Sept 19/08 - Sedona to ... Kingman, Arizona ???

Friday, Sept 19th/08

This morning we left the beautiful Amara Resort and Spa with many wonderful memories and look forward to a return visit on some other occasion. It is another glorious morning and as it is already in the mid 70’s we are riding without jackets. We are travelling route 89A and as we come into Cottonwood from a clear blue sky – I feel something hit my face just below my eye. With some sense of trepidation I went to wipe if off thinking some bird had ‘bombed’ me. It was however, clear ??? I look around but all I see is blue skies and then more spots on my windshield – all clear. Rod is looking over at me puzzled as he also has spots all over his windshield. Then looking directly above is one teeny-tiny black cloud that has decided to give us a little shower. It actually feels quite wonderful but I am glad it doesn’t last long.

We make the climb into the historic mining town of Jerome. You feel like you are climbing to the top of the world and the view is wonderful looking down over the Verde River Valley. Located high on top of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff the historic copper mining town was once known as the wickedest town in the west. Jerome became a notorious “wild west” town, a hotbed of prostitution, gambling and vice. It grew from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. It is known as "America's Most Vertical City" and the "Largest Ghost Town in America". Due to the 30-degree incline of the mountainside, gravity has pulled a number of buildings down the slope. To the delight of some, one of those buildings was the town's jail. The streets are so narrow and the curves so tight that in one instance one can see tire tracks possibly from RV trailers that have actually broken the corner of the concrete sidewalk.

We break for lunch in the tiny town of Ash Fork (population 457) and enjoy chatting with some of the locals. We fuel in Seligman, Arizona and decide to ride the historic Route 66 into Kingman. This is the longest remaining section of Route 66. Seligman, Arizona is a Route 66 town all the way. This delightful town retains all the flavor of the old road. A trip down Route 66 in Seligman is a trip back in time to the days when Route 66 was the Main Street of America. As we rode down Route 66, evidence of the glory days of the old road could be seen all along the main street. Motels such as the Aztec across the street from the famous Snow Cap, with its quirky tongue and cheek menu, cafes such as the Copper Cart and 66 Road Kill, and numerous Route 66 gift shops were all survivors of the “Mother Road”. We left Seligman and headed out onto Route 66 and straight into some big old storm clouds. Within minutes I was the perfect candidate for the wet T-shirt (and everything else) contest and Rod was in a panic to get his camera put away. We pulled over and were drenched to the skin. No use to try for rain gear now – we decided to outrun it. From a temperature of close to 100F it suddenly started hailing and those hailstones really hurt your bare hands when you’re riding at 75MPH. There were numerous stops and starts of the rain and hail storm but soon it was back to hot and sunny and we were dry within ½ hour.

We pulled into Kingman for fuel were laughing about the storm (what else CAN you do) when I Looked down and Rod’s right exhaust pipe was smoking like crazy. Looked like a car that has overheated and is ready to blow the radiator. Oh Oh - that doesn’t look good. Being a busy Friday night we had reservations to stay at the Holiday Inn at Henderson, Nevada – just outside of Las Vegas. We have stayed there before and they treated us so well we looked forward to another stay. It is another 85 miles to get there but Rod feels his bike ‘should’ make it and we can get it serviced in Las Vegas. I feel a LOT less sure and I notice a huge Honda/Yamaha/Harley dealership as we enter the freeway and I try to get Rod’s attention to let him know I think we should go there. We take the next exit and turn back as there is still so much smoke coming from the exhaust. Of course, now it’s late Friday and the shop will be closing in an hour but one thing I do know is that we will not be arriving in Henderson in time for “Happy Hour”. I call Linda the manager, to let her know and cancel our reservation and find a Holiday Inn near the shop. Rod has a LOT of gear on his bike and there is no way I can double him and all his stuff so as we are considering our options the shop offers to drive Rod and his ‘stuff’ over to our hotel. The bike is on the bench at “Route 66 Motorsports” before we even leave (Thank You Very Much) and they’ll call us tomorrow with the news.

We’re hoping it’s not too serious but having said that it IS 25 years old and hasn’t given us a lick of trouble. Certainly it could have happened in far worse places and we are appreciative of the when and where.