Day 1: June 2nd, Satan’s Furnace Opened

Sufferin’ simmerin’ desert mirages!

What an experience today!

I made it to San Ysidro and took the requisite photo proof of visit for SC-MA.com and then tanked up to get a receipt to verify location, date and time. 

The plan was to then head to Gallup via I-8 to Gila Bend, around Phoenix, and through Flagstaff.

Well, that changed as I needed to make some packing modifications to one of my duffel bags and also to recover my desert riding shirt.  This was an extra 90 miles doing the backtrack plus the route would now be on I-10.  But in a way this was a good thing in view of what I experienced. 

Going through Palm Desert the temperature skied to the 100’s in a heartbeat.  This was a huge swing from the 50’s and moisture I experienced riding up the coast.  The full leathers were on and by the time I reached the end of the desert communities, just prior to beginning the climb over the mountain, I pulled into a TA station and removed the chaps and leather jacket.  Wow! Big difference after that, BUT, it was still very hot.  Although I drank water during the TA stop, I made the mistake of not stopping and drinking more until crossing the AZ border.  From the border stop it was back on I-10 to Quartsite to tank up.  But I didn’t do that, I passed quartzite without checking my mileage, gas levels and available range.  10 miles later, realizing what I had done, I turned back to Quartsite and visited the Chevron station where I drank lots of water and poured water over my shirts to assist cooling my body.  I suspected I was on my way to a heat stroke so I stayed put in the air conditioned building and waited ‘til I felt better.

When I left Quartsite I made it about 50 miles when I had to stop and drink more water as well as pour water on my shirts.  The heat was overwhelming, sucking the energy out of me and searing my eyes despite wearing goggles and a drop down visor.  It took forever to get to the Sun Valley bypass that would take me from I-10 west of Buckeye and Phoenix to SR303 circumventing the greater Phoenix area and depositing me on SR17 well north of the Phoenix area.  It took forever to get to Peoria and SR17 because of the many stops that I made attempting to keep my body cool. 

Then I went to the other temperature extreme.  Climbing towards Flagstaff’s 7000 feet the temp again dropped.  I had to wear my rain gear over my leathers to act as a wind breaker and heat retainer.  Finally the freezing ordeal ended upon arriving at the reserved motel room in Gallup NM at 0330!  Oops, I forgot about the time change…but still, that is way too long to be on the road.

So be forewarned, all you riders that are heading through the desert on your way to Key West or to San Ysidro.  Satan is awaiting you!

Drink water excessively and monitor your body’s temperature.  Don’t hesitate to take as many breaks as needed to keep yourself out of trouble.

By the way, total mileage for the first leg was 833 miles!

This Four corners stuff is hard work!

C ya mañana,
Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761