All This, and I Never Left Arizona

[dave6253]

Found a way to rid myself


Clean of the pain


and the fever that's been haunting me


has gone away


Looking through my window


I seem to recognize all the people passing by


But I'm alone and far from home


Nobody knows me


Never heard me say, "Goodbye"


Never shall I speak to anyone again


All days are in darkness and I'm biding my time


Once I am sure of my task I will rise again



Hours of Wealth lyrics by Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth





Hi! My name is Dave, and I'm an addict.


My vices are motorcycles and Adventure Rider Ride Reports! It's time to feed the addiction again.



Day 1, Thursday September 9th, 2010

I get on the road at about 4:30 PM. Yeah, It's a late start for a trip, but getting enough time away for a decent trip is difficult when you are married with children. I probably won't get very far today, but It's time to get away.

Of course escaping the Phoenix Metro at rush hour can be time-consuming. Thank ADOT for the HOV lane.


It's not long before the source of the traffic slow down becomes evident. It seems some driver had a sudden urge to go off-roading along the freeway. The cops and tow trucks were already there.


It's so nice to sit at a red light and enjoy the freeway art. I wonder how much that costs me?


I head out of the "Valley of the Sun" on the Beeline Highway, US 87. My destination for the evening comes into view.


I jump off the highway and head east on Four Peaks Road, aka Clines Cabin Road. Now this is more like it.


I've never ridden this road before.


That will be a theme for this ride as I seek lonely backcountry dirt roads that I've never ridden before. Since this is my first ever dirt bike, finding such routes is an easy task.


The scenery is stunning and the road is fun. The surface of this road is crushed granite and sand over hard-pack. Very slippery. Also there are plenty of erosion damage ruts and trenches that are often not visible until you are on top of them.








To Be Continued...