We're Off! Today's ride is Phoenix to Wickenburg, Prescott, Jerome, to Sedona. The weather was still a little shaky when we got up, so we dragged our feet a bit. We had a nice breakfast, and I think it was around 9:30 that we finally rolled out of the driveway.
The first leg up to Wickenburg went well, on smooth, flat, straight, hot roads. Weather was excellent! We stopped at a Burger King for a coffee break (I had a thick shake, Carl a burger) late morning.
There was a tour bus getting ready to leave, and several of the ladies fell in love with Carl's bike. One even sat on it! The bus driver also owns a Harley, and he had quite a discussion with Carl. One of Carl's gifts is the ability and desire to talk with everyone he meets, and we met a lot of great people on this trip because of Carl!
We continued to Prescott. The first part of the ride was pretty open, straight and flat. We had a brief shower (down-pour) but we kept going, and soon the sun was out and we dried off. As we approached Prescott, we rode over some incredibly scenic, windy, hilly roads! This day was amazing for switchbacks, sharp turns, steep hills, and drop-offs. Scenery was mostly wooded. After lunch at Denny's, we continued to the ghost town Jerome. Again the ride approaching Jerome was spectacular! We didn't stop at Jerome as it was really crowded. There were more great roads leading to Sedona.
The motel in Sedona was really nice. Were were on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking the main drag. Here are a couple of shots of us hanging out on the balcony, and of the view from the balcony.
Dick brought along a tiny folding tripod which unfortunately broke the first time we used it, but it did produce this shot of the happy motorcyclists at the end of the first day's ride.
We supped at a Mexican restaurant in town, then sat on the balcony for a while before turning in early. A great first day! Total milage for the day was 178 miles.
Click here to see our Itinerary, and some Maps of the trip.
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