my employer is saving money for shareholders this week by putting me on 1 week furlough... the plan was to shovel out the den in order to move in a desk we found at an "antique" store... which some how either my den magically shrunk or the desk mysteriously grew... a lot.
But my wife wanted to get the bikes (my 'wing, her 800 Intruder) out of the garage, so 7:30AM we hit the road.
The plan was to get I10 to hwy 83 S to Sonoita then 82E to Patagonia... but before we got to I19 we were melting in stop and go traffic. There was a cop car at the top of the bridge and traffic was squeezing into 1 lane... we would have to bust our way into the maniacs already in the left lane.
I called an audible over the Sena headsets we were trying out for the first time... South on I19 (this side of the bridge) instead of North (far side of the bridge). She was game so the blinkers came on for a right instead of a left and poof... air flow! I had to open my visor and move my chin to the ridge of the windshield to get the sweat dripping out of my doo-rag to evaporate before it got into my eyes.
Finally get to hwy83 and shortly we're into the gentle twisties and then into the grasslands on the other side of the ridge.
ITS GREEN DOWN HERE!!!
We had to squeeze onto the shoulder for a police escorted oversized load taking up 2 lanes, but otherwise there wasn't much traffic to speak of. I was going to take of pic of all the GREEN, but the truck would have been past before got the gloves off and the phone out.
We roll up to Sonoita just as a convoy of 4 SUVs towing 4 other SUVs followed by a 28ft box truck crossed us.. oh joy... this will be a fun to get around. OH! They ALL pulled over into the "rest stop"! Open (mostly) road!
Did I mention its GREEN DOWN HERE?
Pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant... (breakfast!! finally!) and my wife is commenting about all the green.. "we should move down here". There are 3 bikes already there, and 3 more pull in while we're shedding the gear.
After breakfast is on to Nogales with the goal of being able to spot the S River Rd bypass... which is on the NORTH side of the bridge.. no wonder I always overshoot and end up with a u-turn... not this time. We pull off the highway and stop... its a one lane bridge and there is a water truck approaching on the far side. Headsets came in handy to give my wife a heads-up to the stop without a stop sign.
We wiggled along River Rd to Ruby Rd and gassed up at the Pilot gas station. I decide to drop the windshield all the way down to see if I can get more air into the helmet. Of we go and all I'm getting out of the additional airflow is a LOT of helmet noise. Can't ride with the visor down or I melt, can't open it or I go deaf.
So I tap the headset and announce I'm pulling into the Amado rest stop to put the windshield back to its full up position and that she can keep going if she wants and I'll catch up (the whole ride I'm trying to keep it to no more than 5mph over). She responds she'll stop too "for necessities".
Info button on the bike dash says its 95... feels more like 105. And putting your feet out on the highway pegs to catch a breeze on of this infernal 2012 only exposes your legs to the inferno of the radiators. I swear I can feel the added heat all the way up to my armpits.
After taking care of bizness at the rest stop, I pull out one of the water bottle and start trying to pour it on my jeans... it mostly runs off... I discover you have to get denim wet first before it will soak up water.
I'm wearing a pair of riding jeans with kevlar in the knees... it seems to sponge up some of the water.
I pour on the water until I can feel it running down my leg and starting to drip into my boots.
Off we go again... haven't even merged back onto I19 and this feels GOOD! Not just good... this is FANTASTIC! The evaporative cooling is making this "leg" ( ) of the trip down right enjoyable.
I wet my pants and I LIKE IT! :joke:
Maybe getting old won't be so bad after all....
But my wife wanted to get the bikes (my 'wing, her 800 Intruder) out of the garage, so 7:30AM we hit the road.
The plan was to get I10 to hwy 83 S to Sonoita then 82E to Patagonia... but before we got to I19 we were melting in stop and go traffic. There was a cop car at the top of the bridge and traffic was squeezing into 1 lane... we would have to bust our way into the maniacs already in the left lane.
I called an audible over the Sena headsets we were trying out for the first time... South on I19 (this side of the bridge) instead of North (far side of the bridge). She was game so the blinkers came on for a right instead of a left and poof... air flow! I had to open my visor and move my chin to the ridge of the windshield to get the sweat dripping out of my doo-rag to evaporate before it got into my eyes.
Finally get to hwy83 and shortly we're into the gentle twisties and then into the grasslands on the other side of the ridge.
ITS GREEN DOWN HERE!!!
We had to squeeze onto the shoulder for a police escorted oversized load taking up 2 lanes, but otherwise there wasn't much traffic to speak of. I was going to take of pic of all the GREEN, but the truck would have been past before got the gloves off and the phone out.
We roll up to Sonoita just as a convoy of 4 SUVs towing 4 other SUVs followed by a 28ft box truck crossed us.. oh joy... this will be a fun to get around. OH! They ALL pulled over into the "rest stop"! Open (mostly) road!
Did I mention its GREEN DOWN HERE?
Pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant... (breakfast!! finally!) and my wife is commenting about all the green.. "we should move down here". There are 3 bikes already there, and 3 more pull in while we're shedding the gear.
After breakfast is on to Nogales with the goal of being able to spot the S River Rd bypass... which is on the NORTH side of the bridge.. no wonder I always overshoot and end up with a u-turn... not this time. We pull off the highway and stop... its a one lane bridge and there is a water truck approaching on the far side. Headsets came in handy to give my wife a heads-up to the stop without a stop sign.
We wiggled along River Rd to Ruby Rd and gassed up at the Pilot gas station. I decide to drop the windshield all the way down to see if I can get more air into the helmet. Of we go and all I'm getting out of the additional airflow is a LOT of helmet noise. Can't ride with the visor down or I melt, can't open it or I go deaf.
So I tap the headset and announce I'm pulling into the Amado rest stop to put the windshield back to its full up position and that she can keep going if she wants and I'll catch up (the whole ride I'm trying to keep it to no more than 5mph over). She responds she'll stop too "for necessities".
Info button on the bike dash says its 95... feels more like 105. And putting your feet out on the highway pegs to catch a breeze on of this infernal 2012 only exposes your legs to the inferno of the radiators. I swear I can feel the added heat all the way up to my armpits.
After taking care of bizness at the rest stop, I pull out one of the water bottle and start trying to pour it on my jeans... it mostly runs off... I discover you have to get denim wet first before it will soak up water.
I'm wearing a pair of riding jeans with kevlar in the knees... it seems to sponge up some of the water.
I pour on the water until I can feel it running down my leg and starting to drip into my boots.
Off we go again... haven't even merged back onto I19 and this feels GOOD! Not just good... this is FANTASTIC! The evaporative cooling is making this "leg" ( ) of the trip down right enjoyable.
I wet my pants and I LIKE IT! :joke:
Maybe getting old won't be so bad after all....