I love it when we're cruisin' together

Big dreams of the next adventure

We hit the road this morning with half a plan and a whole day, our only objective to enjoy our Street Triples, for me to see AZ96 for the first time, to escape the PHX heat... and to have lunch.

Heading up I17, I knew it was going to be a nice day. My Lil Trip was sounding smooth, and my tires are still fresh as a baby's bum, but with a few more grooves. The sun was already high, but we were heading up into the clouds, and I could feel the temp dropping as we climbed.

Mr. J

There's something about having your earplugs in just right - you can hear the sound of the engine, but very little wind noise - you have the feeling of just you and your bike, engine purring, and all that power, right at your fingertips and toes. That's how the day started - it felt like just me and my machine.

Don't get me wrong, Mr. J was there. Usually up ahead, sometimes way ahead. Sometimes he humors me with a little taste of keeping up with him in the curves. Then he likes to give me a taste of what's possible in the curves. That's when I watch in awe for a few seconds before reminding myself to keep my eyes on the road.

Herb & Barbara

We stopped at the Kirkland Bar & Steakhouse for lunch (got behind schedule and couldn't make it to Prescott. Oh, wait...we didn't have a schedule, so it didn't matter!). Herb and Barbara, proprietors, bar tenders, cooks and hosts, are to die for. And her barbecue and green chili rock. They've been married for 59 years, running the place for 23, and Barbara said she tells him every day "It's one day at a time, buddy". I might have to try that attitude myself. We can't wait to go back and spend an evening and enjoy a steak and a local brew on tap (they're also an Inn, but there's only one room with AC, so we might wait until it cools down a little).

After leaving Kirkland we rode one of my favorite local roads, Nowhere to Prescott. Beautiful, twisty road with a smooth surface and every type of curve you need. Heading up the hill we saw some pretty spectacular lightening strikes, and just as we finished the fun part we got a nice cool rain. Perfect timing. Cooled us down, and hopefully washed some of the California sand out of my engine that I'm sure's still sitting there from my last adventure.

Big sky & the train in Kirkland

Of course we met the obligatory road warrior at the gas station. Just rode from CA today to pick up some forks for his bike, and had "no idea the weather was like this in Arizona". Oh, and his phone had vibrated off its holder on his 1980 XL500. I wonder why. So we let him borrow mine and wished him luck.

Off we went, down the hill, out of the rain and into the heat. In the course of about 5 minutes I think the temp rose 20 degrees. Not lying'. But we were wet and cool, and living' the dream in the valley of the sun, so we don't care.

A day full of adventure and no schedule...just big dreams of the next adventures. On our bikes and in life.