Day 7 - Sweet (hot) home, Arizona

I got a pretty good nights sleep after a nice swim and shower. Woke up a few times, but I think a big part of that was just my body getting used to a very soft bed instead of the hard ground.

I had a nice breakfast at the hotel before packing up the motorcycle and hitting the road. It was already over 90* F so I knew I was in for a hot ride. Sure enough, the heat didn't let up until I was safely in my house with the air conditioner blowing on. One sign I saw coming through Phoenix said it was 115 *F. That is hot even when you are in a car with A/C. On a motorcycle, it is brutal. I stopped every 20-30 minutes for a drink of water and to pour some water down my shirt to cool myself off.

I took a slightly different route which added about another hour or so, bypassing Hoover Dam and it's frequent traffic jams. It was a nice road other than a bit rough in some spots and it was nice to keep one of my Dad's Travel Rules:

Thou shalt not travel the same way more than once until all other practical alternate routes have been taken.

Other than the heat, I only had one other experience that was a bit scary. I have a tank bag that uses magnets to stay in place. I have had it for over 6 years and I have never had it even shift while riding, even when zipped open to it's bigger size and packed full. I was North of Wickenburg when I came around a curve and got hit by a gust of wind that knocked my tank bag loose. Fortunately, it stayed put in-between my arms and the magnets reattached. Very fortunate, since my camera and netbook were in that bag.

When I got the bike unloaded, I realized how much stuff I had managed to fit on such a small bike and was pretty impressed. Just a phone-cam shot, but you should be able to see how much stuff I crammed in 2 saddlebags, a tank bag and strapped to my passenger seat.



Well, that wraps up my week of adventure. I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures.

I am sure that some of you are asking, "So, are you going to do it again?" to which I say "YES!" Maybe not camping. Maybe not go through Death Valley in July. Maybe shorter distances with more picture stops (as if that is even possible). Maybe longer distances to explore new parts of the country. But definitely, another epic motorcycle trip is going to happen.