got down to the bottom, I think he`d had a nap and done some maintenance work on the bike!! It was a great ride out and the first time I`d been on dirt since the infamous Dalton Highway. Satisfied that his bike was running smoothly Bill declared himself ready for the ride to the border.
Because it`s always best to cross any border early in the day, we decided to stop overnight at a little town called BISBEE 25 miles from the border. However, en route we had to take in TOMBSTONE and see the actual place where the gunfight at the O.K. corral took place. While were fuelling the bikes in the way back we met a couple of Harley riders who came over for a chat,
“Where are you heading?” Bill told them our plan to cross the border at Douglas.
“There`s a one and half hour delay at Douglas”
“How come?”
“There`s been some shootings just over the border a couple of days ago”
Just great. I`d chosen Douglas because I thought it was quieter and safer.
“Have you got a gun?”
“I`m English. We don`t carry guns!”
“If I were you, I`d buy one”
“I wouldn`t know what to do with one” I replied, trying to inject a little levity into what was sounding deadly serious (pun intended).
“Just point and shoot!” added Bill with a smile.
“Thanks Bill!”
As an image flashed through my mind of me “armed” with my trusty bear spray facing down a bunch of drug running banditos.
“Well, what do you think?” Bill said afterwards.
“I think we should stick to the original plan”
“I agree” he said. And with those images playing in my mind we rode back to Phoenix.
The next day we were up early. We packed the bikes, took the mandatory photos and met Lori for a quick breakfast of coffee and donuts, before heading for the town “that wouldn`t die”.
Tombstone was a fascinating place. They have retained the original street which is now Arizona`s second most popular tourist attraction (after The Grand Canyon). There we met Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and had a great lunch in Big Nose Kate`s saloon!
After lunch and with a huge storm brewing and heading our way, we just had time to watch a re-enactment of a typical shoot out with some of the worst actors we`d ever seen! Still, it was all good fun. Jumping on our iron horses, we rode out of town and tried to out run the storm to Bisbee, which we managed with only minutes to spare.
Bisbee is an interesting little place that `s now famous for attracting artists, hippies and bikers. We spoke to one local in a bar, who told us,
“To get a woman in this town you have to be an artist or ride a bike!”
We`d stumbled across a quirky little hotel with themed rooms and had the pleasure of sharing the “Geronimo” room. He probably stayed there when he came to Bisbee for a few beers. That night we sampled several of the local ales and ended up in a strange bar with live music.
The music also attracted a lot of strange people! Charles Manson`s doppelganger was there, with long, wild hair and an upside down cross tattooed on his forehead. Yes, Bill and I fitted in perfectly! I would have liked to stay longer but thought it wiser to head back given that tomorrow was the big day. After a quick breakfast we headed south for the border town of DOUGLAS.
I followed Bill for the 25 mile ride and really wished he was coming with me. I`d really enjoyed his company on the road for the last couple of days and it reminded me that solo riding has its downside. We pulled up just before the border crossing and Bill said,
“Well this is as far as I can go, I wish I was coming with you!”
So did I! We promised to stay in touch by skype and as I waved and rode the short distance to the crossing I felt very uneasy and a little anxious to say the least.
I crossed through the barrier and was officially in Mexico but had to get all the paperwork processed. Getting my passport , driving licence, bike registration documents, all photocopied, and my tourist card cleared was just a little time consuming and very sweaty work, passing to and fro between departments. The final clearance was a temporary import permit for the bike.
As I waited for the woman to process it I noted that if she worked any slower she`d be going in reverse and then had to remind myself to be patient! After much pouring over my passport and several phone calls it was clear there was a problem. She spoke no English but thankfully via an interpreter she said she couldn`t issue a permit on my passport! I was very confused and extremely worried,
“Why? Por que??”
“She says your passport has expired”, the interpreter said.
“What!!?? But it`s nearly new!!!??”
I felt a mild sense of panic hit me. Shit, have I missed something in the planning? That can`t be right? My immediate thoughts were, what am I going to do? Is the trip over? That can`t be right? I tried to remain as calm as possible as the queue behind me grew larger and pulled out my old passport to prove a point,
“Look, it says 17! That means 2017!” jabbing the date with my finger.
“But it doesn`t say 2017” pointed out the interpreter.
“But this is crazy, she must have seen lots of English passports like this!” trying to control the sense of desperation in my voice.
Several phone calls later and she seemed to be convinced, by that time, the sweat was pouring off me and pooling in my boots. Bloody hell! Mexico is supposed to be the easiest of all the borders to cross going south. What the hell will Guatemala be like! I paid my money, finally got my passport stamped and quickly got out before she found something else wrong. Adrenaline pumping like crazy, I punched the co-ordinates of MOCTEZUMA into my GPS and headed into the border town of AGUA PRIETA aka bandit country.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Friday, 27 August 2010
"Surf`s up!......San Diego to Carlsbad"
I try to maintain a “100° policy”, that is, I ride until it gets to 100º and then get off the road and find somewhere to stay until the next morning. This usually means riding until 9.00a.m. at the latest! So after 3 days racing across the Arizona desert in short bursts with overnight stops at GILA BEND and YUMA I finally reached the outskirts of SAN DIEGO and my next couchsurfing experience with Sally and Larry.
Larry is involved with Motorola doing technical wizardry and Sally is a languages specialist and is involved in innovative ways of training teachers how to teach languages to children. My arrival coincided with their son Alan announcing his engagement, and an impromptu trip to the races at Del Mar with several of their friends! I seemed to have been swept away on this surreal whirlwind of activity.
I arrived, unpacked and showered and was then whisked off to breakfast at a very popular Jewish deli/diner and then to downtown San Diego to pick up their friend Alexis and then onto another friend`s place to pick up the race tickets and then on to the races! It felt like I was gate crashing the busy and hectic life of total strangers! Which of course I was! But they were all so welcoming and friendly it just seemed natural. I had a fascinating conversation with Alexis who works as a coach and facilitator with major companies, a very bright and engaging man. Another great experience and I didn`t lose any money on the horses! (Probably because I didn`t actually place any bets!) but, just as with Las Vegas, it was fascinating to watch people. I only planned to stay one night as I had to go to CARLSBAD to meet up with my friends Tony and Claire and their boys Mark and James. However, that night, Sally told me that she was piloting an innovative method of teaching Spanish and invited me along if I was interested. It would be the following weekend so I readily agreed. Any help before going into Mexico would be a real bonus. I had been attempting to learn Spanish with a programme I`d put on my ipod months ago, but I`d let it lapse, and now felt an impending sense of urgency with Mexico around the corner!
So with my Spanish lesson booked I headed for the coast and the short ride to the surfing hotspot of Carlsbad. As I negotiated the 5 lane freeway out of San Diego at my standard 55 mph (easily the slowest vehicle on the road – even big trucks were passing me!) I was looking forward to seeing my friends, catching up with news from home and just relaxing for a few days. Tony and Claire treated me to an excellent Chinese meal that night and I spent a lazy few days drinking beer, chatting, walking on the beach and lounging by their pool. Almost like a proper holiday!
After a couple of nights I decided to check into a cheap and cheerful (well cheap anyway) motel not far away, as I was worried about the luxurious surroundings making me too soft for the culture shock of Mexico!
I busied myself with the blog and poured over maps of Mexico trying to decide what route to take. I found out that whichever route I was going to take it was going to be “muy caliente!” – mad hot to you and me! My time chilling with Tony and Claire passed all too quickly and it was a strange feeling leaving to carry on with my journey, while they were going to be heading home from holiday. For a brief period of time I had felt “normal” being around familiar faces, now it was back to the routine of the road with only my own thoughts to accompany me. But first, I had a very special Spanish lesson to focus on back in San Diego.
I arrived back at Sally and Larry`s in the afternoon and we chatted by their pool before the other “students” arrived. A friend of Sally`s and fellow languages teacher, Monique arrived for a brief chat and then was persuaded to stay for the evening lesson. She was a pretty amazing woman and we had a fascinating conversation about life, the universe and everything! (as you do!)
The Spanish lesson was like no other language lesson I`d ever had. It was fun and Sally made it so interesting and easy to learn. The fact Larry plied us with fine red wine throughout, merely added to the enjoyment. Now that`s how Spanish should be taught! Again, time passed so quickly and I had to be up at 5.00a.m. the next day (for another dawn race against the rising sun) so I thanked Sally and Larry for their magnificent hospitality and turned in for an early night, feeling a little more comfortable with my basic Spanish.
The real test would come in a few days time.
Larry is involved with Motorola doing technical wizardry and Sally is a languages specialist and is involved in innovative ways of training teachers how to teach languages to children. My arrival coincided with their son Alan announcing his engagement, and an impromptu trip to the races at Del Mar with several of their friends! I seemed to have been swept away on this surreal whirlwind of activity.
I arrived, unpacked and showered and was then whisked off to breakfast at a very popular Jewish deli/diner and then to downtown San Diego to pick up their friend Alexis and then onto another friend`s place to pick up the race tickets and then on to the races! It felt like I was gate crashing the busy and hectic life of total strangers! Which of course I was! But they were all so welcoming and friendly it just seemed natural. I had a fascinating conversation with Alexis who works as a coach and facilitator with major companies, a very bright and engaging man. Another great experience and I didn`t lose any money on the horses! (Probably because I didn`t actually place any bets!) but, just as with Las Vegas, it was fascinating to watch people. I only planned to stay one night as I had to go to CARLSBAD to meet up with my friends Tony and Claire and their boys Mark and James. However, that night, Sally told me that she was piloting an innovative method of teaching Spanish and invited me along if I was interested. It would be the following weekend so I readily agreed. Any help before going into Mexico would be a real bonus. I had been attempting to learn Spanish with a programme I`d put on my ipod months ago, but I`d let it lapse, and now felt an impending sense of urgency with Mexico around the corner!
So with my Spanish lesson booked I headed for the coast and the short ride to the surfing hotspot of Carlsbad. As I negotiated the 5 lane freeway out of San Diego at my standard 55 mph (easily the slowest vehicle on the road – even big trucks were passing me!) I was looking forward to seeing my friends, catching up with news from home and just relaxing for a few days. Tony and Claire treated me to an excellent Chinese meal that night and I spent a lazy few days drinking beer, chatting, walking on the beach and lounging by their pool. Almost like a proper holiday!
After a couple of nights I decided to check into a cheap and cheerful (well cheap anyway) motel not far away, as I was worried about the luxurious surroundings making me too soft for the culture shock of Mexico!
I busied myself with the blog and poured over maps of Mexico trying to decide what route to take. I found out that whichever route I was going to take it was going to be “muy caliente!” – mad hot to you and me! My time chilling with Tony and Claire passed all too quickly and it was a strange feeling leaving to carry on with my journey, while they were going to be heading home from holiday. For a brief period of time I had felt “normal” being around familiar faces, now it was back to the routine of the road with only my own thoughts to accompany me. But first, I had a very special Spanish lesson to focus on back in San Diego.
I arrived back at Sally and Larry`s in the afternoon and we chatted by their pool before the other “students” arrived. A friend of Sally`s and fellow languages teacher, Monique arrived for a brief chat and then was persuaded to stay for the evening lesson. She was a pretty amazing woman and we had a fascinating conversation about life, the universe and everything! (as you do!)
The Spanish lesson was like no other language lesson I`d ever had. It was fun and Sally made it so interesting and easy to learn. The fact Larry plied us with fine red wine throughout, merely added to the enjoyment. Now that`s how Spanish should be taught! Again, time passed so quickly and I had to be up at 5.00a.m. the next day (for another dawn race against the rising sun) so I thanked Sally and Larry for their magnificent hospitality and turned in for an early night, feeling a little more comfortable with my basic Spanish.
The real test would come in a few days time.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
"Hydrate or die!" - Welcome to Phoenix!
Bill worked shifts and wouldn`t be home until 3.00 p.m. that day, so with some time to spare before leaving for Phoenix, I decided to drop in on the Mystical Bazaar for a psychic reading. Looking at the long "menu", I opted for a quickie (budget reading!)
"You`re going on a long and challenging journey....."
How spooky is that? Not sure about "meeting a tall dark stranger" though.
I`d heard about how fierce the heat was in Phoenix so I set off, slightly anxious about how I`d cope riding in the heat of the day.
“By the time I get to Phoenix....”
As it turned out, I was right to be anxious. It was mad hot! I`d never ridden for so long in that kind of heat and I wouldn`t recommend it. I didn`t realise that Phoenix is America`s 5th biggest city and it took much longer than I expected to reach Bill`s place. It was such a relief to step into air conditioned heaven!
One of the first things he did was offer me a cold bottle of water (and I`m sure I drank gallons while I was there!).
“In Phoenix we say, hydrate or die!” Bill informed me. And that was just commuting to work!
After showing me to his guest room and a quick change we got started on the bike and fault finding the horn problem.
As with Paul, Bill made it look so simple, and after checking various components with his multimeter (I really must figure them out!) he concluded that the relay was corroded.
Within an hour of arriving, Bill had fixed the problem! Genius! Which I was thankful for, as we could then get out of the 100º + heat of the garage!
“My God! How do you manage to live in this heat?”
“You just get used to it”, he responded casually.
Not when you come from England!
Bill had re-arranged his work schedule just so he could help me out. He has a really fascinating job working as chief technician on a flight simulator. He makes sure the simulator keeps “flying”. After showering, we were discussing plans for dinner that night when Bill`s girlfriend Lori would be home,
“What kind of food do you like?”
“Any kind. I really don`t mind”
“Do you like beer?”
Dangerous question!
It just so happened, Bill was a big beer fan. Proper beer, not the Bud, Miller, Coors stuff, and he knew a bar that had an amazing selection of micro brewed beers. Done deal!
Lori and Bill
So that night Bill and Lori treated me to dinner - superb beer and wings! My loose plan had been to set off the next day but Bill and Lori insisted that I didn`t need to rush off and frankly, it was too tempting to stay and keep cool for a while, so I gratefully accepted their kind offer to stay a while longer.
Lori did some washing for me (clean clothes again!) and Bill dug out some instructional DVD`s on how to change tyres and water pump repair (still on a steep learning curve!). We also went shopping for a few bits and pieces for the bike and while we were out just happened to pass by a huge beer “warehouse” with another amazing collection of weird and wonderful micro brewed beers! Had to get a couple obviously.
That night Bill had arranged for Lori and me to meet him after work and go for a flight! The simulator is a very impressive piece of kit. Think of it as a very advanced Disneyworld ride, except that the pilots that are trained on it spend $15,000+ for the privilege. It`s so realistic that you could go straight from the training and fly a real plane. Bill`s an expert on the “sim” and regularly flies a couple of hours a day so he took us for a quick flight around JFK airport and then handed the controls to each of us in turn. It was then his turn to play “God”! He would sit at his own controls and change the environment we were flying in at the push of a button. From blue skies to thick fog, to thunderstorms and turbulence! It was a brilliant experience and what`s more we both landed it without crashing!
I had such a great time with Bill and Lori I didn`t really want to leave! They made me feel so welcome and at home. Bill was a so knowledgeable and helped me enormously with route planning ideas. He had spent many hours planning his own journey down the Baja peninsula which he was hoping to do sometime in the near future, so his thoughts were invaluable.
He did all that to help me, despite having the shadow of possible redundancy hanging over him. He`d been informed as I arrived that the company were “downsizing” and some people would be out of a job (of course they didn`t specify who – they just left all the workforce to worry for a few days. Aren`t managers great?).
Thankfully, Bill`s expertise and knowledge were clearly still needed. Nevertheless, it was a worry for a couple of days, but he just ignored it and focused on helping me! Bill and Lori - another incredible couple.
The next day I was up early, again, in an attempt to “beat the heat”. I was heading for San Diego and that meant getting across the Arizona desert and there wasn`t going to be an easy route. The frustrating thing is that the actual distance can easily be done in a day`s riding, but the heat is such that I had to do it in two stages which meant 3 day`s riding. I`d bought an hydration pack the day before so Bill filled it with ice and water to keep me going and promising to stay in touch, I headed out to the blistering heat of the desert.
"You`re going on a long and challenging journey....."
How spooky is that? Not sure about "meeting a tall dark stranger" though.
I`d heard about how fierce the heat was in Phoenix so I set off, slightly anxious about how I`d cope riding in the heat of the day.
“By the time I get to Phoenix....”
As it turned out, I was right to be anxious. It was mad hot! I`d never ridden for so long in that kind of heat and I wouldn`t recommend it. I didn`t realise that Phoenix is America`s 5th biggest city and it took much longer than I expected to reach Bill`s place. It was such a relief to step into air conditioned heaven!
One of the first things he did was offer me a cold bottle of water (and I`m sure I drank gallons while I was there!).
“In Phoenix we say, hydrate or die!” Bill informed me. And that was just commuting to work!
After showing me to his guest room and a quick change we got started on the bike and fault finding the horn problem.
As with Paul, Bill made it look so simple, and after checking various components with his multimeter (I really must figure them out!) he concluded that the relay was corroded.
Within an hour of arriving, Bill had fixed the problem! Genius! Which I was thankful for, as we could then get out of the 100º + heat of the garage!
“My God! How do you manage to live in this heat?”
“You just get used to it”, he responded casually.
Not when you come from England!
Bill had re-arranged his work schedule just so he could help me out. He has a really fascinating job working as chief technician on a flight simulator. He makes sure the simulator keeps “flying”. After showering, we were discussing plans for dinner that night when Bill`s girlfriend Lori would be home,
“What kind of food do you like?”
“Any kind. I really don`t mind”
“Do you like beer?”
Dangerous question!
It just so happened, Bill was a big beer fan. Proper beer, not the Bud, Miller, Coors stuff, and he knew a bar that had an amazing selection of micro brewed beers. Done deal!
Lori and Bill
So that night Bill and Lori treated me to dinner - superb beer and wings! My loose plan had been to set off the next day but Bill and Lori insisted that I didn`t need to rush off and frankly, it was too tempting to stay and keep cool for a while, so I gratefully accepted their kind offer to stay a while longer.
Lori did some washing for me (clean clothes again!) and Bill dug out some instructional DVD`s on how to change tyres and water pump repair (still on a steep learning curve!). We also went shopping for a few bits and pieces for the bike and while we were out just happened to pass by a huge beer “warehouse” with another amazing collection of weird and wonderful micro brewed beers! Had to get a couple obviously.
That night Bill had arranged for Lori and me to meet him after work and go for a flight! The simulator is a very impressive piece of kit. Think of it as a very advanced Disneyworld ride, except that the pilots that are trained on it spend $15,000+ for the privilege. It`s so realistic that you could go straight from the training and fly a real plane. Bill`s an expert on the “sim” and regularly flies a couple of hours a day so he took us for a quick flight around JFK airport and then handed the controls to each of us in turn. It was then his turn to play “God”! He would sit at his own controls and change the environment we were flying in at the push of a button. From blue skies to thick fog, to thunderstorms and turbulence! It was a brilliant experience and what`s more we both landed it without crashing!
I had such a great time with Bill and Lori I didn`t really want to leave! They made me feel so welcome and at home. Bill was a so knowledgeable and helped me enormously with route planning ideas. He had spent many hours planning his own journey down the Baja peninsula which he was hoping to do sometime in the near future, so his thoughts were invaluable.
He did all that to help me, despite having the shadow of possible redundancy hanging over him. He`d been informed as I arrived that the company were “downsizing” and some people would be out of a job (of course they didn`t specify who – they just left all the workforce to worry for a few days. Aren`t managers great?).
Thankfully, Bill`s expertise and knowledge were clearly still needed. Nevertheless, it was a worry for a couple of days, but he just ignored it and focused on helping me! Bill and Lori - another incredible couple.
The next day I was up early, again, in an attempt to “beat the heat”. I was heading for San Diego and that meant getting across the Arizona desert and there wasn`t going to be an easy route. The frustrating thing is that the actual distance can easily be done in a day`s riding, but the heat is such that I had to do it in two stages which meant 3 day`s riding. I`d bought an hydration pack the day before so Bill filled it with ice and water to keep me going and promising to stay in touch, I headed out to the blistering heat of the desert.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
"Close encounters of the mystical kind........."
So from the searing heat of Las Vegas, I rode to The Grand Canyon in the pouring rain and got thoroughly soaked and cold. It turns out my waterproof goretex lining isn`t waterproof after all! If there`s one thing I don`t like it`s pitching a tent in the pouring rain. So I was mightily relieved when I got to the campsite and it stopped raining. My main concern was spending two days at one of the wonders of the world and not being able to see anything! I put the tent up as quickly as possible (just in case) and went in search of the canyon. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of it if the cloud broke and at the same time was hoping not to be disappointed by what I saw (this had been on my “bucket list” for a long time). I walked up to the rim in low lying cloud and as I reached the edge, the clouds parted, revealing a scene so breathtaking I was lost for words (a couple of expletives may have slipped out by accident though). The sheer scale of it is incredible. I`m not going to even attempt to describe what I felt in that moment because I couldn`t put it into words. And even as I busied myself with fruitless attempts to capture it on film like everyone else, I knew that just being there was sufficient.
It was interesting to note that, apart from a few fenced off viewing points, there was little or nothing between the hundreds of visitors and sheer drops of thousands of feet! I`m surprised there aren`t more fatalities given the fact that most of us seemed to want to get a close as possible to the edge for the “ultimate” shot. Thankfully, the forecasted rain and thunderstorms didn`t appear, and so I visited canyon several more times over the two days at different times of the day including sunset. Each time was equally spectacular, but nothing will surpass the memory of that very first view. After two days of nourishing my spirit and soul I headed south for further spiritual enlightenment in the mystical vortex of SEDONA.
Red rock, auras and stars......
With the storm clouds gone and the weather back to normal, I set off from the Canyon under a warm 80º sun and blue skies. By the time I reached the outskirts of Sedona it was already 90° +, but somehow felt hotter because of the extraordinary red rock that makes up Sedona`s environment. The ride down the valley was stunning and as I entered the town itself, I could see why it has such a reputation. A beautiful little town surrounded by spectacular rock formations.
Unfortunately, it is also an expensive place to stay! However, I had shopped around on the internet and found a good deal on a little motel called The Baby Quail Inn(!), which happened to be owned by Dick Curtis, a former actor, all round entertainer and director. Dick is a very sprightly and engaging 82 year old who had worked with many stars of stage and screen, including John Wayne, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and countless other stars. I could have listened to him for hours as he regaled me with stories of his time in Hollywood and on the stage. My time in Sedona was all too short, but I did take some advice and rode up to The Chapel. What a perfect location for a church! High on a hill surrounded by stunning views! The heat limited my options to see things on the bike and I vowed to return and see the rest of this beautiful place in the future. (The Bucket List is getting longer by the day!) I knew that Sedona is famous for attracting those interested in all things mystical and spiritual, but I wanted to find out more. What was so special about this place? I know you could get psychic readings, auras read, crystals, psychic massage (and no, I didn`t try it – too expensive!) and all kinds of healing, but why this place? I was curious, so I found a lady called Jules who was more than happy to explain.
Whether you`re a believer or not, this is certainly a very special place and the ribs I had for dinner were excellent. And so was the beer. Oh, and the glass of wine too. In fact, I `m sure I had a spiritual experience that night. Yes, I`m definitely going back! While in Sedona, I had been e mailing another member of The Chain Gang re. a problem with my horn. Before I left England I had an extra loud horn fitted, (when you get down to Mexico and Central America it`s really important to be heard) and for some reason it had just stopped working. My knowledge of all things electrical is about as deep as my knowledge of Vortexes, so I posted a request for help on "The Chain Gang" website. I got an immediate response from Bill in Phoenix, who not only offered to help me fix it but said I could to stay over as well. Sedona to Phoenix wasn`t that far, so I gratefully accepted.
It was interesting to note that, apart from a few fenced off viewing points, there was little or nothing between the hundreds of visitors and sheer drops of thousands of feet! I`m surprised there aren`t more fatalities given the fact that most of us seemed to want to get a close as possible to the edge for the “ultimate” shot. Thankfully, the forecasted rain and thunderstorms didn`t appear, and so I visited canyon several more times over the two days at different times of the day including sunset. Each time was equally spectacular, but nothing will surpass the memory of that very first view. After two days of nourishing my spirit and soul I headed south for further spiritual enlightenment in the mystical vortex of SEDONA.
Red rock, auras and stars......
With the storm clouds gone and the weather back to normal, I set off from the Canyon under a warm 80º sun and blue skies. By the time I reached the outskirts of Sedona it was already 90° +, but somehow felt hotter because of the extraordinary red rock that makes up Sedona`s environment. The ride down the valley was stunning and as I entered the town itself, I could see why it has such a reputation. A beautiful little town surrounded by spectacular rock formations.
Unfortunately, it is also an expensive place to stay! However, I had shopped around on the internet and found a good deal on a little motel called The Baby Quail Inn(!), which happened to be owned by Dick Curtis, a former actor, all round entertainer and director. Dick is a very sprightly and engaging 82 year old who had worked with many stars of stage and screen, including John Wayne, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and countless other stars. I could have listened to him for hours as he regaled me with stories of his time in Hollywood and on the stage. My time in Sedona was all too short, but I did take some advice and rode up to The Chapel. What a perfect location for a church! High on a hill surrounded by stunning views! The heat limited my options to see things on the bike and I vowed to return and see the rest of this beautiful place in the future. (The Bucket List is getting longer by the day!) I knew that Sedona is famous for attracting those interested in all things mystical and spiritual, but I wanted to find out more. What was so special about this place? I know you could get psychic readings, auras read, crystals, psychic massage (and no, I didn`t try it – too expensive!) and all kinds of healing, but why this place? I was curious, so I found a lady called Jules who was more than happy to explain.
Whether you`re a believer or not, this is certainly a very special place and the ribs I had for dinner were excellent. And so was the beer. Oh, and the glass of wine too. In fact, I `m sure I had a spiritual experience that night. Yes, I`m definitely going back! While in Sedona, I had been e mailing another member of The Chain Gang re. a problem with my horn. Before I left England I had an extra loud horn fitted, (when you get down to Mexico and Central America it`s really important to be heard) and for some reason it had just stopped working. My knowledge of all things electrical is about as deep as my knowledge of Vortexes, so I posted a request for help on "The Chain Gang" website. I got an immediate response from Bill in Phoenix, who not only offered to help me fix it but said I could to stay over as well. Sedona to Phoenix wasn`t that far, so I gratefully accepted.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
"Nostalgia isn`t what it used to be........."
Seligman is a curious little town that probably only exists now because of the nostalgia attached to the old Route 66. In the days before the major interstate highways, route 66 was the prime road from the east to the west. It was referred to as "The Mother Road" and Seligman was a thriving town on that route. 9,000 cars a day used to pass through taking east coast migrants to sunnier climes and a better future in California. In the 60s and 70s it was a well travelled route for families on their way to the new and exciting Disneyland. And so it prospered until interstate 40 was constructed a few miles away and the 9,000 cars dwindled to 50.
A local hero called Angel Delgardillo campaigned to put the town back on the map and so it became “Seligman and the historic Route 66”. Its raison d`etre now is to remind tourists of the nostalgic 50s and sell them route 66 memorabilia. That said, I quite liked the ghost town feel of the place!
My deluxe motel was anything but, (I did notice a couple of squashed cockroaches outside my room – maybe they were a throwback to the 50s?) and a broken water main didn`t help matters. No shower or cooked food for 5 hours! With nothing much to do, I decided on an early night only to be woken by a very loud bang at 2.00 a.m. The loudest thunder, and closest lightning strikes I`d ever experienced. I was hoping it would blow over by morning for my next leg to the Grand Canyon, sadly, it was not to be.
The forecast predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms over the Grand Canyon area for the next two days. Which was a little unfortunate, because I was going to be camping for the next two days at the Grand Canyon! A hearty breakfast was called for before the foray into the cold and wet.
It was over breakfast that I met Rowie and Rhys from England. A really lovely young couple, with a great story to tell! Both were musicians. Rhys was a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra and Rowie was a cellist and played in The Harpham Quartet.
The Harpham Quartet
Both were extremely talented musicians. In England, they lived a truly bohemian lifestyle on a barge (or two, to be precise)in Kingston. When I met them they were coming towards the end of their road trip and had just visited the Canyon,
“We just got engaged!” Rowie told me, hardly containing her excitement.
“That`s fantastic! Congratulations!”
“Yes, he proposed at the edge of The Grand Canyon! We`d just watched a thunderstorm across the Canyon and there was a break in the clouds. And you won`t believe it, but a ray of light broke through the clouds in the shape of a heart! He got down on one knee and proposed!”
Sadly, none of it was captured on film as their battery had run out! (Note to self - always keep batteries charged, just in case!) I don`t think they`ll forget that experience any time soon! What a great memory to have.
I felt quite uplifted after chatting to them, but all too soon it was time for us to go our separate ways. They were off to the heat of Vegas and I was heading into the storm clouds and rain!
A local hero called Angel Delgardillo campaigned to put the town back on the map and so it became “Seligman and the historic Route 66”. Its raison d`etre now is to remind tourists of the nostalgic 50s and sell them route 66 memorabilia. That said, I quite liked the ghost town feel of the place!
My deluxe motel was anything but, (I did notice a couple of squashed cockroaches outside my room – maybe they were a throwback to the 50s?) and a broken water main didn`t help matters. No shower or cooked food for 5 hours! With nothing much to do, I decided on an early night only to be woken by a very loud bang at 2.00 a.m. The loudest thunder, and closest lightning strikes I`d ever experienced. I was hoping it would blow over by morning for my next leg to the Grand Canyon, sadly, it was not to be.
The forecast predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms over the Grand Canyon area for the next two days. Which was a little unfortunate, because I was going to be camping for the next two days at the Grand Canyon! A hearty breakfast was called for before the foray into the cold and wet.
It was over breakfast that I met Rowie and Rhys from England. A really lovely young couple, with a great story to tell! Both were musicians. Rhys was a violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra and Rowie was a cellist and played in The Harpham Quartet.
The Harpham Quartet
Both were extremely talented musicians. In England, they lived a truly bohemian lifestyle on a barge (or two, to be precise)in Kingston. When I met them they were coming towards the end of their road trip and had just visited the Canyon,
“We just got engaged!” Rowie told me, hardly containing her excitement.
“That`s fantastic! Congratulations!”
“Yes, he proposed at the edge of The Grand Canyon! We`d just watched a thunderstorm across the Canyon and there was a break in the clouds. And you won`t believe it, but a ray of light broke through the clouds in the shape of a heart! He got down on one knee and proposed!”
Sadly, none of it was captured on film as their battery had run out! (Note to self - always keep batteries charged, just in case!) I don`t think they`ll forget that experience any time soon! What a great memory to have.
I felt quite uplifted after chatting to them, but all too soon it was time for us to go our separate ways. They were off to the heat of Vegas and I was heading into the storm clouds and rain!
Sunday, 8 August 2010
"Welcome to Sin City...!"
It didn`t take long for the temperature to start building as I approached the Mohave Desert and pretty soon it was pushing into the 90`s. After a couple of hours riding (and sweating!) the outskirts of the city began to appear, or more accurately, the casinos began to appear! Huge hotel complexes with their own roller coasters (obviously, a mandatory appendage) just springing up out of the desert. Almost surreal. As I entered the city, the temperature was now over 100°.
I`d sourced a hotel online that was offering a good deal on room rates, the aptly named “Sahara” hotel. It was one of the original hotels/casinos on the strip (many years ago!). In its heyday, it was the place to stay. The “Rat Pack”, The Beatles and anybody who was anybody had stayed there. Now it was my turn! At the front desk I was informed by a rather surly receptionist that the rate was in fact higher than I`d expected (tax for this and taxes for that, extra for wifi) so I decided to try elsewhere, after all Vegas is full of hotels/motels. An hour later, after a fruitless, hot and sticky tour of the south strip with temperatures now at 104º, I returned to The Sahara and checked in! After a very welcome shower, I was eager to get out and explore this very strange, but oddly compelling place. The hotels are designed to create a self sufficient environment. If you want to gamble, you need never leave your hotel. You can get everything you want under one roof, food, drink, clothes, haircut,tattoos (yes, for some reason the tattoo business in Las Vegas is huge)and of course, show tickets. At any given time there are 100`s of shows taking place at hotels around the city. At The sahara that night they had a comedy club, so that was my evening`s entertainment taken care of and I didn`t need to leave my hotel! They even had huge banks of screens showing live baseball, football, basketball, horse racing and any sport that you can bet on and people would spend several hours watching the games having placed bets on the outcome. That`s it!That`s pretty much all they would do. I don`t think some of them ever left that part of the hotel!! Eventually, after sampling the mandatory $1 beer (every bottle top contributed 10 cents for returning veterans, so I felt I was doing my bit for the boys), I forced myself away from the seduction of the Sahara and ventured further afield. Across the road I noticed a barber shop so decided to get a "Vegas Cut" (AKA a number 5 all over!). $35 for a haircut! Obviously, I asked for a better deal and was told, "Come back tomorrow. We do 1/2 price cuts on Wednesday". So Wednesday it was! Stepping out of the beautifully air conditioned hotel into the 100° + furnace was always a shock to the system, but I needed to explore the “strip”, so I bought a 24 hr bus pass and headed for where the rich and famous spend their money. The Bellagio and Caesar`s Palace were clearly object lessons in decadence and made The Sahara look distinctly shabby. Across the strip,I stared in disbelief at The Eiffel Tower hotel – yes, they`ve built their own version! Welcome to Las Vegas, the city where anything is possible! Someone must have gathered a bunch of designers and architects and said, “O.K. guys, money no object, see what you can come up with”. And believe me, they did. Each new hotel, bigger, better, more opulent and outrageous than the one before. Having done my duty representing the English (since there was a distinct shortage of Mad Dogs), I retreated to the cool of O`Neills Casino (or was it O`Reilly`s? Not sure, but it did have a digital counter on the wall counting down the days to the next St. Patrick`s Day) for another $1 beer . I watched with fascination as a steady stream of punters wandered from casino to casino dodging the line of little Mexicans wearing T shirts emblazoned with, “Hot Babes! Girls to your door in 20 mins”. In one 20 yard stretch, I was handed about 40 cards with pictures of beautifully airbrushed ladies and their telephone numbers. I was looking for someone to do swops with so I could collect the full set. Sadly, I had no takers so I finished my beer, left the cards on the bar and went back to my hotel to recover and plan my next outing – the strip by night! Las Vegas by night assaults your senses. It`s one of those things you have to do just once in your life! In a relatively cool 88º, I went down to The Bellagio and watched the fountain display, got discounted tickets for a show called The Mentalist (a kind of American Derren Brown), and spent the rest of the night wandering around, soaking up the surreal atmosphere.
I wanted to get to bed before midnight because the next day would be an early start, so I headed back to the hotel and found the “Big Screen” group still waiting on the outcome of their bets on the live baseball. Happy that everyone was in their place doing what they should be doing in Las Vegas, I set my alarm for a 5.45 a.m. start. Leaving in 80° heat was as good as it was likely to get! Tomorrow I was heading for the little town of Seligman on the historic Route 66.
I`d sourced a hotel online that was offering a good deal on room rates, the aptly named “Sahara” hotel. It was one of the original hotels/casinos on the strip (many years ago!). In its heyday, it was the place to stay. The “Rat Pack”, The Beatles and anybody who was anybody had stayed there. Now it was my turn! At the front desk I was informed by a rather surly receptionist that the rate was in fact higher than I`d expected (tax for this and taxes for that, extra for wifi) so I decided to try elsewhere, after all Vegas is full of hotels/motels. An hour later, after a fruitless, hot and sticky tour of the south strip with temperatures now at 104º, I returned to The Sahara and checked in! After a very welcome shower, I was eager to get out and explore this very strange, but oddly compelling place. The hotels are designed to create a self sufficient environment. If you want to gamble, you need never leave your hotel. You can get everything you want under one roof, food, drink, clothes, haircut,tattoos (yes, for some reason the tattoo business in Las Vegas is huge)and of course, show tickets. At any given time there are 100`s of shows taking place at hotels around the city. At The sahara that night they had a comedy club, so that was my evening`s entertainment taken care of and I didn`t need to leave my hotel! They even had huge banks of screens showing live baseball, football, basketball, horse racing and any sport that you can bet on and people would spend several hours watching the games having placed bets on the outcome. That`s it!That`s pretty much all they would do. I don`t think some of them ever left that part of the hotel!! Eventually, after sampling the mandatory $1 beer (every bottle top contributed 10 cents for returning veterans, so I felt I was doing my bit for the boys), I forced myself away from the seduction of the Sahara and ventured further afield. Across the road I noticed a barber shop so decided to get a "Vegas Cut" (AKA a number 5 all over!). $35 for a haircut! Obviously, I asked for a better deal and was told, "Come back tomorrow. We do 1/2 price cuts on Wednesday". So Wednesday it was! Stepping out of the beautifully air conditioned hotel into the 100° + furnace was always a shock to the system, but I needed to explore the “strip”, so I bought a 24 hr bus pass and headed for where the rich and famous spend their money. The Bellagio and Caesar`s Palace were clearly object lessons in decadence and made The Sahara look distinctly shabby. Across the strip,I stared in disbelief at The Eiffel Tower hotel – yes, they`ve built their own version! Welcome to Las Vegas, the city where anything is possible! Someone must have gathered a bunch of designers and architects and said, “O.K. guys, money no object, see what you can come up with”. And believe me, they did. Each new hotel, bigger, better, more opulent and outrageous than the one before. Having done my duty representing the English (since there was a distinct shortage of Mad Dogs), I retreated to the cool of O`Neills Casino (or was it O`Reilly`s? Not sure, but it did have a digital counter on the wall counting down the days to the next St. Patrick`s Day) for another $1 beer . I watched with fascination as a steady stream of punters wandered from casino to casino dodging the line of little Mexicans wearing T shirts emblazoned with, “Hot Babes! Girls to your door in 20 mins”. In one 20 yard stretch, I was handed about 40 cards with pictures of beautifully airbrushed ladies and their telephone numbers. I was looking for someone to do swops with so I could collect the full set. Sadly, I had no takers so I finished my beer, left the cards on the bar and went back to my hotel to recover and plan my next outing – the strip by night! Las Vegas by night assaults your senses. It`s one of those things you have to do just once in your life! In a relatively cool 88º, I went down to The Bellagio and watched the fountain display, got discounted tickets for a show called The Mentalist (a kind of American Derren Brown), and spent the rest of the night wandering around, soaking up the surreal atmosphere.
I wanted to get to bed before midnight because the next day would be an early start, so I headed back to the hotel and found the “Big Screen” group still waiting on the outcome of their bets on the live baseball. Happy that everyone was in their place doing what they should be doing in Las Vegas, I set my alarm for a 5.45 a.m. start. Leaving in 80° heat was as good as it was likely to get! Tomorrow I was heading for the little town of Seligman on the historic Route 66.
Friday, 6 August 2010
"Baking hot in Bakersfield....."
I set off later than planned for my next leg to Bakersfield and my new couchsurfing hosts Francine and Carl. This turned out to be a mistake, given that I was heading east ,away from the cooler coast. After an hour`s ride the temperature steadily climbed to 90º+! I had stop at every available place, petrol station, diner, anywhere I could get shade and refreshment to take on more fluids and soak my T shirt in water. This allowed a brief respite from the intense heat and usually lasted a few miles before completely drying out. Normally, to cool myself on the road, I ride with my visor up (trying to avoid wasps, of course), but it was like putting your head into a fan oven ,so I had to ride visor down for the duration. I arrived in Bakersfield just after 4.00 p.m. and found Francine`s house (eventually!). I was so glad to get off the bike and into a cool house.
Francine welcomed me like a friend. She showed me around the house and said, “Please help yourself to whatever you need. This is your house now”.
And so began another extraordinary couchsurfing experience.
Francine and Carl are an amazing couple who epitomise the entire spirit of the couchsurfing concept. Francine is Greek by birth and still retains that Mediterranean love of all things to do with family and community. Their house is almost an "open house" for whoever happens to be passing. Everyone who comes to the door is welcomed, invited in and offered food and drink. Francine is passionate about life, food and above all sharing everything she has, and this includes looking after foreign students who come to the U.S. to study. At the time of my visit they already had a long term surfer/lodger, Maria, a really lovely girl from Austria, who was there to improve her English.
After settling in and showering, I chatted for over an hour with Francine while we awaited Carl`s arrival from his trip to L.A. We soon discovered how much we had in common (surprise, surprise) in our values and philosophies of life.
The Law of Attraction is alive and well!
Isn`t it interesting how you can meet a total stranger and within minutes feel completely at home with them.
When Carl arrived, one of the first things he said was, “Would you like a cold beer?” Could it get any better!
That night they took me out to a downtown hotel (very plush) where they`d arranged to meet up with some of their friends in the rooftop bar. Francine, Carl, Maria, Andre, and Charles. Great company, great beer, great location and a fascinating insight into the Bakersfield Friday night scene. The Padre Hotel rooftop bar, where the “beautiful people” congregate!
The following day was spent primarily indoors because of the baking heat, although we did venture out to the local supermarket which was just around the corner to replenish food and beer stocks! Each evening,(and morning come to think of it!) both Francine and Carl busied themselves in the kitchen creating superb culinary dishes. I ate like a king for 3 days!
At least the heat enabled me to catch up on blogging and e mails. On my last day, after what seemed like hours pouring over my netbook, Francine said she had a surprise for me and could I take a break for a while. Obviously, being open to anything and everything that happens on this journey I said yes! So she drove me downtown and we arrived at a massage therapists! Knowing how beneficial this stuff is to me she had arranged for a good friend of hers (who also happens to be a massage therapist!) to set aside some time to see me and sort my back out (again).
After a beautifully relaxing and re-energising session with Rita (another fascinating person) I asked how much I owed and was told,
“It has all been taken care of by your wonderful friends!”
What exceptional people!
I got up early the next day in order to beat the heat before it got to pressure cooker intensity. Francine, Carl and Maria all got up especially early to see me off. I was really quite sad to be leaving my “new home”, but the flesh pots of Sin City were calling me, so just out of curiosity, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Viva Las Vegas!
Francine welcomed me like a friend. She showed me around the house and said, “Please help yourself to whatever you need. This is your house now”.
And so began another extraordinary couchsurfing experience.
Francine and Carl are an amazing couple who epitomise the entire spirit of the couchsurfing concept. Francine is Greek by birth and still retains that Mediterranean love of all things to do with family and community. Their house is almost an "open house" for whoever happens to be passing. Everyone who comes to the door is welcomed, invited in and offered food and drink. Francine is passionate about life, food and above all sharing everything she has, and this includes looking after foreign students who come to the U.S. to study. At the time of my visit they already had a long term surfer/lodger, Maria, a really lovely girl from Austria, who was there to improve her English.
After settling in and showering, I chatted for over an hour with Francine while we awaited Carl`s arrival from his trip to L.A. We soon discovered how much we had in common (surprise, surprise) in our values and philosophies of life.
The Law of Attraction is alive and well!
Isn`t it interesting how you can meet a total stranger and within minutes feel completely at home with them.
When Carl arrived, one of the first things he said was, “Would you like a cold beer?” Could it get any better!
That night they took me out to a downtown hotel (very plush) where they`d arranged to meet up with some of their friends in the rooftop bar. Francine, Carl, Maria, Andre, and Charles. Great company, great beer, great location and a fascinating insight into the Bakersfield Friday night scene. The Padre Hotel rooftop bar, where the “beautiful people” congregate!
The following day was spent primarily indoors because of the baking heat, although we did venture out to the local supermarket which was just around the corner to replenish food and beer stocks! Each evening,(and morning come to think of it!) both Francine and Carl busied themselves in the kitchen creating superb culinary dishes. I ate like a king for 3 days!
At least the heat enabled me to catch up on blogging and e mails. On my last day, after what seemed like hours pouring over my netbook, Francine said she had a surprise for me and could I take a break for a while. Obviously, being open to anything and everything that happens on this journey I said yes! So she drove me downtown and we arrived at a massage therapists! Knowing how beneficial this stuff is to me she had arranged for a good friend of hers (who also happens to be a massage therapist!) to set aside some time to see me and sort my back out (again).
After a beautifully relaxing and re-energising session with Rita (another fascinating person) I asked how much I owed and was told,
“It has all been taken care of by your wonderful friends!”
What exceptional people!
I got up early the next day in order to beat the heat before it got to pressure cooker intensity. Francine, Carl and Maria all got up especially early to see me off. I was really quite sad to be leaving my “new home”, but the flesh pots of Sin City were calling me, so just out of curiosity, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Viva Las Vegas!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
"Has anyone seen Clint?"
SANTA CRUZ is a beach resort that turned out to be less exotic than the name would suggest. Think of Blackpool with palm trees and sunshine and you`ll pretty much get the picture! By now I have the "search for cheap motel" routine sorted. So, after finding one, doing the deal, lubing the chain, unpacking and showering, I headed to the sea front to look for the "kiss me quick" hats and candy floss. No luck there, but it did have a pier and even a small fairground with equally small roller coaster. Still, it was only a staging post before heading to the much more salubrious Carmel and Pebble Beach.
The next day I was back on Highway 1 heading for CARMEL and the highly recommended 17 MILE DRIVE, an apparently beautiful route around Pebble Beach Golf club, 17 Mile Drive ended up as 17 Yard drive when security turned me away, “We don`t allow motorcycles”, his demeanor didn`t allow for the obvious question, “Why not?” Slightly disappointed, I went in search of Clint Eastwood
"Dirty Harry Burgers and a fistful of fries......”
The town of CARMEL is famous for its former mayor (Mr. Eastwood) who not only still resides there but owns a fair chunk of properties including a restaurant and bar – The Hog`s Breath Inn. It is also a place where the “well to do” go to buy antiques, oil paintings, designer clothes and expensive wines. So obviously, I`d fit right in.
Initially, I was just going to have a look around and then head further south for cheaper accommodation. Easier said than done. This place was harder to find a parking space than in West Hampstead (just trust me!). It was getting hotter by the minute as I slowly crawled round, and with sweat testing my “ice breaker” t shirt to the limit, I finally found a place very close to a motel. Out of curiosity I went in to ask their rates. As expected, it was out of my range, but when she kindly knocked $40+ dollars off, it was too tempting to refuse! First port of call – find The Hog`s Breath Inn. Second – check out the beach. Having duly orientated myself with the important landmarks, it was back to my very nicely appointed room to catch up with the blog/e mails. Several hours later, (yes, really – just technical issues!) I went in search of Clint. Suffice it to say. He didn`t show. I waited and waited. I sampled his best beer and wine and even the famous “Dirty Harry Burger”. I think the latter explains why he doesn`t eat there anymore! Slightly disappointed and yet slightly mellow (mmm, IPA), I wended my way through the “beautiful people” spilling out of the many over – priced, mediterranean themed restaurants and bistros back to my motel.
The world`s longest BBQueue!
The following day`s ride was a pleasant meander further south along some stunning parts of Highway 1.
Riding Highway 1
Mile after mile of twisting coastal roads to the town of SAN LUIS OBISPO (or SLO as it was referred to in all the town`s literature). Initially I thought it was a reference to a SLOwer pace of life! Which would have been a useful practice to adopt on the road, as I discovered when I had an unpleasant altercation with a wasp at 55 m.p.h. (not sure what speed the wasp was doing, but it was a head on collision). Luckily I was wearing my sunglasses! The impact took the left lens out and left the wasp trapped between my head and helmet. Not content with destroying my rather pricey shades, it then proceeded to sting me in the temple until I could slow down, find a safe place to pull over, take off my gloves and then my glasses and then my helmet!( It`s times like this you wish you were a Harley rider). Still, never mind, it`s only pain (oh, and $90 + tax for new glasses). SLO turned out to be a really nice town. As I wandered downtown, I noticed a hive of activity in the main street. I`d arrived just in time for the weekly Farmer`s Market! It started at 6.00p.m and went on till 9.00p.m. As it was 5.30p.m. and obviously “beer o`clock, I thought it mandatory to sample what SLO had to offer in the way of ale and company. With a very fine IPA to quench my thirst I sat and watched a moto cross programme on the tv above the bar. Very gutsy women riders throwing themselves over huge leaps (making the Dalton Highway look like a wimp`s day out). I exchanged some observations with a man sitting next to me. It turned out that he used to ride moto cross when he was younger. The conversation developed (as it does over a beer), and so I asked him how he came to be in SLO.
“My parents were both drug dealers and so we had to move around a lot to escape the law”, he said, in a matter of fact kind of way.
“Are you being serious?”
“Yea, they were both in and out of prison in several states. As a kid I went to lots of different schools. Thought it was normal I guess”.
Happily, they had now cleaned up their acts and achieved a measure of normality and he`d survived that childhood and was applying for a job in a nuclear power plant (I didn`t want to throw in any Homer Simpson references), so I bought him a beer and left to sample the delights of the now buzzing Market. They certainly knew how to run a street market! Fantastic food, great music and a real community feel. $4 for a ¼ BBQ chicken and coleslaw! That sorted my dinner out – quite healthy I thought. Sadly, it was followed up by a chocolate and banana crepe. Doh! Probably because my hunger was fuelled by more IPA. Doh! Doh! Time for bed before the munchies take over. The next day I was leaving the beautiful coast and heading inland to Bakersfield and looking forward to what my third experience of couchsurfing would bring.
The next day I was back on Highway 1 heading for CARMEL and the highly recommended 17 MILE DRIVE, an apparently beautiful route around Pebble Beach Golf club, 17 Mile Drive ended up as 17 Yard drive when security turned me away, “We don`t allow motorcycles”, his demeanor didn`t allow for the obvious question, “Why not?” Slightly disappointed, I went in search of Clint Eastwood
"Dirty Harry Burgers and a fistful of fries......”
The town of CARMEL is famous for its former mayor (Mr. Eastwood) who not only still resides there but owns a fair chunk of properties including a restaurant and bar – The Hog`s Breath Inn. It is also a place where the “well to do” go to buy antiques, oil paintings, designer clothes and expensive wines. So obviously, I`d fit right in.
Initially, I was just going to have a look around and then head further south for cheaper accommodation. Easier said than done. This place was harder to find a parking space than in West Hampstead (just trust me!). It was getting hotter by the minute as I slowly crawled round, and with sweat testing my “ice breaker” t shirt to the limit, I finally found a place very close to a motel. Out of curiosity I went in to ask their rates. As expected, it was out of my range, but when she kindly knocked $40+ dollars off, it was too tempting to refuse! First port of call – find The Hog`s Breath Inn. Second – check out the beach. Having duly orientated myself with the important landmarks, it was back to my very nicely appointed room to catch up with the blog/e mails. Several hours later, (yes, really – just technical issues!) I went in search of Clint. Suffice it to say. He didn`t show. I waited and waited. I sampled his best beer and wine and even the famous “Dirty Harry Burger”. I think the latter explains why he doesn`t eat there anymore! Slightly disappointed and yet slightly mellow (mmm, IPA), I wended my way through the “beautiful people” spilling out of the many over – priced, mediterranean themed restaurants and bistros back to my motel.
The world`s longest BBQueue!
The following day`s ride was a pleasant meander further south along some stunning parts of Highway 1.
Riding Highway 1
Mile after mile of twisting coastal roads to the town of SAN LUIS OBISPO (or SLO as it was referred to in all the town`s literature). Initially I thought it was a reference to a SLOwer pace of life! Which would have been a useful practice to adopt on the road, as I discovered when I had an unpleasant altercation with a wasp at 55 m.p.h. (not sure what speed the wasp was doing, but it was a head on collision). Luckily I was wearing my sunglasses! The impact took the left lens out and left the wasp trapped between my head and helmet. Not content with destroying my rather pricey shades, it then proceeded to sting me in the temple until I could slow down, find a safe place to pull over, take off my gloves and then my glasses and then my helmet!( It`s times like this you wish you were a Harley rider). Still, never mind, it`s only pain (oh, and $90 + tax for new glasses). SLO turned out to be a really nice town. As I wandered downtown, I noticed a hive of activity in the main street. I`d arrived just in time for the weekly Farmer`s Market! It started at 6.00p.m and went on till 9.00p.m. As it was 5.30p.m. and obviously “beer o`clock, I thought it mandatory to sample what SLO had to offer in the way of ale and company. With a very fine IPA to quench my thirst I sat and watched a moto cross programme on the tv above the bar. Very gutsy women riders throwing themselves over huge leaps (making the Dalton Highway look like a wimp`s day out). I exchanged some observations with a man sitting next to me. It turned out that he used to ride moto cross when he was younger. The conversation developed (as it does over a beer), and so I asked him how he came to be in SLO.
“My parents were both drug dealers and so we had to move around a lot to escape the law”, he said, in a matter of fact kind of way.
“Are you being serious?”
“Yea, they were both in and out of prison in several states. As a kid I went to lots of different schools. Thought it was normal I guess”.
Happily, they had now cleaned up their acts and achieved a measure of normality and he`d survived that childhood and was applying for a job in a nuclear power plant (I didn`t want to throw in any Homer Simpson references), so I bought him a beer and left to sample the delights of the now buzzing Market. They certainly knew how to run a street market! Fantastic food, great music and a real community feel. $4 for a ¼ BBQ chicken and coleslaw! That sorted my dinner out – quite healthy I thought. Sadly, it was followed up by a chocolate and banana crepe. Doh! Probably because my hunger was fuelled by more IPA. Doh! Doh! Time for bed before the munchies take over. The next day I was leaving the beautiful coast and heading inland to Bakersfield and looking forward to what my third experience of couchsurfing would bring.
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The Route
