Monday, April 30, 2020.
After a fantastic evening with Lu, his wife Geri and the Wizard it was time for me to do what I came west to do. I have to admit I was very apprehensive about the ride, what would I encounter and is it even legitimate for me to be doing this.
For close to the last 90 days it’s been all virus all the time. When I was a kid we did the duck and cover under our desks, thinking it would somehow help should the evil Russians hurl some nukes our way. I’ve seen protests, natural disasters, the discovery of HIV and AIDS, SARS, lost family friends on 911 and an economic crisis but this is my first experience with a National Emergency and states of emergency in every state, with some Governors declaring it’s illegal to go next door and chat with your neighbor. On top of the media hysteria, the endless “we’re all going to die” loop and Facebook I was starting to lose my mind as every metric that measures success, happiness and financial security in the United States got inverted by executive order while some folks cheered the increasing impact of the virus as political opportunity.
Shutting all that shit off for 13 days was the best thing I’ve done in a long time.
I had no idea what this would all mean on the road and I had been watching the news to get a feel for when it might be ok for me to sneak out for my motorcycle. In the last week of April many executive orders were set to expire soon, some Governors were talking about how to reopen their states which gave me some confidence that the time was right. I didn’t want to be on the roads the week communities “reopened” as I figured that roads, shopping and all that could be a bit chaotic as folks that had been in self quarantine for two months raced for that first spot at the salon or gym.
I also had no plan.
I never do not have a plan because I learned at a young age you can’t leave the dock without a plan. Just like you can’t fly a plane without a plan to land I have never started a ride with no plan.
I suppose I did have a plan or at least a destination. I was heading east with a few goals. First I wanted to avoid the interstate as much as possible, visit small towns and see what’s really going on. I learned years ago that if you really want to know the true story about what the talking heads are spinning there’s nothing like a personal inspection from the seat of a motorcycle. In 2016 I did a big ride through the west on a rally that featured boom-towns that had gone bust. Based on what I saw and who I spoke with I came home and told my friends in New England who the next President would be and I was right. They didn’t believe me. Last fall when I rode west I went as close to the US – Mexico border as possible and spoke with locals, border patrol officers and one kind trooper from New Mexico. For this ride I wanted to see first hand how Americans are dealing with the Virus and you can’t see anything from the interstates.
I figured I’d look at weather, terrain and desired destinations before bed to get a feel for the next days ride. I also had to factor in accommodations and food. I was carrying camping gear but I was aware that most legal camping spots were likely to be closed which was what I encountered. I decided I’d try to end each day in town just big enough to have a Hampton Inn but not so big as to have a lot of people. I have been intermittent fasting as part of a diet so I wasn’t worried about breakfast. Lunch turned out to be a Subway sandwich or grinder from a pizza parlor; it was that or fast food.
Leaving Lu’s I punched in Quartzsite, Arizona as my destination. Quartzsite is the place in North America were the folks that live full time in their RV’s know they’ll be warm in January, February and March. The trade off is by early April it’s hot, by June it’s just about inhabitable. I had heard you could just go out into the desert and camp; this I wanted to see.
It was warm and forecast to be a hot day. While my goal was to avoid interstate to get out of Southern California it is close to the only option. I found the highway to be empty with the few folks in fast cars happy to clear a near triple digit path east. Quartzsite came up fast.
Quartzsite was hot, bland and most of the businesses were closed for the summer. The RV spots with hook-ups were all full and there were some folks out in the desert. I would imagine these are the people whose regular summer plans have been trashed by the shutdowns.
From Quartzsite I rode Northeast to Prescott, Sedona and on to Flagstaff.
Prescott and Sedona are what I’d consider upscale towns and given their location and time of year much of the focus would be outdoors. Both towns were close to deserted, Sedona was particularly striking as there was nothing along the ride though town that was essential enough to be open.
I had been looking at time and at Quartzsite I decided Flagstaff would be a good place for the night. I found a Hampton Inn on the GPS and made it my destination. I like Hampton Inn’s when I travel but generally they are a bit on the expensive side. I like them because they usually let me park my bike under cover and near the door, the rooms are comfortable and good for sleeping.
The Hampton I selected did not disappoint. I put on my mask and entered the lobby to find they had used some folding tables to enforce physical distancing at the counter. The desk attendant was polite and happy to to have a guest. On the table were menus from local restaurants that were offering free delivery.
The setup at the Hampton Inn. After this I selected Hampton Inn every night I could.
I got a room with a nice view of the mountains, ordered a steak and got a good nights sleep.
Lu’s place to Flagstaff. 510 miles in 9:24
Next: Bananas Foster
