Day 3 of the California Trip 2023

 4/5/2023    

It was very cold (to me) when I woke in Phoenix, AZ.  I had a mediocre breakfast of poached eggs and sausage at the La Quinta where I stayed, paced back and forth in my room for over an hour letting the sun rise a lil more, and got dressed for a quick trip to Target.  

Even though I always wear a gaiter, my face was still pretty red from the day 2 ride, so I ran to Target and got some Blue Lizard sunscreen and the floss picks I'd forgotten to bring, all before loading up the bike and checking out of the hotel.  I figured it wouldn't be any good to leave my duffle with my valuables unlocked in a Target parking lot in Phoenix. 

I tightened up a few screws for the plastics on my bike that I realized were a lil loose as I was riding around Phoenix without my earplugs, then loaded my duffle and road out into the chilly morning. 

I stopped in Blythe and bought myself an extra long sleeve T-shirt because my dumb ass forgot my super awesome fleece sweater.  Ooooops.  From there I turned north on an alternate route that would take me away from I-10 and into the desert quite a ways, where I then turned West on 62 towards Twentynine Palms. 

The wind was most brutal on this day, and I saw many dust storms and dust devils that really looked like small tornadoes to me.  As cars passed me by in the other direction, I also noticed the sand blowing off the road, and I would get into full tuck when large trucks passed me by.

The descent from Morongo Valley to I-10 was steep and awe-inspiring, a lush valley with amazing rock formations on either side.  These lil scenic routes I chose on days 2 & 3 actually lowered my total mileage and simultaneously increased my time on the road since you have to slow down and/or stop in all the little towns on the way.  However, I'm totally cool with that. 

All in all I did 1,340 miles, which is 160 less than I had originally planned, but still a hell of a lot of miles in three days, alone on a motorcycle.  I had planned a few different routes that were all dependent on the weather and time, and while I'd initially planned on riding from Lordsburg, NM all the way up to Camp Verde, AZ, I just wasn't willing to head straight into 60+ mph winds in a mountain pass, but I really am content with the routes I developed on the fly, and I'm excited to see which route I decide to take home.  

For now, I'm at my niece Liz's house, on a working vacation, working remotely and enjoying the change of scenery and the visit I haven't had in far too long.  Life is beautiful, if you only make it so as much as you possibly can. Live a little.