We’ll have a big day today. 90 miles from door to door, with a predicted headwind for the first 60 miles.

There was a sort of frenzied panic as we all scrambled in the kitchen at 7::00am to make our lunches and hit the road early. Tom and I went for breakfast at the same café we had eaten at last night. Seemed like good chow. Tom had the Denver omelet and I had the Southwest version. Both came with hash browns and toast. Tom and I were on the road by 8:00am with a beautiful sunny sky greeting us but with that head wind still there.

All the hotels and motels in Salome seem to have an artistic bent to them. Must need to do it to stay competitive.

Here was another truck body that Randy, from the Westward Motel, bought and is looking for a place to install at his motel!!!

The ‘river of life’ for the desert area around Salome. Add water . . .

. . . add some seed, and away you grow!!!

. . . no water available, and this is what comes up.

And here is the famous Arizona Maricopa County line. Hope we don’t get arrested!!!!

We met Emily, Sam and Lisa heading west to San Diego. They started in North Carolina on December 7, headed south to Florida and picked up the Southern Tier. I asked them if they had stayed last night in Wickenburg and they said, …”No, we just spelt off the side of the road.” Great traveling flexibility when you go self supported. This trip will be something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

There is other life in the desert other than bikers . . . no road kill though! Gina did see a coyote run across the road the other day.

A long 25 miles down the road and we came to Aquila. Pretty quiet in town today considering it is a Saturday.

Finally we arrived at Wickenburg, our 50 mile point, we crossed the river and had lunch. Then a nice Surprise! What a difference a 90 degree turn can make. Hwy 60 turned south and we had our first prolonged tailwind of the trip. AND a twenty mile downhill for the next 30 miles to Surprise, AZ our home for the night.

Along Hwy 60 there was a multi purpose river. Kayaking when there is water, ATVing when there is no water!!

Nice views along our roll into Surprise. Gina, Tom and I raced each other towards town at 20 miles an hour!

Another seasonal water event, out of season now.

It was so dry around Surprise, AZ that they were actually watering the cactus!!

As we rolled through Surprise, we were surprised by the name of this garage door company. I guess Arizonians have a sense of humor!

Gina and Dan chat with Tom, from Pittsburg, who is also on a cross country trip heading east!!

Here I present Tom with the special concierge towel service available only at Motel6. $100/night per room and that does not include wifi!!!

It does include a working toilet though which someone used, several times, to empty their stomach, still full of breakfast potatoes that had been rolling around all day. (Dan wants everyone to know it was not him).

Same thing happened in the girls room. (Gina wants everyone to know it was not her).

The remaining three of us hope we are not passing something around to each other!!!!

ah . . . the adventures of living on the road!!!

And how long do this adventure last . . . to illustrate the passage of time on my cross country Trans Am I shaved my head and beard and let it grow back until the end of the trip. This is what it looked like.

Lorraine in Williamsburg, VA ready to do the ‘buzz’!

 

This trip is only two months and I am using my cut fingernail as an illustration. I nicked it just before we left while chopping  vegetables at Agrace Hospice, where I volunteer every week. It finally cracked WAYYYYYYYYYYYY below the nail line and I am wearing a Band-Aid over it every day so I don’t rip it off.

Margie estimates about three weeks before it grows back and Dan says fingernails grow faster than toe nails. Oh . . . the time and subjects one can discuss when you have all the time in the world!!!

Stay tuned for more interesting personal hygiene facts as we travel across the Southern Tier!