Cross Country, Day Two: Leaving California, Finally!
After a sleepless night camping in Joshua Tree, we headed out to our next spot--Sedona. Except, we wound up in Peoria, AZ.
Joshua Tree --> Peoria, AZ 280 miles, 4/17/24
When you tell people you’re riding a motorcycle across the country their eyes get big, they usually smile and can’t wait to ask all sorts of questions. And then, once you’re riding and people notice the plate on the back they’ll say, “where ya headed?” and when you say New York and you’re only in CA, AZ, or AR they immediately are drawn in. It’s pretty cool. They were instant cheerleaders and sometimes, if they were fellow riders, they shared ideal roads we should consider taking. Between the great people we met along the way and the food—you couldn’t really ask for a more fun adventure.
We woke up early and Tony made bacon and eggs. Also—coffee. I don’t know if I told you this or not but I met Tony during the Covid nonsense. I couldn’t take “lock down” much longer and needed something to look forward to for the summer. I posted a message in the large moto chat I was a member of and several people, one of them Tony, wanted to join.
I planned a moto camping trip from NY to Niagara Falls. Why Niagara Falls? Something to look at I guess. Here’s one thing you need to know right now—we like riding and seeing cool stuff but the destination really doesn’t matter. It’s the ride. I know that’s a life platitude and I won’t repeat it—but in motorcycling, that’s really, really, really what’s going on. If I tell you I’m going for a ride to get ice cream from the shop seven miles from my house? I will get there but I’ll likely take a 250-mile detour.
Anyway, Tony had all the cooking accoutrements for moto camping. I remember his making coffee along that trip, too.
It got pretty hot pretty quickly at Joshua Tree—I’m certain that’s why we got out of there as early as we did. For the rest of this adventure—we needed to ask for a late checkout. I’ll tell you more about that later. Morning was a beautiful view—with barely any trees. Who named that place?
Leaving the campsite wasn’t as hard as entering it. Now that it wasn’t midnight, and full sun, I could see the roadway better and plan where I’d ride the bike to avoid the deeper sand and potholes. I was anxious though and already tired with little sleep the night before. We left the campsite around 9am.
Our first stop was to fuel up the bikes and load up our camelbacks with water and ice. If I could offer any advice on riding long hauls—get yourself a camelback. Being able to grab that straw and take sips anytime I felt like it was a game-changer. I almost never ride without one now. We were driving in full sun, with full gear on, in the desert. We needed to stay hydrated.
The road was completely straight with nothing blocking the view. As I rode it seemed unreal in a way. As a girl from the northeast, I had never been able to see land going to the horizon. I’ve experienced that when looking out on the ocean—never land. With a road this flat, dry, and perfect vision, we drove along at a pretty good pace. No matter how fast you went, and it was fast, it felt like you weren’t really covering much ground.
Tony had plotted out most of the way home and even would find our gas stops ahead of time. So, I was surprised to see him pulling over into a gas station early. I pulled in on the other side of the fuel tanks. He casually said, “I think I want to check my tires” and I said, “sure, let me get my pump out.” I pulled it out of the bag and suddenly heard Tony laugh and say, “oh.. that’s what that pop sound was.”
What I find amazing about motorcycling is how exposed you are to life. There’s no protective cage around you with creature comforts like heat when it’s cold, air conditioning when it’s boiling, or the ability to lock your doors if you’re feeling uncomfortable with the people around you. We rely heavily on maps, weather apps with radar, how much gas is left in the small tanks we have, and having two tires. I’ve had blow outs on cars—more than once. It’s a memorable and dangerous experience. But on a car/truck you have three more. If we lose a tire—it can be catastrophic.
Tony made lots of calls find a cycle gear and a tow. Getting a tire for a bike means you need to find a cycle shop. Getting a tire mounted on a bike wheel is the trick also. Tony had a center stand so he’d be able to remove his wheel without needing an additional, expensive, motorcycle stand. We just needed a shop that would have the tire and be able to mount it on the wheel. He found a Cycle gear that was about 160 miles in the wrong direction—but they had the tire he needed and we could get there in time.
BTW, if you’re ever needing a tow truck on your motorcycle? Be sure to repeat many times, “This is for a motorcycle.. NOT a car.”
I sat on the curb next to our bikes and Tony made a joke that let me know he was worried I was annoyed about waiting around for a tow truck or now going out of the way. I had not thought of that once. I had been sitting there wondering what I would have done if his tire had blown just a few minutes before we stopped. I looked at him in disbelief and said, “you could have died.” Even the timing of when he stopped his bike made a difference. The tire was holding pressure. Had he rolled just a foot or more ahead, he would not have seen the split. We may have assumed all was good and kept going. This place was insanely hot, there were no homes, cars, or life for miles. He was incredibly lucky.
Once we were sure a tow was coming, I left him at the station and rode on ahead to get lunch at Tierra Caliente Meat Market in Parker, Arizona. He kept repeating our plan and I kept staring at him, confused on what we were doing. I was definitely overheated and needing food. He made a map for me, I followed it, and he went by later with the truck. He texted when they were on their way I brought out his lunch as the truck passed by. It had to be in the high 90s that day in temperature. I’m still overwhelmed thinking about all the ways we were lucky that day.
After relaxing in the cool air, getting my tacos in, I threw on my jacket, filled up my camelback, and hit the road. It was my first time alone during the trip.
The guys at CG couldn’t have been nicer. They invited us to come in the AC, sit on the nice lounge chairs they had and charge up all our devices while they mounted his tire. Once the new tire was on the wheel, he mounted the wheel back on his bike, we had to get ice cream to celebrate and planned our next move.
It was 7:30pm. There was no way I could keep riding. So, when Tony said, “maybe we should call it early, get good sleep, and leave early in the am?” I emphatically agreed that was the perfect plan. I was discovering Tony was a night owl—but I am an early to bed, early to rise kinda girl. We found a hotel in Peoria, AZ about 20 miles away. We unloaded and dragged all of our gear into the room. When Tony mentioned ordering food in instead of going out, I couldn’t have been happier. We ate our delicious cheesesteak sandwiches, I got a much-needed shower in, plugged in all devices to charge overnight, and slept like a baby.
The next day’s travel may have been one of my favorites—we headed to Sedona, and I can’t wait to tell you about it.
I love the 250-mile detour just to ride.