My type of road.
For the last three weeks I have been camping a few miles north of Phoenix, AZ near the towns of Payson and Cottonwood. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler at both those locations than it is at the lower altitude around Phoenix, and it has been a good compromise between the weather near Flagstaff – still dealing with freezing temps and occasional snow flurries – and the weather in Phoenix that will be in the high 90’s this week. I didn’t intend to drive back into the inferno of the Valley, but here I am parked at my brother Daryl’s house again.
I have done lots of exploring around Payson and Cottonwood on previous visits but that didn’t stop me from jumping on Honda and riding those same roads again. The Payson area has many scenic forest roads that snake below the Mogillon Rim, offering unlimited adventure and fun. Sometimes when I would find myself on a deserted trail, miles from civilization, I would wonder what would happen if my motorcycle were to quit while I was so far from my motorhome and the thought would conjure up some uneasy feelings.
The day before I left my camp near Payson, Richard and Dianna drove down from their summer, volunteer home at the Blue Ridge Ranger Station and joined me to visit a couple historic sites. On a road north of town we walked through the ruins of an ancient Indian village and then a few miles further stopped to puzzle the existence of a waterwheel built high above the Verde River.
After I moved to Cottonwood, my sister Donna joined me for three days of RV practice and sightseeing. On our first trip up to tour the historic town of Jerome, our motorcycle ride turned out to be both good and bad. We had a great time learning the history of Jerome and visiting the tourist shops, but on the way back Honda decided it didn’t want to start after a quick stop at Walmart. After a lot of tries, I finally got it started and we high-tailed it to home. We were lucky that we weren’t stranded without a way to get back to our RV’s; I’m not sure what we would have done in that case.
I decided to take Honda back to where I bought it to let them fix it. Even though it will be uncomfortable to stay here in this heat for a few days, there is a chance my warranty will cover the repairs to my bike and I can be on my way up north without too much damage to my pocketbook. The service department is backed up for a week but I’m hoping they will get it in ahead of schedule.
On the other hand, it is nice to be back in town where I can see Mom and family here in Tempe and Mesa, but I hope my next post will be several miles closer to the North Pole.
IRI
Hope all works out with Honda. Meanwhile, we can take in those movies we have been wanting to see!