By The Time We Get To Phoenix: Part 2

Day 4 finds us riding east into the Superstition Mountains and enjoying one of the Metro Phoenix Area's favorite motorcycling roads, the Apache Trail. The road twists and turns as it makes its way thru the mountain and around Canyon Lake before coming to the widw spot in the road named Tortilla Flats. The is the official destination for the ride so we dismount and pause for several pictures before entering one of only a handful of buildings for breakfast. With full bellies we continue east on the Apache Trail for another 5 miles where the pavement ends. The road does continues on for several miles in the form of dirt and gravel to Roosevelt Dam however we choose to head back towards Phoenix and take in a few innings of the Giants-Cubs baseball game. The teams played to a 2-2 tie by the time we left in the 9th. More riding was on our minds and a riding to South Mountain and Dobbin's Lookout would reveal a view of the entire Valley of the Sun. This day was summed up with a steak dinner at the Rustlers' Roost. One of the highlights of this restaurant is a pet longhorn steer that is penned up just outside the front door. The wingspan on the beast exceeds 8 feet for sure. Day 5 and its time to bid our goodbyes to Andy and Mike. Our visit was much too short but San Francisco is calling us home. This was the first time we encountered any signifigent rain. It lasted for about 5 miles just outside of Phonix near Buckeye. We had planned Buckeye to be our breakfast stop so timing was good. Once feed, we continued on Highway 10 and into California. Overcast skies stayed with us until Palm Springs where rain again began. A gas stop was in order and a decision was made to get off the interstate. We chose instead to ride thru the Yucca and Lucerne Valley which are both vast and unspoiled. Snow was evident on the Tehachapi's and we chose to stop in Mojave as temperatures were dropping fast. We stayed at Mojave's only 4 star motel, Mariah, dry and warm. Our motorcycles parked just outside our window in a gravel lot. Day 6 Goin' Home! No story here. Hiway 58 and 99. Running fast and hard to get home. A great trip. A fun and orderly group to ride with. No issues with any of the bikes. And plenty of good memories that we will share for years to come. Many thanks to Dave, Hoa, Caroline, Rex, Barbara, & Jeff for sharing the road. And to Andy and Mike for opening their home and the hospitaility offered to us while we were in Phoenix. Papa