Monday, April 1, 2013

We're off !!

Let see, Rick asked about the Goldwing and if I am taking it back to Kansas.....???  Well, heck yes...........  Its my new baby you know....

Yesterday I went to the storage lot and hooked our enclosed trailer onto the back of the motorhome...  I used this trailer to bring our bedroom set from Kansas back in November...  We had purchased it at Nebraska Furniture Mart at one of their super wham dammy sales...

I have to admit that I had it in my mind to trade off the white Suzuki for a Goldwing back then...  I had spotted the very bike that I eventually purchased on the internet..  Cycle trader I think..

So it was somewhat of a master plan from early last fall...  And yesterday when it was so overcast, I wasn't tempted to go riding, when the plan was to load up the bike...  So load it up I did..  Strapped it down with six ratchet straps.  Tossed the cover over it and proceeded to fill the trailer with bags and bags of Loyce's acquired fabric..   Seems we have enough to pack the trailer on both sides of the bike...

Tonight I am reporting from the USA Campground in Gallup, Nm...  as this morning we had a flurry of energy and finished all the packing..  We left the coach in the street overnight and got a lot done after dark..

The fridge was started on LP and battery to get cold before morning.... so we packed out the food all at once...  Our Arizona watches said 10 AM when we locked the house....  Its turned over to the security company and our house management company..  They check it fairly often...

On Easter, it was really busy as we left Mesa on the Usery Mountain Pass road and the Bush Highway...  There were thousands of bikes... and motorcycles as everyone was out enjoying the wonderful warm holiday...

People were wading in the Salt River as we went over the bridge..  I have never seen that many people in the picnic area along its banks...   Saguaro Lake was swamped with folks as well....  We just rolled along fairly slowly with lots of folks behind us...  The trailer with the motorcycle is fairly heavy, but not as bad as the boxed furniture was coming down last fall...

The snow was still around as we topped the mountain East of Payson..  We climb rather slowly with such a big load, but I never saw a bit of extra temperature in the engine..  A roadside park that we always stop in to cool things down was closed and locked as the snow drift was almost over the top of the visitor center....

We ate our lunch at a pull off along the highway.. Barely enough room to get away from the traffic, but as we left, I noticed there was another motorhome behind us taking their break as well....

We rolled thru Holbrook and took the Interstate here to Gallup...  Of course we had to set our watches ahead for day light saving time when we crossed into New Mexico...  So suddenly it was 5PM.  We aren't in any particular hurry, so this is all the farther we had planned for today...
The Phoenix sign on Usery Pass as we climbed out of Mesa..

For a while this morning the desert North of Mesa was overwhelmingly beautiful...  A carpet of purple sage bush flowers and a sea of yellow blossoms..  Cassia I think, but I'm not good with plants...  But I was suddenly sad.......   Sad that I had to leave all the gorgeous desert flora behind......

But it is to get into the 90s seriously next week, with highs every day...  Time to go mow that yard in Kansas.....

Retired Rod

7 comments:

  1. Have a good and safe trip back to Kansas. I can't believe it's time for all you snowbirds to be heading back north - seems like you just arrived in Arizona!

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  2. I know that sad feeling about leaving all that gorgeous Arizona flora behind. Safe travels back to that Kansas place. We will be out of here in a few days as well.......

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  3. All those people on Saguaro Lake is why Jim doesn't go near the place over the week-end let alone a holiday week-end. Be safe and hope the weather stays good for you back to Kansas.

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  4. Can't wait to hear what your biker lunch group says when they see your new Goldwing! You'll be a full-patch member for sure!

    Safe travels home. It's time to get outta Dodge - we're leaving tomorrow morning!

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  5. Safe travels home my friend, and with that 90F temperature we will be heading for a land just north of summer later this week. No grass to mow though there might be a little snow to shovel.

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  6. Hope you have a safe and easy trip home to KC, you may be lucky it was in the 60's here yestreday, I I am grounded. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna

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  7. Happy Trails. Sure hope the warm weather follows you home.

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