Thursday 30 September 2010

I See My Wife For The First Time in 3 Months

I left the town of Thatcher on day 96 feeling excited, as after 3 months, I would be seeing my lovely wife today! I headed towards Phoenix with a good feeling.

The journey today was about me seeing things I have never seen before. Cactus for example. When I was a boy I liked to grow miniature cacti but nothing like this.... this cactus was maybe 15 feet (5m) tall....


























Then I saw a hill covered in these cacti....


















A short while later, I saw flowering palm trees at the side of the road. I have never seen this before either....




















Than another first – cotton fields....


























The land as I rode towards Phoenix was what I would call a desert – not the classic sand dunes type desert, but so hot and arid that very little grows....




















The ride on US 70 was unexciting and hot. The road only got interesting around the town of Superior as it followed Queen Creek Canyon and went through a short tunnel, but to be honest, it was nothing to write home about. This was part of the canyon....




















I reached Phoenix in the late afternoon and it was fantastic to see Jackie again! We spent a great evening together talking about what we would see and do over the next two weeks.

One of the guys I met in Sturgis, Wayne, lives in Phoenix and he suggested a visit to see the Saxon Motorcycle manufacturing facility....














So, the next day Jackie and I met Wayne at Saxon and Peter Morris, Saxons Chief Business Development Officer, showed us around and told us about the organisation, the manufacturing process and of course the bikes....
































































Saxon change their bikes each year and they currently have 8 models for 2010. These can be seen on the Saxon Motorcycles website, but here are a few that I took pictures of....
























































Their bikes did seem remarkably good value, especially when taking into account the favourable Dollar to Pound exchange rate!

The day just got hotter and hotter and both Jackie and I were suffering with the heat.... okay, the thermometer on my bike was in the direct sunlight, but this was HOT....






















In the afternoon I went to meet Lucky of the Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour blog....

Lucky lives in Phoenix and was working this day just a few miles from the hotel Jackie and I were staying at, so it was a great opportunity to meet another blogger....




















Of course, we talked about bikes, travelling, work and of course Pizza! It was great to meet with Lucky even if we didn’t have much time.

That evening Wayne had organised a dinner for him and a lot of his friends, plus Jackie and I. We went to the Rustler’s Rooste, a western steakhouse. We were all on bikes except Pam who I also met in Sturgis. We entered the restaurant on the upper level and to get to the main restaurant floor, there is a slide which most of us chose to use. The option of using the stairs just seemed too boring to take!

I am trying as many new things as possible on this tour, so when I saw Rattlesnake on the menu, well I just has to try it.... Yes, it was okay and yes, it did taste just like chicken!

Jackie and I were having such a good time, I completely forgot to take any pictures of the group! Wayne however did take one of Jackie and I....




















Thanks to Wayne for arranging such a good dinner with great people in such an interesting place!

On day 98 Jackie and I rode to Flagstaff which we will be using as our base for the next 12 days or so.

I forgot to include a couple of pictures previously from when I went to the H-D dealer on the west side of Flagstaff, so here they are.... both were taken in their parking lot and the first shows a statue made from exhaust pipes / mufflers....


















The second is a railroad car and yes, it is parked outside the dealership....


















Lucky told me some strange things happen in Arizona and he was right! Perhaps it is the heat that causes it!

11 comments:

Eve said...

Hi Gary! I've been so busy and will be catching up on all your past posts but wanted to say hi to Jackie! "Hi Jackie!! Nice to see you!" I look forward to catching up and following along in travels with the two of you. Enjoy...ride safe. Love the new header!

Unknown said...

Hi Jackie:

glad you could make it over to cheer Gary. He's been so lonely the past 96 days. Taking pictures and riding around the country has taken a toll, but today I see he is smiling.

He's seen and experienced many things during this trip which is making all of us envious.

bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin

SonjaM said...

Hi Jackie! Hope you still recognized your husband of the traveling kind. Don't you get the traveling bug, too when listening to his road stories? From your faces one can see you certainly enjoyed your reunion.

Tim France said...

Hi there, both of you! Great to see you together at last. Have a great coupel of weeks.

Tim and Oh x

Bluekat said...

Hi Jackie! I'm glad you get to join Gary on his trip. It's nice to meet you, in a blogger sort of way! :)
You guys look very happy in the pic! Enjoy your visit!

Beck said...

WOW! What a great picture! You look so happy and relaxed. Jackie is very beautiful, just like you said. Glad to see you are finally together. Enjoy every minute! As always, stay safe and have a great time!

FLHX_Dave said...

Glad you got to hook up with the wife!

I have pictures of me "smoking" that exhaust tree.

Aren't the road in Arizona just flippin' stellar?!? I love the roads around there.

redlegsrides said...

Great to hear you and Jackie get to spend some time together after so long a separation!

dom

Redleg's Rides

Webster World said...

Must be great to have your lovely wife with you. Had snake it was good. And it is hot out there so be careful. Water water water. Have a wonderful time you and Jackie.

Oz said...

Glad Jackie made it over and now you guys can enjoy some riding and time together. Enjoy.

Gary France said...

Jackie and I have really enjoyed seeing each other again and have had great fun travelling together for the past two weeks, The rest of the messages below are from Jackie.....

Hello all, thanks for your messages.

Hi Bob, thanks for your comments. It was so terrific seeing my husband after two and a half months of being apart. I know he has had a terrific time on this trip, but I do think he might have missed me just a little bit. Jackie.

Hi Sonja, we use Skype, so I could just about remember what he looked like! I love home too much to become a nomad. Jackie.

Hi Eve, we have had a really great two weeks and now I can’t wait until I get him back home. Take care. Jackie.

Hi Tim and Oh, joining him for part of his travels was really nice and as predicted, I did miss him a lot. Hope you are both well. Much love, Jackie.

Hi Bluekat, our travels have been fun, but are ending all too soon as the time has come for me to go back to London. Wish you all the best, Jackie.

Hi Beck, thanks for your lovely comment. We were indeed very happy to see each other again after being apart for so long. I am looking forward to his return in about 6 weeks. Take care, Jackie.

Hi Dave, yes Arizona has been enjoyable, but too hot in the south! Best wishes, from Jackie, the wife.

Hi Charlie, I hear you and Gary had a great time together and the pictures were great of the two of you. Perhaps you paths will cross again one day. All the best to you, Martha and the boys. Jackie

Hi Webster, I had snake a long time ago and chose not to this time. I thought it is a bit like chicken. It was wonderful being with my hubby again. Jackie.

Hi Oz, our travels together have come to a conclusion already. I really loved travelling with him but the weather was a bit much. Jackie.