There was such a rush to introduce Paul yesterday that an
important fact was omitted, we left sunny California
in the morning, crossing over the Colorado River and
entered Arizona . One state down and only six more to go.
Another interesting fact, the Yacht Club Motel is a real
Yacht club, even though it is near no water, and has the largest membership of
any yacht club in the world. The club
charges a really small yearly few to be a member and as a member you have access into any other yacht club in the
world, no matter how fancy or expensive. This is a brilliant move by the owner,
making membership money and having to provide hardly any services.
The trip from Quartzsite to Salome was typical of the last
few days of riding, where a long section of the route was on the
interstate. The shoulders are wide so
are relatively safe, but the sound of the high speed traffic wising by is very
fatiguing. And then there are the mine
fields we have to contend with. No, it
is not a war zone, except maybe for us bikers.
Trucks traveling down the interstates at high rates of speed in really
hot weather will shed the thread layers from their tires. These various size pieces of rubber are
loaded with long thin inflexible wires.
If you happen to ride over them you will get a flat. Tom has had five flats in five days, some
earlier flats from thorns, but the last two from these wires. We look like drunken sailors swerving to and
fro to avoid all the pieces of debris we possibly can.
There were two 1000 foot climbs today but neither were very
steep, just long gradual climbs. We all
arrived in Salome relatively early and some of the earliest had to wait a few
hours before being able to check into their rooms. Salome is a small, no, very small town, one
of the many victims of the high speed interstate. The Sheffler’s Motel, probably very nice at
one time, has seen better days. It is an
OK place for a biker to stay, but as some have said, “not a place I’d bring my
wife.”
The cooks tonight will have to be very creative to feed us
with the very limited shopping available here. Scratch that, we are eating at the only bar which is right across the street - ques there were no food choices to feed a group of 13 hungry bikers.
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