My appologies for the delay. Finals week is demanding on teachers too
Day Nine - Jerome to the Grand Canyon – Jesus Built My Hotrod
Soon I discovered that this rock thing was true
Jerry lee lewis was the devil
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet
All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world
So there was only one thing that I could do
After a nice restful night, I inspected the offerings of the complimentary continental breakfast the hotel had to offer. I didn't find anything that suited me, so I fired up the stove and made some oats and coffee next to my bike in the parking lot. After that, I headed across the street to get the tool that I needed and a few miscellaneous bits in order to continue the ride. Fully equipped, I was back in the saddle.
Before smiley rock, I had intended on laying down some new tracks for an alternate route to Williams. Post smiley, my knee was not agreeable to this option. I will return another day share those seriously cool tracks. Not a problem, as the ride out to Perkinsville is an enjoyable consolation.
****UPDATE***** I went out and rode my alternate route*****
****read about it here http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...se-The-Secret-Variation?p=1098153#post1098153 *****
After tanking up in Clarkdale, I stopped in Jerome to take a few pictures and met another friend on the roadside. Like many in the former ghost town of Jerome, this guy was a character, adorn in a colorful purple velvet vest which his unkempt white beard contrasted against starkly.
He started our chat with “So what do you have thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend?” I thought carefully before replying and said the weather has been very agreeable for my journey. He agreed and asked me about my trip. I gave him the elevator speech since I was in a bit of a hurry to get on with it. He nodded with “nice moto – sickle”. I reply with “Thanks, I suppose I should be thankful for the trusty pollo as well since it has seen me through a lot already”. “You're forgetting the most important thing to be thankful for young man,” he replied. “What's that?” I wonder. “The brilliant creator of that contraption,” he quickly responded. “While I appreciate the design of my KLR, the employees of the Kawasaki corp. don't exactly make my short list of people to thank at the moment,” I laugh. “no, no, no, no…Jesus is the creator of all things, and for that I am thankful this special weekend”, my bearded friend blurts. I snap my picture and say my goodbyes with the lyrics of the above song running through my head.
Zoom, zoom along the familiar track out to Perkinsville, taking the time to snap a few pictures I missed in the dark last night. You'll have to trust me when I say the views are outstanding.
As I round the corner to the bridge, I spot a rancher and his dog commuting to work. I kill the engine and give them time to cross before making my way. I get a big wave once I cross. Hardworking folks are always a friendly bunch in these parts.
Rambling along, I enjoy the wheat colored grasses and red rock adorning the landscape. Like this trip report, the views go on forever.
I spotted a bald eagle in flight, but can't grab the camera quick enough to capture it. This is one of my old photos when my family took a trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad a few years back. Traveling by rail is a relaxing way to enjoy the Verde if you haven't done so already. Probably a bit safer than my kayaking adventure down it earlier this year, but that's another story.
Here is the train's last stop before turning back to Clarkdale, Perkinsville. If you have kids, they do a Christmas season ride where they decorate the place like the North Pole.
Crossing a little one lane bridge, I cross this miniature canyon, reminding me of my final destination.
Leaving the last bit of civilization I will see for a while, the track remains wide, but gets rough. I start paying more attention to my riding than snapping pictures at this point. It's not as tough as the stuff I dealt with heading up to CK, but you could damage a tire on the sections filled with sharp rocks if you aren't careful. It gets much worse than the picture above.
As I gain elevation, the ponderosas return. I spot my first serious hunters, lucky to have drawn elk tags for a unit that has some big ones. I stop and chat with a couple of guys that are heading back to their base camp to process a giant elk. I've always wanted to learn how to hunt, but just haven't got around to it yet. I ask enough questions to get invited over to their camp to see what is involved in processing big game. To date, the largest land mammal I have cleaned is a rabbit, so this was an interesting opportunity. I didn't feel like taking any pictures since it wasn't my hunt. No crazy stories out of these guys, it was all about processing. I thank the guys for the quick overview and get back on the trail with a belly full of venison jerky they had made. I sure would like to give deer hunting a try sometime since it combines my love of hiking with responsible food procurement.
Hunters, like folks on Expo, know how to camp in style.
Brutal winter road conditions encountered, barely made it through. Had I been here about a week later, I would not be laughing. Northern AZ was dumped upon by the snow gods shortly after I got home. I had perfect weather and road conditions for my entire trip. If you head out, be aware that the trails over 5,000 feet on this traverse could have snow, ice, and serious mud. Be prepared for the mud, as you are unlikely to see anyone out here when conditions are nasty. And don't forget to stop and wash it off before hitting the highway…dodging cast off mud an rocks at highway speed is no fun on a bike
With the major elevation gain completed, here's what you can expect for most of the trip to Williams.
Another view of the San Francisco Peaks in the distance, I never get tired of looking at them.
Gorgeous day, would make a nice for sale ad if I wasn't so in love with riding.
I hit slab at some point and motor on into Williams for a late lunch. The town is busy since it is a weekend and elk season. I see countless trucks with bottomed out suspension thanks to what will become a freezer or two of meat. I detect the sweet smell of hickory in the air and trace it back to a BBQ joint. Smells like lunch to me.
By the time I finish lunch and feed the pollo, it's a quarter to four. Winter days are short and I'm not feeling like camping in Williams when the Grand Canyon is just down the street. I ditch my plans to ride dirt from Williams, and opt for the highway. Heresy? Well, I figure I'll just ride dirt I would have rode today, tomorrow when I can actually enjoy them in sunlight.
I fly down the highway in a full tuck and pull onto the trail just shy of making the National Park entrance. These are forest service roads, no admittance fee required : ) In my hustle to get to camp, I take few pictures. The trail starts becoming real chalky. It's pretty much covered in a few inches of bull dust as you approach the reservation, which a grey pickup in front of me is kicking skyward.
I keep a little distance so I don't choke on it, but the truck never pulls over to let me pass. Getting frustrated, I give them a blip or two from the horn, hoping they will see me and pull over. Fail. With no alternate route, I have few options…pull over and let them get ahead of me, resulting in some dark driving for me…eat dust for dinner… or recall my training video, Dust to Glory.
No, I did not ram the back of the truck with the pollo, rather opting for an aggressive pass. I waited for a decent where I had a good vantage point of the road ahead, spotting a long wide section in the road. I put some distance between us as they headed down the hill. Firing the bike up and giving a good twist, I close the distance just as they get near the wide spot. I thunder past in an effort to find blue skies once more. I doubt they ever saw me behind them judging from the looks on their faces as I passed and the fact that they were veering into my path of travel by the time I am next to them. I end up in the scrub brush along the roadside to dodge a collision. I avoid catastrophe by staying on the gas and leaning way back. After pruning some bushes, I make my way back onto the road with the truck in the rear view. I vow to avoid such foolishness in the future. My ride could have ended right there, as a fall in that terrain at speed would have been armor piercing.
Sometime after 5PM, I make it to this sign.
I encounter what looks to be an abandoned Native American ranger station as the sun sinks lower in the sky. A sign tells me that there is a $25 fee to enter the tribal lands. I find no pay station or attendant and decide to motor on, hoping I do not land myself in a tribal prison. A short while later, I spot another grey pickup alongside the road. I give a friendly wave as I pass. I hear some honking behind me and quickly learn that these are rangers in the grey trucks. Oops. After a quick chat, I am told this section of the reservation is closed due to a tribal elk hunt in progress. I explain that this is the last leg of my trip and all I want to do is cross back onto the National Park to camp for the night. Fortunately, my laid back attitude and story wins me passage…or perhaps it was the $25 I was relieved of. Oh well, at least the transaction was complete before the other ranger came along. I make for the big ditch as the last beams of sun say goodnight.
The road is rutted, gets narrower, and is a challenge in the dusk. I get back onto the National Park and conditions do not improve until I get within about a mile of the rim. At this point, the track is very narrow, and gets brushy for larger rigs. My motorcycle skirts around everything easily. Soon, I'm at the edge of a black hole. I know what it is, but I can't see a thing. I set camp quickly, figuring it's going to be cold tonight. The only reminder of people is a light way of in the distance that I figure is the airport. The nearest human is surely miles away and I'm alone once again.
I send a SPOT ok message to signal my arrival to my support team back home. Just then I remember my buddy, who is a hiking guide up here, bragging about getting cell phone reception in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I give it a shot and manage to reach my wife for an evening chat. Life is good, can't wait to see where I'm at in the morning!
Progress to date
The story is not quite over yet, Day Ten...
