With all the bicycling that I do, it seems that the motorcycle trips are now
revolving around spring and fall. I suppose also the fact that we always wear a
lot protection has something to do with it. You don't want it to be too hot or
too cold for trips using full protection.
Unfortunately, full protection in the spring can also mean that you need to wear
your Gerbing heated clothing. This was the
case when we decided to go to Arizona mid March to April. Electric heated
clothing allows you to run in temperatures that are well below freezing. The
only problem is that the road surface has to be negotiable for a motorcycle.
This became problematic when we left on our trip from Sioux City to Arizona. We
started out at around 37°. If the weather gets bad, my idea is that you can
always hole up somewhere . Wait until it blows over, and then continue on. This
idea worked fairly well down to Kansas. We did have to run through some
windblown snow before Kearny, Nebraska. In order to miss the snow, I was able to
sweep out into the opposite lane; when the cars were not coming . However, after
leaving Oklahoma into Texas, things got dicey. The temperature dropped well
below 32°, and there was an approaching storm front from the West. We went west
into New Mexico to get around this. This didn't work out because although the
road surface was not too bad, the bridges were freezing up. So, I turned around
and headed back towards Amarillo. I thought at least if we stayed on the
four-lane interstate highway, we could head south and I'll outrun it. This
really wasn't a bad idea. However, as you continue south out of Amarillo, you do
gain altitude. About 20 miles out we were running the limited access interstate
to Lubbock. The road was wet, although it was freezing to the bike.
Unfortunately, we hit a wall of snow at about 20 miles out. There was about 3
inches of snow on the ground to that point, and it began to pile up on the
surface of the road now. Electric clothes work well when the motor is running,
but if you are sitting underneath a bridge with the engine off; you will get
cold quickly at 18°F. After going a quarter-mile through the snow, I made the
decision to take a snowy off ramp . I was able to go up over the ramp, over the
crossing bridge, and back onto the approach to head back to Amarillo. This was
very scary. I made very wide turns, and went slowly as possible, with nobody
making any movement on the motorcycle. The tires had deep tread, so I was able
to go fairly well, but with some wiggle. So, now I know that the motorcycle will
run through 3 inches of snow for a short distance. I do not want to try that out
again. We stayed overnight in Amarillo and the next day went on south.
The next day the road was good down to New Mexico through Midland, Texas. Snow
was on the ground until Midland, Texas. However, you would hit ice patches under
the bridges. I just kept the motorcycle straight, and we sailed across the ice
without falling. You can do that when you're running 70 miles an hour. It was a
good thing we stayed in Amarillo, because the snow had gone all the way down to
Midland, Texas. A deep plunging cold front caused this, and as I recall, there
was much suffering in Kansas with freezing of the winter wheat. After crossing
the range towards El Paso, the weather warmed quickly.
We've done this ride before, and usually stay at Las Cruces, New Mexico. We
continued off the interstate into Arizona on a previously taken state 80 road.
This road takes you through some open country, and passed the Geronimo Monument.
Geronimo surrendered here to the Army. We continued on down through Douglas,
Sierra Vista, Tombstone, and Bisbee. The motel that I like to stay at in
Patagonia is now closed. So, we had to take the interstate up through Tubac to
Tucson.
We spent some time in Tucson, actually twice. After the first visit we made a
run to Yuma, Arizona, as I had never been there. Susie didn't want to stay in
Yuma. We then circled north up along the Colorado River. This is a
beautiful area in that there is a stark contrast between the river and the
surrounding moonscape of the desert. After Bullhead City, we started back along
the interstate up to Flagstaff. Then down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona, and then
across the mountains to Globe. Finally we headed back south again to Tucson, and
stayed at a nice motel and pool.
At Tucson we did go to the Sonoran Desert Museum. I would recommend that. After
that we headed back towards home by way of Carlsbad Caverns. I always like to go
there. I like to tour the cave, and this time we did get to see the bat flight
at night. There is a motel complex there. Actually the complex is called White's
City. I'm sure it is busy in the summer, but in the spring there is hardly
anyone there. I suppose I like staying there because of that. The weather was
now warming up, so it was not a problem going there, even though the elevation
is higher. After Carlsbad Caverns, you go towards the town of Carlsbad and then
out to Kansas. Know that it is about 17 miles from Carlsbad Caverns to the town
of Carlsbad. You don't just ride back and forth to the town of Carlsbad from the
Caverns. Going the other way, the ride from Carlsbad Caverns to El Paso is a
very good one.
We returned by way of Kansas, and back up through Nebraska to Sioux City.
Interstate 25 is a horrible ride, and very prone to weather. I didn't take as
many pictures as I have in the past. I didn't take any of us going through the
snow, only the aftermath. But riding around the southwest in the spring is a
nice tour. Most of the snowbirds are leaving or are gone. The motels are
needing customers, and the rates are cheaper. You just have to watch the
weather. In fact, a snowstorm followed us home. We got back the first part of
April, and into the garage, just as it hit.
Below are some of the pictures and a link to the virtual directory. The pictures should all be under 500K. Slide your cursor over them for a caption.
Virtual Directory to Arizona Motorcycle Trip of March-April, 2007
