OUR TRIP TO ARIZONA

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21 WE SET OUT WITH OUR FRIENDS SAM AND PEGGY CLARK FOR A TRIP TO ARIZONA. OUR GOAL WAS TO RIDE OUR HARLEY'S IN THE WARM DESERT SUN AND SEE TOMBSTONE, NONE OF US HAD BEEN THERE, SO WE WERE REALLY EXCITED ! SAM AND PEG HAVE A 41 FT. TOY HAULER THAT WE CAN FIT ALL THREE OF OUR BIKES IN, AND WHEN THE BIKES ARE OUT, THE GARAGE BECOMES MINE AND SCOTTS BEDROOM. IT IS A MOTEL ON WHEELS. LAST SEPT. WE ALSO HAD A GREAT TRIP WITH THEM TO YELLOWSTONE.
WE LEFT AROUND NOON SO THAT NIGHT WE STAYED IN MESQUITE, WE WERE ALREADY WELCOMING BEING WARM FOR A CHANGE. WE LEFT EARLY MON. MORNING AND MADE IT AS FAR AS THE OUTSKIRTS OF TUCSON. IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE NEVER GOING TO GET TO OUR DESTINATION, I HADN'T REALIZED HOW LONG OF A DRIVE IT WAS GOING TO BE ! PEG AND I WATCHED MOVIES, WHILE THE GUYS CHATTED AWAY. OF COURSE WE WERE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A SERVICE STATION, THE GUYS WERE FRUSTRATED WITH US, WITH OUR NEED TO STOP, STRETCH, AND PEE ! I SWEAR GUYS HAVE A HOLLOW LEG OR SOMETHING !!! PEG AND I ONLY HAD A BENCH SEAT IN THE BACK WHICH DIDN'T ACCOMODATE US VERY WELL WITH OUR BUTS HANGING OFF THE SEAT AND NO LEG ROOM WE WERE A LITTLE CRAMPED ! PEG HAD AN INJURED KNEE AND IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR HER TO GET COMFORTABLE.
TUESDAY WE ARRIVED IN BENSON MID MORNING, PULLED IN THE KOA, PARKED THE TOY HAULER, UNLOADED THE BIKES AND OFF WE WENT TO ENJOY THE ARIZONA SUN. WE WERE ABOUT 30 MILES FROM TOMBSTONE SO WE HEADED THERE TO SEE THE SIGHTS. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOU HAVE GONE BACK IN TIME WHILE IN TOMBSTONE. THERE WERE GUNFIGHTS, BOARDWALKS AND DUSTY STREETS. THE SHOPPING WAS DELIGHTFUL. ALL THE SHOPS ARE SO QUAINT AND FILLED WITH TREASURES. I THINK SCOTT WAS QUITE GREATFULL THAT WE WERE ON THE BIKES SO THAT I COULDN'T BUY EVERYTHING THAT I WANTED ! PEOPLE WALKING THE STREETS IN 1800 ATTIRE, ANTIQUES, AND REPLICAS OF THE OLD WEST WERE EVERYWHERE. WE WENT TO THE GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL AND WATCHED AS WYATT AND THE OTHER EARPS GUNNED DOWN THE CLANTONS AND MCLAURYS. THERE ARE SEVERAL WEB SITES THAT YOU CAN VISIT ABOUT TOMBSTONE AND O.K. CORRAL IF YOU JUST DO A SEARCH. WE VISITED BOOT HILL WERE THEY WERE BURIED. WE HAD HEARD ABOUT A BEAUTIFUL RIDE THRU THE MOUNTAINS TO BISBEE, SO WE JUMPED ON THE BIKES AND MADE THE SHORT TRIP . BISBEE REMINDED US OF DEADWOOD SO. DAKOTA, AND A LITTLE LIKE A PARK CITY TOWN, BEING AN OLD MINING TOWN IT WAS BUILT IN A CANYON ON THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. FROM THERE WE HEADED ANOTHER 30 MIN. TO DOUGLAS WHICH IS ON THE MEXICAN BORDER. THERE WAS BORDER PATROL EVERYWHERE WE LOOKED (KINDA SCARY). WHILE IN DOUGLAS, OUR FRIEND SAM DECIDED IT WOULD BE AWESOME TO DRIVE ACROSS THE BORDER INTO MEXICO, JUST SO WE COULD SAY "WE RODE OUR BIKES IN MEXICO"! WE TALKED TO A GENTLEMAN AT THE SERVICE STATION THAT SEEMED TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND HE ASSURED US THAT WE DIDN'T NEED A PASSPORT UNTIL JUNE. AS SOON AS WE RODE IN PEG AND I WERE READY TO RIDE BACK OUT !!!! FILTHY STREETS, BARS ON THE WINDOWS, CRYING DIRTY CHILDREN WITH SAD EYES, DISGUSTING TOOTHLESS MEN TRY TO WASH YOUR WINDSHEILD OR SELL YOU SOMETHING, UNNERVING GANGS HANGING OUT ON STREET CORNERS STARRING AT US AND OUR BIKES, WE WERE SURE WE WERE GOING TO GET MUGGED, RAPED, AND WORST OF ALL OUR BIKES STOLEN ! TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE WE HAD TO DRIVE AROUND TO TRY AND FIND THE RIGHT ROAD TO GET BACK OUT ! THEN THERE WAS THE LADY AT THE GATE CHECKING OUR PASSPORTS, THAT WE OF COURSE WE DIDN'T HAVE, TO GET BACK TO U.S. SOIL ! GRIMMLY SHE ASKED WHY WE WOULD DEPEND ON A STRANGER AT A SERVICE STATION FOR OUR INFORMATION AS WE ASSURED HER THAT WE WERE U.S. CITIZENS ALTHOUGH THE ONLY PROOF WE HAD WAS OUR DRIVERS LICENSE. THEN I HAD AN AH HA MOMENT AND REMEMBERED THAT I HAD A SMALL CARD SIZED BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN MY WALLET, WHEW ! SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LET US THROUGH ANYWAY BUT SHE GOT A REAL CHARGE OUT OF GIVING US A ROUGH TIME. WHY IS IT THEY DON'T ASK YOU WHEN YOU ENTER MEXICO IF YOU HAVE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP ? WE WERE SO GREATFUL TO GET BACK ON U.S. GROUND !!!! WHOS' IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAY !!!
WEDNESDAY WE RODE OUT TO KARTHCNER CAVERNS, AGAIN DO A SEARCH TO FIND OUT MORE DETAILS ABOUT THESE CAVERNS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO AMAZING ! THE FORMATIONS WERE INCREDIBLE, AND AWE INSPIRING. CAN YOU TELL I LIKED THEM ?! THEY ARE THE 10TH LARGEST CAVERNS IN THE WORLD. TWO COLLEGE CAVERS FOUND THEM IN 1974, KEPT THEM A SECRET FOR FOURTEEN YEARS, OTHER THAN TELLING THE PROPERTY OWNERS. THEN IT WAS SOLD TO THE STATE OF ARIZONA SO IT COULD BE PROTECTED AND DEVELOPED INTO A PARK SO THAT OTHERS COULD ENJOY THE BEAUTY WHICH TOOK ANOTHER 10 YEARS. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO GO INTO ONE OF THE ENORMOUS AREAS OF THE CAVE, BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T GET SAME DAY RESERVATIONS INTO THE OTHER, WHAT WE SAW WAS AMAZING, SO I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE WHAT HE OTHER WAS LIKE. WE HOPE TO GO BACK IN OCT. FOR THE FESTIVAL IN TOMBSTONE AND TO SEE THE OTHER PORTION OF THE CAVE. WE ENJOYED DINNER THAT NIGHT IN ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL BARS IN TOMBSTONE, EVERYTHING ELSE WAS CLOSED, DARN NO MORE SHOPPING,AND WE ALSO WENT TO THE BAR BIG NOSE KATES, NAMED AFTER DOC HOLLIDAYS GIRLFRIEND AND LOCAL PROSTITUTE. WE OFTEN HAD THE PLEASURE OF GOING THROUGH BORDER PATROL, THEY DON'T STOP US ( WHERE CAN YOU HIDE SOMEONE ON A BIKE ?). THIS PARTICULAR NIGHT SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN GOING ON, THE GAURDS HAD THEIR M-16'S OUT, SO CLOSE WE COULD HAVE REACHED OUT AND TOUCHED THEM ! THAT KIND OF SHAKES YOU UP A BIT !
THURSDAY WE WERE AGAIN SURPRISED AT THE WONDERS THIS AREA HELD AS WE RODE TO CHIRICHAUEA CANYON. AS THE SCENERY CHANGED FROM DESERT TO MOUNTAINS, THERE WAS SUCH BEAUTY. THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CACTUS, THE GNARLY TREE FORMATIONS, AND THE TALL PINNACLES, HUGE ROCKS, AND FORMATIONS OF THIS CANYON WERE BREATHTAKING. IT AMAZED ME TO SEE CACTUS GROWING RIGHT NEXT TO A PINE TREE ! WE HATED TO LEAVE BUT WE KNEW OUR TIME WAS SHORT LIVED THERE AS WE HEADED BACK TO OUR KOA CAMP, LOADED THE BIKES AND STARTED OUR LONG JOURNEY BACK HOME. WE MADE IT TO WICKENBERG ARIZONA THURS. NIGHT AND BEGAN EARLY FRIDAY MORN.AGAIN ON THE ROAD. SCOTT AND I HAD DECIDED TO RIDE IN THE BACK OF THE TOY HAULER WHERE WE COULD STRETCH OUT,WRAP UP IN BLANKETS, AND WATCH MOVIES. IT CERTAINLY MADE IT MORE COMFY FOR EVERYONE, WHY WE DIDN'T TRY THIS EARLIER WAS BEYOND ME. WE MADE SHORT STOP AT HOOVER DAM WHERE THERE IS CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ROAD AND A HUGE NEW BRIDGE. HOW THEY CAN WORK ON THIS BRIDGE AND POUR CEMENT THAT FAR UP IN THE AIR IS BEYOND ME, IT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO SEE TO BELIEVE. WE MET SOME FRIENDS OF PEG AND SAMS IN LAS VEGAS FOR DINNER. ANOTHER THING TO SCRATCH OFF OUR LIST WAS TO RIDE THE BIKES DOWN THE STRIP, NOT AS MUCH FUN AS WE THOUGHT, THE TRAFFIC KEPT US AT A STOP AND MOVE FIVE FEET ALL THE WAY. DINNER WAS GREAT, THEIR FRIENDS WERE CHARMING. THEN OFF AGAIN TO MAKE IT TO MESQUITE FOR THE NIGHT. SCOTT AND I ENJOY DANCING AT CASA BLANCA, THEY USUALLY HAVE A FUN BAND IN THE CASINO BAR, AND I WON A LIITLE MONEY ON THE MACHINES. SATURDAY MORN WE HAD AGREAT BREAKFAST AND AGIN WE WERE ON THE ROAD, SCOTT AND I IN THE TOY HAULER, SAM AND PEG UP FRONT. OUR TRIP ENDED THAT EVENING WITH THE TOY HAULER STUCK IN THE TREES IN OUR DRIVEWAY. AFTER CUTTING DOWN SOME TREES AND BRANCHES WE WERE ABLE TO GET SAM AND PEG OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY AND ON THEIR WAY TO HUNSTVILLE WHERE THEY LIVE. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE WE WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK SOMETIME IN OCTOBER FOR THE FESTIVAL IN TOMBSTONE, BUT I THINK WE LEARNED OUR LESSON IN TAKING MORE THAN 7 DAYS TO DO IT IN !