Two Years Living On Two Wheels...And Counting

[Judoka]

I appreciate the encouragement everyone. I truly do! I do try not to make long winded posts or belabor points. I try to say what I mean and be as direct yet sentimental as I can. Still, the fact remains that I am not very proficient at technology, other than typing for that matter. That is part of the reason it takes me so long to post!
As long as someone finds this content entertaining and worth reading I am honored to keep posting it up. I appreciate everyone's patience between posts!

 

[Judoka]

AbleGuy, I am glad that you can appreciate what I was saying. It has been my experience that all too often we strive so hard to force an outcome that we miss the true adventure. That adventure may take on many forms. It may be missing a turn that leads us to a view we will never forget. It may be a conversation which enlightened our understanding . It may be a task that made us realize that we are more capable than we knew.
Sometimes though, it is through loss and pain and discomfort that we discover something we never knew we needed or wanted; something beautiful.

 

[Judoka]

I made it to Mesa without any difficulties, save the heat and some cramping in my hand. I parked my bike at my friend's house and we headed for Tucson. I was late getting in so he had called ahead and had them leave his new rig outside the gate with the keys hidden. He fired her up and checked everything and soon we were on the road to Mesa again.

After parking for the night he asked me if I would help hime grab the two new motorcycles he had bought. I agreed and the next morning he drove me to RideNow in Mesa to pick up his CRF300 Ralley. I rode it back to his place, (showing off a little on the way by balancing the bike at stop lights ) and then we drove north to pick up his new WR450F, which I rode back to his place. The next day we loaded those bikes on a trailer behind his new motorhome and we headed back to where we met in the Verde Valley. He wanted me to teach him how to ride off road.

 

[Judoka]

It was out through the trails in the Verde Valley and back up Mingus Mountain. Only this time it was on dirt !
We swapped bikes back and forth to be able to get used to riding both. The CRF300 Ralley was mildly powered with mellow gearing and a long smooth throttle. The WR450F however was a Tornado on Crack! When the trial got tough I would ride the WR through and he would bring up the CR.
It was pretty chill riding, until...
I hit a rock in a wash and hit the brake too hard and the front washed out on me and, down I went! I hit hard! I landed on my side on a large round rock and it HURT! After I walked around hurting and yelling profanity, I saddled up and we rode up the mountain.

(When the ride was done the pain did not go away and I was having difficulty breathing, I went to Verde Valley Medical Center ER where the confirmed what I had feared. I had broken two ribs. For those who don't know, you can't do anything for broken ribs really but tough it out.)

 

[Judoka]

The views were beautiful as ever!

 

[Judoka]

When we got to the top we figured we would just use the chutes and take the "short way down"!

Just Kidding!

 

[Judoka]

I was a great weekend hanging out and riding in the dirt! Soon it was time to head back to California though.

 

[AbleGuy]

It was out through the trails in the Verde Valley and back up Mingus Mountain. Only this time it was on dirt !
We swapped bikes back and forth to be able to get used to riding both. The CRF300 Ralley was mildly powered with mellow gearing and a long smooth throttle. The WR450F however was a Tornado on Crack! When the trial got tough I would ride the WR through and he would bring up the CR.
It was pretty chill riding, until...
I hit a rock in a wash and hit the brake too hard and the front washed out on me and, down I went! I hit hard! I landed on my side on a large round rock and it HURT! After I walked around hurting and yelling profanity, I saddled up and we rode up the mountain.

(When the ride was done the pain did not go away and I was having difficulty breathing, I went to Verde Valley Medical Center ER where the confirmed what I had feared. I had broken two ribs. For those who don't know, you can't do anything for broken ribs really but tough it out.)
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Geeze, you really are a 💩 magnet at times, aren’cha ? 🤣

 

[Judoka]

Geeze, you really are a 💩 magnet at times, aren’cha ? 🤣

You have no idea !

I guess that is just par for the course when you have an adventurous spirit. You tend to push the boundaries and then ask yourself if boundaries actually do exist.

 

[GR8ADV]

Geeze, you really are a 💩 magnet at times, aren’cha ? 🤣

We are all exactly where we are as a result of the choices we make.

 

[Judoka]

We are all exactly where we are as a result of the choices we make.

I would agree with that for the most part. However, our direction is also dictated by what choices are available. It has been my personal observation that character is developed by living with the consequences of choosing something when none of the choices you are presented with are what you want. Somehow I think that is often the best part of life.

 

[Judoka]

So on with the story!

After picking up my bike in Mesa I was straight rolling for Bishop! Moving on in the heat of the desert is the best way to keep the breeze flowing. I pulled out early and super slabbed it northwestward. Taking the scenic route back up into the mountains running through Payson AZ on to Flagstaff and back down into Kingman I only stopped for fuel and a pic or two of the wildflowers.

 

[Judoka]

By the time I hit Kingman AZ it was getting miserably hot again. Just East of Needles CA I found a little oasis resort with a restaurant open and I was needing to cool off bad! I stopped at Pirate Cove Resort and got several glasses of water and a soda water with lemon. While sitting on the patio in the shade an old friend decided to show up and beg for scraps. "Crazy Bird" as he had come to be known was always outside the window where we lived in Phoenix with his mouth open in the Arizona heat. I had figured that maybe they did this to cool off or something.
No scraps today Crazy Bird.

 

[Judoka]

While sitting on the deck was a welcomed rest I had to get back at it if I was going to hit Bishop this night. Back onto the interstate I took her up to 80 and set the cruise. an just floated along.
I kept thinking I was hearing something strange coming from the bike but at 80 I wondered if it was the wind. Still, something seemed off.

I decided to pull off at the first gas station I could find to give it a check. I pulled off the interstate back onto Rt 66 again and into Najah's Hi Sahara Oasis about 30 minutes west of Needles. I pulled up to the pump and looked her over and that is when I saw some fluid on the rear wheel. following it up I could see that it was leaking out of the boot on the swing arm. Maybe it was just the final drive getting hot and the pressure is building up and forcing out the fluid, I thought. Well, let's take a break and let her cool down.
But this is the Mojave Desert in August and cooling down may not happen until 4 AM!

So I topped the bike off with fuel and went in to grab a gatorade. At $8.49 per gallon this was the highest I had ever paid for gas but boy was this place cool !

 

[Judoka]

As I waited there for the temperature to drop I began looking for a campsite for the nite. I saw that I was not far from Mojave National Preserve so that was my most likely place. I knew it would be a miserable night's sleep and I did not want to pay for camping to be miserable so I looked for a cheap motel. Nothing cheap could be found!

When I went into the store to ask the attendant if she knew of anywhere reasonable for camping or a hotel she said, " You can camp right there for free if you like! We have people riding bikes on Rt 66 do it all the time." SCORE! Suddenly that $8.49 per gallon gas was the CHEAPEST fuel I had ever paid for!



When life hands you a gift like that you have to rejoice! So...since I did not have the expense of camping or worse yet a hotel I figured I would celebrate with a cold one, or maybe two. It was going to be a HOT night in that tent!

I walked in and bought a 6 pack of IPA, which was actually very well priced astonishingly. I asked the attendant if it was illegal to drink one at the picnic table or if it would be looked down upon and she informed me that their license allowed them to have open containers right in the store or anywhere on the property and asked if I would prefer to sit at a table in the air conditioning and watch TV. Score again!

This place was quickly becoming my favorite place to stop!



They had a little museum basically at this place too. Old cars and Rt 66 memorabilia and the "camping area" was a little oasis with cool water features and art and just unique features. What a great place to spend the night!