On the road to Globe (and beyond)

Globe overnighter

IT was mid afternoon as I approached Globe AZ, for the very first time.  Right around 'rush hour' but there didn't some to be much congestion as I rolled into town at the lights of 188 and US 60. 

I had scouted some hotel/motels out over the net the couple of days previous.  The most likely prospect was not the one I had picked the weekend before.  It looked terribly rustic, the parking lot was empty and my concern before I left home was the ability or inability to load/off load the XT.  I continued through the 'city' and came across my alternate pick, the would be a Motel 6 right on US 60/70 before it branches off on 77 south to my turnaround at Winkelman, but not before I did the Pinal Pass.

After passing the Pass... I would pick up the Gila River and follow it right into the Junction of 77 and 177 at Winklemen.   Doing so would take me through a wide open pit mining area, which obvious to me, had seen both boom and bust cycles! 

I followed the Gila river at different places, what a surprise!

Today's all paved route on secondary highways would be hot and dry under an unrelenting Arizona sun on my Yamaha. Before the day was out, I would pass by or ride through Hayden Junction, Kearny, Ray Junction, Sonora and finally Superior, where I'd return to AZ 60 for the final 25 miles climbing through awesome canyons before a flurry of small towns... Miami, Clayton and Midland City, brought me back to the Motel 6 and Globe.

A little more rugged.

Even though this leg wouldn't have any pure off road riding* (there was a reason for that as I would find out later) the hot dry temperatures, the pretty scenery, the feeling of having traveled back in time at least 30-40 years, made my trip most enjoyable and memorable.

THE staff at Motel 6 and especially my new buddy Manny were most helpful in accommodating me to ease loading and unloading the trail bike. I was able to secure a room at the very top of their complex well above road level at US 70.  I was able to back the Dakota  up with the tailgate down, and basically roll the bike on or off.  This was crucial, my bum hip registering in my brain at "PAIN LEVEL 6" and rising!  I didn't think I had enough left in my 'energy' tank to deal with banging through creek beds and climbing and descending trails.  Part of enjoyable motorcycling is knowing when to hold up, when to fold up and when to walk away!

Beautiful riding country, you see so much more off road.

The room was spartan but I wouldn't have expected anything elaborate, after all it was a M 6 right.  It was tidy, had a hot shower that I pummeled myself with and the overnight rate didn't break the bank which with a 30 percent exchange rate was very important.

Manny even gave me 10% off the rate unasked seemingly sincerely interested in my travels as both a motorcyclist and a Canadian.

I did a final check over of the bike and gear and turned in for the night... early.  (Hey... I'm 63 right, I get tired easier now)

Early the next morning I kick-started the 350 and we coasted down the hill to the highway.  It was already warm and it would get much warmer as the day progressed.

Free flowing Gila river

No problem with the turn off to Pinal Pass on US 70.  The sun was fully up and getting hotter by the mile.  I cruised through beautiful desert country, with little traffic in either direction.  It was obvious to me that this route that ultimately would have carried me to Tucson and beyond. Much as I wanted to check out 'Dudleyville' I opted to turn north at Winkleman.

Fast flowing and lots of water here!

Humanity in the way of subdivisions, towns and cars were pretty thin on the ground, XT burbling on at an even 50 mph with the tallish gearing I had last installed keeping the revs acceptable low on the four stroke single, which by the way has plenty of torque at these reduced speeds and happy taking the wide well paved corners at these speeds.

Teachers were on strike in Az while I was there. 

I pulled off in Hayden Junction for a little shade and a snack, sitting on a bench under some shade, as two big ADV bikes rolled by.  Funny, I felt absolutely no shame in riding my 300 lb 350 instead a big brute of an "Adventure bike".

Lots of railway around the mines.

On this side of the Gila valley, the road surface is a bit more used, the railway carrying copper ore no doubt much busier than say the ride down on 77.  The country was wide open, BIG SKY country and I felt terribly humble to be here doing this, when so many of the people I know are tied to a job 9-5 trying to earn a living.

WHEN I reached Superior, I missed the turn off and a quick U turn had me back on 60.  As I was picking up speed and climbing, I felt like turning around, should have stopped in downtown Superior, but if you have traveled here before, you know the new route 60 parallels the old route and between the vestiges of the old highway and the fantastic scenery on the climb out, left me speechless.

Too awesome for mere words.

Do the words drop dead gorgeous mean anything to you... ?

I found an old state park.  Pulling off the road, I went for a look see.  You see I had camping gear along, too much of for traveling by bike only but with the mule of a Dakota, I had splurged and brought along my little 4 lb single person tent, a cooler bag and cushions.  In the campground there were sites with stoves but no services.  Bonus though it had trails!

Gas prices were riding weekly

At Miami I pulled off to fill the Yamaha once again, averaging about 82 mpg (IMP) giving me a range of about 175 miles before needing to replenish the fuel.  I must admit I kind of pigged out sitting on the curb and eating some real food, washed down by an iced coffee, a summer treat for the Dr.

I passed a huge Walmart before getting to the M 6 again, where I loaded the bike and swung her west back towards Superior to the campsite I had stumbled on. By mid afternoon I had picked out a spot and set up the tent under, oddly enough, wind picking up the pace.  Once settled, I went for a walk and found remnants of the old route 60 just about a hundred yards from where I was camped!  I actually went for a late afternoon walk in the general area and was very excited about riding some of the old road and some other trails I had found in my walk.

My camp out didn't go so well...

As I was descending the hill back of my site I see  my 4 lb tent blown over and fortunately caught among some trees down the valley from where the Dakota was parked.  Even though I had stacked some softball sized rocks on each corner, the elevated windy conditions had blown the thing away.

Finishing off the last of my real food I was getting settled in for the night when I found that my pillows (yes, pillows) had been left home in the shuffle!  Do you know how uncomfortable it is not being able to lay your head on a pillow? I rolled up my jeans which were a very poor substitute.  But wait... it gets worse!  Remember this blog is mostly about riding and misadventures and here I am in high country in a tiny tent, with no pillows and winds getting very gusty.  I'm thinking , this is not good, maybe even bad but tomorrow I will at least explore the local trails, after all I'm not on a schedule right!

This is part of the old/old route 60, I'd like to follow it some day.

By 11 pm it is near gale force and I should know I live on an Island in the Atlantic right... and to make things even most uncomfortable as trying to sleep with no pillow in a gale when the skies open up!



So now it's flapping like crazy, wind howling in the high country and monsoon season. 

It's generally accepted that a desert see's less than 10" of rain a year.  I think I got 5 of those inches that night.  Even though I had set up my camp on a slight down slope there was so much rain that I abandoned the tent at 4 am when I realized my legs with near frozen and I was soaked from the waist down!

At 4 am I gave up and moved into the truck.

No the Dakota has a crew cab and bucket seat in the front, in the rear there is a bench seat which could have sufficed for a temporary bed had it not had a major 30 degree slope to it.

... and... even worse (yes worse) I am chattering my teeth and knocking my knees so hard near hypodermic that trying to sleep in the truck with the heater on and the engine running is just wearing me out, finishing me off in deed.

Finally the conversation I had been having with myself, "Oh it will be fine once that beautiful Arizona sun comes back in the morning, I can get on my bike and check out the hood, ride the abandoned route 60 and all this will be forgotten."

Blue sky over a hundred degrees and lots of it!

By 5 30 I had packed up in a rather haphazard fashion and heading west to Phx!

No idea...

Good thing the Dakota had just as good a heater as the A/C unit.

The sun didn't come out till I had turned onto I - 10 heading home and I got to enjoy the A/C again in, you guessed it, a city wide rush hour.

* Turns out that a) I have bursitis of the right hip, can be very painful, and... after a ridiculously expensive ambulance ride my last Saturday night/Sunday morning, thinking I was having appendicitis, excruciating pain forced me to call my insurer (at 1 am my local) which got me to a Phx hospital where I was cat scanned, only to find I have Kidney Stones!  Even more painful!