DDT (12)
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Posts: 4120
Sometimes ya just gotta go...
Winter Springs, FL - Occasionally...
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« on: May 30, 2016, 06:23:19 PM » |
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Tour de Dixie – Texas (Part Four)
In Payson, AZ, we had ‘made the turn’… From then on we would be traveling more or less back towards home and the conclusion of this adventure. We would also be heading back towards Texas and the Gathering of the Fools, that would offer a fitting benediction to an amazing and most enjoyable journey.
The word ‘journey’ is such a multi-dimensional term for this writer. I always enjoy riding a bike, and I most certainly thrill at the many sights, sounds, smells, and all sensory experiences that derive from traveling in such a way. But even more than that, I enjoy the spiritual, mental, and philosophical aspects of such outings… those most of all, I think…
With Payson in our mirrors and my buds close behind, I allowed my thoughts to drift at will from one topic to another. This has been such amazing therapy for me! All of us get bruised up a bit along the way… but that in itself has been somewhat of a curiosity to ponder. I’ve finally concluded that the set-backs, disappointments, pain, frustration, and loss I’ve experienced were not just necessary, they were also blessings of a sort.
It is through them that we are able to juxtapose all of the good things that also come our way. To more accurately gauge and put into proper perspective our pleasures, successes, and positive experiences, thereby to more clearly understand them and to more deeply appreciate them. Seems incredibly ironic, huh… to actually be grateful for hardship?
I had wanted to lead my pals to Tortilla Flats… A watering hole, among other things, ‘out and beyond’ east of Phoenix popular with local riders. I’d been introduced to that landmark a decade or more before by a wonderful lady I’d met: One who rode her own and delighted in showing off her slice of ‘heaven’ in that corner of the world. I figured no trip to that area would be complete without acquiring the bragging rights that went along with a pilgrimage there… But, …
I did not remember part of the road to that beacon of biker-hood from that direction was unpaved. I’d thought I’d ridden that section before, but apparently not. Anyway, just below the dam at the turnoff southwestward, the pavement ends. Dang! Two of our travelers had just washed their bikes the evening before, so I correctly figured they were not eager to go that way. I wasn’t either, of course, even though ALI hadn’t had a bath lately…
We continued on to Globe instead, after taking pictures of the dam, bridge, cactus, each other, and other items of interest… We were tourists, too, after all… This entire route was a nice, scenic, relaxing ride, and one I truly enjoyed… It had everything: Sights, curves, easy riding, lots of time for thinking… Of course, the stops along the way were also pleasant, as I got to share the excitement of my companions, these first-time visitors in a very strange to them land…
The visiting traveler must be vigilant in Globe, as the unwary can easily miss a sign, turn, or other dipsey-doodle, and wind up going in some wrong direction. I know this from experience… We stopped at a Carl Jr’s. (Hardees to us southerners), and there we dined for the first time this day. Following that stop, I set about proving the point I just made earlier in this paragraph…
When approaching Carl Jr’s., I had been earnestly looking specifically for just such a stop opportunity (acute swollen bladder syndrome), and therefore missed the sign right there indicating a necessary turn. When we departed, I continued on in the direction we’d been traveling… We gracefully made a U-turn down the road a bit as soon as I realized what I’d done… Yes, I can indeed be a boo-boo prone ride leader…
From Globe, we traveled northeastward back to Show Low. We’d ridden through that town a couple of days before, only we were on a different route that time. A very nice route this latest one was! Several pull-off opportunities for viewing the amazing scenery thereabouts… Lots of mountains, gorges, cliffs, valleys, and even a river to gaze upon. The riding along this route is also curvactious and really nice.
I like Show Low. There is a motel there with a restaurant and sports bar on premises, where I’ve perched my abused derriere upon a stool many times over the years… We didn’t stop there this time through, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the memories that floated through my recollector chamber of the hours spent there once or thrice upon a time… long, long ago.
From Show Low, named for a card game with a curious story behind it, we rode back to Alpine… a tiny hamlet nestled in one of the lovelier parts of that state, at least in my opinion. It does have some altitude, so the temps are always pretty cool, but they offer a refreshing alternative to the much warmer areas to the south of there. It is also home to the ‘Bear Wallow Cafe’…
After stopping by the Sportsman’s Motel, we revisited the café… We’d stopped there for breakfast/brunch on the way through a couple of days before for… biscuits ‘n gravy, bowls of chili, coconut pie and assorted other food items. Great pie! They also have good food of all varieties…
However, be advised that if you should ever go there, DO NOT use your cell phone! Grandma has signs literally posted everywhere admonishing patrons to refrain from such goings on! I don’t know for sure but I do have my suspicions, whether she’s just irritated by ‘progress’ or whether she is offended by rude behavior… Grandmas are like that, ya know…
We’d made the loop back to Alpine, because there are three ways in and out of there, and all three are great rides. Since you could only do two at a time (one in, one out) without serious back-tracking, and the best ride of all happened to be from Alpine down ‘The Devil’s Highway’, US HWY 191 (formerly designated US 666), towards Safford, I’d deliberately saved the best route for last… and the following day would find us on that route!
Bright and early the next morning, and following a good bit of elk watching and coffee sipping, we moseyed on over to the Bear Wallow for some breakfast. We hadn’t been eating that early, but this day there would not be another opportunity for a few hours, as nearly 100 miles of National Forest had to be ridden through to get there. Our meals were good, as usual, and no repercussions with Grandma, happily, as nobody attempted to use their cell phone!
And what a great ride that remaining road is! Mostly a third and fourth gear run, with occasional need for second gear, and practically none for fifth! You could say this road has extremely serious curvatude with no risk whatsoever of exaggeration! We stopped at several pull-offs to gaze in wonder at the landscape, so remarkably different from anything we see in the east… For first time visitors, it is an amazing, jaw-dropping, eye-bulging sight to behold! For those who have been there before, it is essentially the same!
Several of those pull-overs had ‘facilities’… deposition receptacles for used coffee and post food digestion leavings. Don’t waste time looking for a flush handle, however, and there is no provision for washing up afterward either. Of course, there is also a rather distinctive ‘bouquet’ present, and for those with tender olfactory senses, it can be rather surprising!
The first town we came to was Morenci, just south of the huge open pit copper (mostly) mine by the same name. At the overlook where we stopped, there is a wheel and tire on display from one of the earth movers they use down in the pit … and it is ten feet in diameter! Looking down into the bottom of the mine, the trucks down there using those tires appear more like miniature Tonka Toys than anything a human could fit into!
A much needed fuel and hydration stop was past due by this time, so we stopped for that. A jewelry/gift shop across the road also afforded us an opportunity to attend another necessary but heretofore unaddressed aspect of dearly beloved-less travel… Not a chore, per se, but trying to pick something out for another, especially one of the female persuasion, is… well, you know… Mercifully there were some suitable items there, so I was able to do the deed without much anxiety.
From Morenci, we rode on to Lordsburg, NM, then on to Las Cruces for the evening. That last leg was all super slab, so long, boring miles with little in the way of reportable sights or events… Well, there is this one recurring theme that has been giving me much concern… Drowsiness… Dangerous in the extreme, and it is something quite worrisome that I’ve become very cautious of… Still… I need to solve this riddle, and pronto!
As one approaches Las Cruces from the west on I-10, there is a rest area with a fabulous view of the city below and just up ahead… In late evening the sun is at your back as you view the city with its mountains behind, and you have to admit the DOT got it right this time! Even if not needed for usual reasons, that special view makes this stop still very worthwhile! I don’t recall ever not stopping on any of my many, many passes through there over the years.
We got rooms in Las Cruces, then we rode just around the corner to Cracker Barrel for din-din… Funny about that… Mitch ordered pretty much the same fish dinner JP and I did, only… He paid dearly for his selection for the next couple of days! While he was not born to Royalty, he nevertheless still got to log quite a bit of ‘throne’ time anyway! For the rest of us, though, it was another peaceful, restful, uneventful evening…
DDT
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