Category: USA

It is been too long since my last road trip. Natural disasters have hit my life too close, too soon. A global pandemic has affected all man kind. I receive a call from the good people of Arizona Motorcycle Towing, where My Ladie has been well kept for the last three years. I receive a call from the management: “we are closing down our storage, we need to move your bike”…. That was it for me!!! I need to pick this baby up!!
There are no words to describe the service Michelle and her husband offered me at Arizona Motorcle Towing and Storage. They took the bike to the shop, got her ready and delivery to the hotel so she was ready by the time I arrived, at Midnight…. 3 o’clock my time!!!!!!!

Day one. Phoenix AZ to Albuquerque, NM

Sunrises and sunsets are amazing in Arizona. Sunday morning is the best day to start your adventure.

The first gift of the trip, hot air ballon spectacle. A quick stop is needed to appreciate the scene.

Riding in 50 degree weather makes you stop to adjust at the circumstances. The heated grips are not enough to keep my hands warm. Full gloves and full face covering are what the doctor orders.

Sedona, Arizona. One of the most beautiful places I have seen. As I approach town. I can start to see the change of colors around the mountains. I feel something great is coming.

Sedona’s Chapel of the Holy Cross… a peaceful place to be grateful of all the things in life, and put my 2,500 miles that lyes ahead in God’s hand. But most importantly, I needed to send a prayer to a couple of good friend of mine:
Hon Phon, my college friend that had reunited with me just couple of years ago in Tampa, to share the same passion in our elder years… riding motorcycles. He was with me in my last trip to Biketober Fest, Daytona., one of my last post.
He passed away a couple of months ago due to a heart complication. Just 50 years old. Too soon, too sudden. We were just planning a trip to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to celebrate our 50’s birthday. He will always ride with me, in my heart, in my soul.

Carlos Rodríguez, my partner in crime my entire life was diagnosed with prostate cancer. All procedures has gone well, but still, is something that goes with you everywhere I go.
Luis and Samuel, to other classmates from elementary school are fighting for their life.

I send a prayer for all of them and ask for Hand of God to put his Greatness into work.

The last candle I light is for someone special, Ana Paulina, my forever young little cousin. She was diagnosed with brain cancer just after her high school senior prom. She passed a few month later. This candle is for her to look over my shoulder, guide me throughout this journey, the ride with me in the journey of life. Soon after her passing, I found the perfect tribute to include Ana Paulina in all my journeys. I have somewhere in my bag. As soon as I get to destination for the day, she will be join me and be present forever in all of my journeys.

Seems like I am not the one sending a prayer. Even in the parking lot of this enchantment place, you see the beauty, the mystery, the sacred of this place.

The town of Sedona is a spiritual place. I can feel the good vibe as I am riding along. This is a town to spend a good 4-6 days. Golf, hiking, sunsets, cigar, or just relaxing. Spectacular place.

The magic continues. First time riding with snow around. This place got hit hard with a rare winter storm two weeks ago. It caused major damage to the area. I can still see the snow around the road.

“I am standing in the corner os Winlow Arizona, such a fine sight to see….”
I don’t see a flatbed Ford with a hot babe, but I see a nice musician that agrees me take a picture me! I don’t see no Eagles, but, Of course, Take it easy.

There are many “Kodak spots” around Route 66. I am making the last stop of the day in Grants, NM before I head up to Albuquerque, NM.

Day 2. Albuquerque, NM to Lubbock TX

Finally, I am completed. This is the small tribute I made for my forever young and beautiful Ana Paulina.
Soon after her passing, I was at bike event in Tampa, FL, found this guy, John Mottola with his small business on wheels offering these tribute coins to bikers. I had the logo of the “Fundación COCO”, a foundation her parents made on her behalf, to give hope to children fighting cancer.
I asked the guy if he could make a custom coin for my bike. Of course, he said, but I had to prepaid the order. I was in no rush, so I gave it a shot. A couple of month later, I received this magical piece. I could not believe how perfect it came out. It took three years before it landed to it’s final destination. My Ladie. The slogan of the coin company is , “Ride with Pride”. From now on, I am riding with pride….. and Ana Paulina!

I continue my journey East, and find a lot of traffic on I40. As I detour thru the back roads, I cross the small town of Billy The Kid, Fort Sumner. I stop at the Billy the Kid graveyard to find out a few interesting details…..

In New Mexico, I rely on the old West most important piece of clothing, the bandana. The dust starts to get into my brain. Thank God I had a good set of googles to go along!

Day 3. Lubbock TX to Lewisville, TX

The Texas backroads are long, then they get longer. I had heard tha everything is Texas is BIGGER… It’s a fact. Not only that, everything is longer. I hear that 1 mile in the Texas Country is equivalent as 2.75 miles in any other state…..

After 357 miles of riding, dust and endless roads, I get to my final destination, Lewisville, TX. I am glad to see a familiar face. Iced cold Heineken, a nice Texas Prime Rib and mashed potatoes. The perfect dinner!

Day 4. Lewisville, TX to Center TX

Like any other big city, the day stars with a lot of traffic. Dallas is the ever growing city. I try to get my bearing and figure out where the hell I am going. A take at least 3 wrong exits before I get to the I get the I30. I hear the trucks on my CB radio going nuts about the 45 minute delay.

I take the first exit I can. I takes me to a nice pit stop in LaRue, Texas.

As I am riding an I feel Texas is never going to end! Probably the thousand beers I had with my cousin, a hell of a dinner, and a smoke that I hadn’t had in years… yes the one that makes you cough….. makes me look for a place to stay, faster than planned.

Day 5. Center TX to New Orleans, LA

Finally I am out of the desert! I enter the state of Louisiana through the Toledo Bend, to learn that they have the largest man-made body of water. A nice welcome to civilization!

All of the sudden, I arrive at New Orleans. It was not in the original route since that was my first road trip in My Ladie, but what the heck, it NOLO is always a good stop!

The Pandamic has changes everything, but the vibe of Burbon Street is intact. I walk the street and I feel safe. Most of the people there are keeping their distance, wearing their masks and having fun! Bravo NOLO!!!

Day 6. New Orleans, LA to Quincy, FLORIDA!!!!!!

After a good night sleep, I take I10 to find, like in any other big city, lots of traffic. I doesn’t take me long to detour the Interstate and find a scenic route, Hwy 90. A very nice ride along the shoreline of the Gulf Coast.

And just like that, I am in Sweet Home Alabama!! The Mississippi / Alabama shoreline is a nice ride. I find the signs for the Dauphin Island and the Mobile Bay Ferry.

I spend an hour waiting for the ferry. It is just a 30 minute ride to cross the Mobile Bay. For me, it is worth the wait. I get to relax while saving to ride around Mobile, Alabama.

Welcome to the Sunshine State!!

I jump to Florida through the coastline of Alabama, and Floridabama!! A nice beach town. I start to decide if I take the route going across the beaches of Florida, or just taking a straighter route in I10. There is a detour after Pensacola, redirecting all traffic to I-10. I guess I am talking the straighter route.

Finally, I make it to Florida!!!! Most of the hotels in the Pensacola area are pretty expensive. I push my boundaries a little further, ride into the night to get to the final destination of the day, Quincy, FLORIDAA!!!!!

Day 7, Quincy FL to Tampa, FL

A nice welcome to Florida!! Of course, the humidity is waiting for us. An early rise is well rearding to get a good jump start of my final riding day. It is 6:30 in the morning, and I am ready to hit the road. Sunrise is at 7:30 am. It gives me the chance to see the sun come up as I tackle the road.

Believe it or not, the morning ride in Florida is the coldest I have felt all trip. I need to cover my ears for the first ever riding.

Beacon College is located in Leesburg, FL. My son Carlos Jr is a sophomore there. I make a surprise visit to the kid before I set the GPS for my final destination. A couple of years ago, I was in college getting my degree. A couple of days later, I am visiting my son in his second year in college. Where did the time go? Life is too short, indeed. Work hard, play hard and enjoy life!

The final destination is in sight. No need for back roads at this point. Cruising on a one way street, south bound I75. I crank my radio up and follow the band Stranger lyrics I’m on my way to Thunder Bay!!!!

Finally I make it home. It is early in the afternoon and I make plans to go for a cigar smoke at the Blue Torch, Tampa. It’s my favorite place to unwind the spirits. This time, I am taking Uber. I can’t put a single extra mile to the motorcycle, nor my body!

Sunday Funday, The Aftermath.

After 2,517.20 miles, a good Sunday at home is needed. I start to realize the trip is over. I made it!!! Most of my friends told me at the beginning of the trip if I was nuts….. Maybe I am, but there is nothing more challenging, relaxing and rejuvenating than to be on the road… Just you, and your thoughts. It is a wonderful thing.

A good day with the ladies is well deserved. I am preparing the babies for our next adventure. I do a deep detailed cleaning to both my bikes. I apply the Ultimar exterior protection to both of them. After they are all done, they look like brand new bikes, coming out of the dealer. The Ultimar interior-exterior protection is an amazing product. It will protect your ride for years to come!

The trip was fantastic, even though I was on a mission to burn miles and make it home as soon as I could. Still, I saw lots of great scenery, events and rode through great weather. Being a Hilton Honors Member has its privileges for sure. All my stays were paid off by points accumulated. Hampton Inn was the hotels of preference. VIP parking for Diamond Members were always available. Of all the pictures taken, I most say that this one sums it all.

Expenditures for the trip

Gas	262.20
Food	29.10
Beer	48.56
Cash	120
Uber	49.90
Cigars	28.52
Ferry	10
Plane Tickets
Hotels	22.49
TOTALS	548.28

See you next time! Thanks for stopping by.

Daytona Beach:  Biketoberfest 2018

Florida has a lot of bike events throughout the state, but the 2 events that resonate from the rest are Bike Week, and Biketoberfest.  I was occasionally in Tampa for the weekend so I called 2 good friends from the old days that were in town and decided to go for a ride to the fest.

We started the trip in a small bakery in Zephyrhills, Fla.  The weather was perfect, record setting high temperatures.

 

 

 

 

We rode up thru the back roads.

 

The Ride……..

 

We got to Daytona Beach around 3:00 pm. It was a smooth ride with just one pit stop at Mt Dora. As we were getting closer to the final destination, we were getting one advice from all riders, “DUDE, THE TIRE!!!!”

We made it ok to the El Caribe Hotel. Parked our bikes, got something to eat and relaxed for a while before heading to the craziness of Main Street Daytona. The room was all right…. enough to take a hot bath and crash for the night.

 

We strolled thru Main Street. The place was happening….. Every bar on the hood was packed. Live Music in most of them. People having a good time….. Welcome to the Most Famous Beach, Daytona…..

 

After a good night, we are ready to head back to Tampa. We filled our bikes and started our ride back through I-4.

Most of my rides I had done everything to avoid Interstates, mainly and mostly I-4. This one is always in construction, lots of traffic, mainly riding through Orlando. Ten miles into the Interstate, the inevitable happened. What every Daytona rider pointed out to Hon, DUDE, THE TIRE!!!!!

 

A flat tire and 130 miles to go!!!!!

After a couple of minutes “brainstorming” the situation, Hon realized he had AAA  for his car. He called the AAA people and gave the coordinates of his broken down “Gray Nissan”. “The tow truck will be there at 2:25 pm” was the answer from the AAA operator. It was 12:25 pm……. 2 hours of hangin’ out on I-4!

The plan was to take Silvia as close to Tampa as possible. AAA covered 100 miles. So our next stop would be Hooters on the Lakeland exit and Hwy 98.  Oh well, it’s always an adventure when you ride,  one way or the other!!!

 

 

As the truck driver arrived. He drove right thru us looking for the “Gray Nissan”. It took him one phone call and a $20.00 bribe to realize the Gray Nissan was a gray bike!!

 

 

 

At the end, everything worked out just fine. We  arrived at Hooters after a 4 hours torture on the Interestate.  We were due for some wings and relax for a bit.

 

The most unusual ending to a bike event….. taking a bitch home!!!!!!

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  We finally made it! We flew to Dallas, Texas on March 19, 2018 , early enough to pick up the motorcycle at Mavericks Harley Davidson. Eighteen months had past since we saw each other. My Ladie came out mumblin’ srcumblin’ like Nutella, my little frenchie dog says hello everyday when  I get home.

We prepared the bike right away. All my riding gear was stored in the motorcycle. My cigar case, and 2 sets of riding gloves were gone. So much for trusting people with your stuff!!!!

We jumped in to the motorcycle and headed for our first stop, downtown Dallas. Dallas didn’t appear like a city you want to see on a motorcycle.  There was a lot of traffic and construction, but Dealey Plaza was a site I needed to see.

We rode around the plaza for a couple of time before making a quick stop at the grassy knoll. Standing at the site of the JFK Assassination and looking up at the Book Depository gave me the chills.

We left the plaza to do a “fly by” the AT&T Stadium, Home of the Dallas Cowboys and make a stop at the Fort Worth Stockyards. It was Monday afternoon and the place was dead.  It looked very appealing for a weekend stop, but the only thing we could do was to grab something to eat start looking for a place to stay.

We found a Motel 6 near the Stockyards that looked pretty clean. We approached the “lobby” there were three police officer asking questions about a fugitive.  They say that “first impressions are the one that counts”. Well it’s true. We should gotten the hell out of there with that welcome committee.

We went  to bed early, around 10:00 pm. At 1 o’clock a party started in the room next door.  At 2 o’clock, when I was dead asleep, some truck driver sounded his horns to wake all of Dallas up. For a second I though I was in the movie My Cousin Vinnie!!!!! At 3 o’clock the party next door got louder…… oh, brother. The only good thing about the Motel 6 was the price, $50 bucks.

We got out of Fort Worth via I35W and 43 degrees of chilling temperature. Thank God there was a Cracker Barrell Restaurant 20 minutes away. Our Favorite breakfast restaurant on the road.

We took a detour thru Hwy 171 to stop in the town of Hillsboro. Nice little town with a couple of  things to see.  They have a Roadside America Museum that looked very nice, but they were closed. Strike 2.

We retook I 35W to Waco. My wife noted a sign of the Collins Street Bakery. We knew the bakery since our grandmothers bought fruitcakes every year from that place.  We made a quick stop to stretch our legs, for some cakes and Diet Coke.

I wanted to make  Waco a stop. We started to see the signs of Baylor University and in a blink of an eye, we missed the exit.

We stayed most of time in I35W to make good time. Interstate  are filled with trucks and commercial traffic. The reason I try to avoid them as much as I can.

We got to Austin and took a detour on Hwy 1 to get to the 360 bridge. Finally, a nice motorcycle road!! We drove thru the Austin Country Club and occasionally they were hosting the World Golf Championship Tournament.  We rode the Cliff of Ghost Canyon, a hilly place with spectacular views of the city of Austin. We got on to Barton Spring Road, cut into Ziker Metropolitan Park.  A nice road with a lot of restaurants and places to hang out.

Austin is a very nice city. The Capital City and home of the University of Texas.  We rode around to see The Capitol Building. We stayed south of the city though. There was a lot going on. We wanted to see the University of Texas but the Mexican food at Chuy’s Restaurant won the case.

Texas weather in March is like a rollocoaster. We started with 43 degrees and ended up close to 80 degrees. All day long it felt like a stripping contest taking layer of clothing off.

After Interstate riding most of the day, we decided to call the day and find a place to stay in a nearby small town off Austin. We headed to Dripping Springs.

We found a brand new Holiday Inn Express to stay the night. What an upgrade from the Motel 6!  The crew was very friendly. The manager herself made us quite welcome. She even got us a VIP parking spot right at the Hotel entrance.

Dripping Springs is a very cozy town. Its called the Capital of Weddings. It has a small village that has a couple of things going, on Mercer Street, but not on a Tuesday night. They have a lot of local breweries, wineries and distilleries. Once again, having a long road ahead of us, it was time to hit the road, not before we visited the signature place of town, the Hamilton Pool.

Hamilton Pool Preserve is located 20 minutes north of Dripping Springs. It is a beautiful ride going up on Hwy 12 on to Dripping Springs Rd.  It’s managed by Travis County Parks. You need to make reservations prior attending the park thru the internet. You pay a small fee on line and a small fee to get in per vehicle at the park. All together is not more than $25 – $30 bucks. This time of year, there is not much problem of the park filling up due to cooler weather. I bet summer time this place get much more crowded.  It is a beautiful place to come and relax for a couple of hours and even take a dip in the pool.  Next stop, San Antonio.

Finally, we got another break from the Interstate. We stayed on Hamilton Pool Rd North to 281 South. Another nice Texas Country road. We started noticing the wineries that people were talking about. Route 281 South takes you all the way to the city of San Antonio.  You know you are close to the city when traffic, all of the sudden starts to rise.  Road lanes grew from one to four. Getting to the city was a bit hectic, again.

We arrived to The Embassy Suites Riverwalk early afternoon after a 200 miles ride. There is very convenient  public parking lot in front of the hotel. This hotel did not offer self parking and valet parking was a bit expensive.

The suit was very comfy, very nice. After dropping our stuff, we walked thru town. The Alamo was our first stop. There’s a movie inside one of the rooms that gives you a very good summary of the history of the place.

We went back to the hotel via The Riverwalk. We stoped in a couple of restaurant for some “food tasting.” There was no need to pay $5.00 beers when we had free beer happy hour back at the hotel.

 

We hung out all night at the Riverwalk. A spectacular, very romantic place to spend an evening, or more. We took the Go Rio River Tour, a must to get a good feel of the city, even better if you take it at night.

There was a lot to do in San Antonio. You could catch a Spurs game, go to Six Flags, Sea World, The Aquarium or The Museum.  For us, it was time to hit the road. As we left town, we noticed that traffic in the city was way lighter than traffic on those “circle:” interstates around the city.

We took Bandera Road to the small city of Bandera, Texas. A very nice small frontier town. We were told there was a bike rally for the weekend. It was only Thursday and we noticed some  bikers were starting to arrive. Western saloons were abundant. I could see a nice biker weekend coming along. For us, it was time to start riding west.

We took Hwy 173 north out of Bandera to catch Interstate 10 to Segovia. At the junction we headed north thru Menard on Hwy 83.  At Eden, TX, we took Hwy 87 west to San Angelo, our next stop. We were planing to stay the night in San Angelo. After a couple of spin thru town we decided to get a quick bit at Bueno, Taco Bueno…… Que Bueno we left!!!!  San Angelo was a “Walmart town.” You put a Walmart store in the middle of nowhere and you kill the small businesses of the town, it’s identity and it’s culture. Nothing to see but Walmart.  We stayed on Hwy 87 west, then Hwy 158 to our final destination for the day, Midland, TX

We rode for 350 miles. After leaving the town of Bandera and encountered buffalos at a farm, there was nothing interesting to see. Miles and miles of road, dust and sky.

We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn, another good choice of stay. Again, staff were very welcoming. Pricy beers but there was a supermarket right next door to grab a six pack and some sushi.

Friday morning we left to our next destination, El Paso Texas. There weren’t a lot of road options, so we took Interstate 20 West. We made it to Pecos, Texas and stop at the West of Pecos Museum. My wife was skeptical to go in and pay the $7.00 cover charge, but at the end, it was worth it. Once you enter the old hotel, it’s like a trip to the past, to the Twilight Zone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We jumped back on the Interstate and saw a sign: Visit Scenic Van Horn. I though, finally a nice picturesque little town to take a break. We made it to town to find the only picturesque thing,  a small indian teepee

The only good thing about Varn Horn was that we were closer to our final destination in Texas. We took a break from Interstate 10 by taking Road 20 in Fort Hancock Texas, “where Andy Dufresne crossed the border….. ” For our luck there were a truck hauling a huge bucket that covered both lanes. Oh brother, Texas did not want to end!

We stayed on Road 20, merged onto I 10 again all the way to the Barnett Harley Davidson of El Paso, Texas. After another boring 350 miles of Interstate riding, we finally got there!! We took a well deserved break at the Harley dealer. Found a La Quinta Inn Hotel to crash for the night. As we were leaving to the hotel, we met a fellow biker that noticed my license tag from Florida.  He was coming back from Bike Week in Daytona, Florida. “How long have you been on the road?”, I asked,  I was curious. He asked me if I knew what Iron Butt was. “I left Daytona 3 days ago. I will make it to Phoenix tonight”, he reacted. Shit, I am wining about riding 350 miles on the Interstate and this guy rides 750 miles per day on a freaking Interstate!!! He was no biker, no Iron Butt. He was either a rocket or a damn liar!!!!

We got to the hotel to drop our stuff and stretch our legs a bit. I went out for a walk to find a gas station to buy some bruskies. I noticed a supermarket across the street from the gas station I had googled, so I went in. I got a sixpack of Coors Light bottled for $5.49!!!!!! “I’m starting to like this town”, was my reaction. Luckly the hotel  was near a Mexican Restaurant, Andale, so we made it our date for the night, and we scored!!  The restaurant was phenomenal.

 

Hit the cursor here to see the Andale Movie

La Quinta Inn was a pretty good stay. No Holiday Inn Express, nor Hilton Garden Inn, but it did the trick. It had a pretty good view at  of Ciudad Juarez., Mexico.

We bounced around the city streets to get onto Hwy 375. It is a loop highway that travels right next to the border wall.  We rode around the city for a short while. It was early Saturday mourning so stores weren’t open yet. El Paso seemed like a very metropolitan city with a very Mexican flavor. We drove by the Pancho Villa Stash House and made a stop at the Scenic Drive Overlook, a must see in El Paso. It is a rest area on the top of a mountain north of the city.  There is some spectacular views where The United States and Mexico meet.

We headed East on Interestate 10 to Hwy 54 North. We wanted to take the 375 Hwy loop north to cross the Franklin Mountain. A Spectacular short ride. We merged onto Interestate 10 north to continue our path to Las Cruces, NM.

After 5 days of riding and 1,000 miles….. Welcome to New Mexico.  As we left Texas, my wife said:”We were in Texas for 5 days and we didn’t see any cows.” One minute into the state line, we started to see the cows, and smell them… “Well honey, steers live in Texas and cows live New Mexico, I guess” , I joked.

We made a quick stop a the Harley dealer in Las Cruces. NM to get some needed gear.  After a couple of spins in the college small town, we were off west again, on Interstate 10.

We rode for a good 150 miles of desert and tumbleweeds.  All of the sudden wind conditions started to change for the worst. We were arriving at the state line of New Mexico-Arizona and road 80 near Roadforks, NM was the route I wanted to take. It would had taken us to Bisbee, Arizona.

As we made our turn, the sky started to get darker and darker. It was only 4:00 pm and I thought, “what the heck, we are in the dessert. It never rains here”. Well, think again!!

The weather deteriorated in a hurry. As we started to take Hwy 80, we saw a bunch of abandoned building that gave us the  mood of the road ahead. As we “bravely” continued ahead, the wind picked up to 30 – 40 miles.  By now, we are riding sideways, fighting the wind to stay on two wheels. A minute into the road, my wife started to scream: “Turn around, turn around, turn around”.  “RELAX, COÑO(damned)”, was my reaction. I was getting more fear from her yelling than the surrounding themselves.

We fought a good fight for 30 miles. We got the Chiricahua Desert Museum and rain started to drop. With the wind blowing 40 miles per hour, rain falling from the sky and a wife near a nervous breakdown, I had no choice but to turn around.  We were just 15 miles off the Jeronimo Surrender Statue, AZ. It was like Jeronimo didn’t want us in Arizona that day. I felt like the end of the movie Truman Show, with Chief Jeronimo in charge of controlling the bad weather.

With no other choice, we escaped the rain of road 80 to get back into a windy Interstate 10 West. As we merged onto the highway, the wind was blowing so hard that the bike wasn’t responding . I gave it all it got, but, with the  luggage, ourselves and the 40 mph wind in our faces, the bike didn’t want to go faster than 60 mph!! We rode for 15 miles until we got to a Holiday Inn Express in Willcox, AZ.  Another day of riding in the books. Another 300 miles of road, dust and sky.

After a goodnight sleep thanks again to the good people of Holiday Inn Express, we are off to see Arizona. We took Hwy 86 to S Kansas Settlement Rd., to road 191 all the way to Douglas, AZ. The ride was what I was expecting from the trip since day 1. Nice desert, solitaire, riding with no commercial vehicles. We got to Douglas, another Walmart town.  We just wanted to see how border crossing was all about. We stepped into the gate and ask the border patrol officer, “Qué tan fácil es entrar a los E.U. para atrás? Fácil, hoy es domingo y el tráfico es suave”.  Yep, all border patrol officers were fluent in Spanish. Heck, his name was Mr. Rodríguez.

We did not plan this, but in no time we where in Agua Prieta, Mexico. We rode for a couple of blocks to feel the ambiance of the Mexican border town. We stopped at the entrance of town to take some pictures. We started with the Custom Building and we heard a scream, NO PICTURES, NO PICTURES!!!

As we were taking pictures of the Arco de Agua Prieta, we saw a bum walking at us with a crooked butter knife.  My wife got a bit scared. “Relax honey,  this guy can’t even hold himself up”

Sunday morning in the town of Agua Prieta: deserted. Not a lot people on the street, not even in church. Stores were closed. We did not feel unsafe at any time. Just nothing to do. It was time to go back to the US.

We followed Route 80 to Lowell, AZ. A nice old “street” town to make a pit stop. We kept on Route 80 and, in five minutes, we were in our next stop, Bisbee, AZ.

As we approached town, we did not know where to start. We must have ridden the entire place three times. What a beautiful town.  We walked around the streets to get acquainted with the atmosphere. We drank coffee, eat lunch, smoked a cigar. This was the town we were supposed to stay the night before before”Jeronimo shut the door on us.” Oh well, after a few hours of relaxing and “brushing” the place,  off to the next stop, the home of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, Tumbstone Arizona.

We took Tombstone Canyon Rd to exit beautiful Bisbee. The road was a small hilly scenic drive right outside town. It merged with Road 80 north. I was feeling the excitement of the upcoming town already. The road was preamble of things to come.   A pretty plane road, with a couple of cattle ranches.  A true western atmosphere.

As we arrived town, we detour on Ellen St. and the first thing we see is the O.K. Corral. We went around town a couple of times to find a good spot to park. We got off the bike and Oh My God!!! I felt more like Clint Eastwood in Back to the Future than Wyatt Earp in the Movie Tombstone itself! It was like being in a movie set, or the Wild West!

We walked around town. We made reservations to the O.K. Corral gun fight. A gunfight show that run every hour that re-creates the infamous shooting that took place back in the day. A must see. After the show, even the bad guys are willing to take pictures with the croud.

There were a couple of  western gadgets to play around.

They have different gun shows and a lot of small shop to spend the entire day wondering around. A lot of locals dress up giving the town a true western atmosphere. They have horse carriages that offer tours.

At night, they even have paranormal tours…… Everybody has a limit, that was mine!

 

We entered the Big Nose Kate’s Saloon to grab something to eat. A Very nice western saloon with live music. We stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, since we decided to stay the night at the Old Western Place.

At the bar, we met a couple from Mankato, Minnesota. Very nice people, They were stunt that this Puertorrican couple were in the middle of nowhere of Arizona, ON A MOTORCYCLE.  More impressed they were when I told them I had been to their hometown. Mankato is the home of Katolight Power Generators that my uncle used to distribute in Puerto Rico back in 1990. In one of his trips, I jumped into the plane with him to visit the plant. “What am I doing here?, shit you are from Manfuckinkato!!!!!!” We hit it right away. This couple was the first people we’ve met in the trip that we could talk, make jokes and have a good time.

We started to tell the story that, in this town, they even had a paranormal tours. As I said that, a Curly “look alike” from City Slickers entered the saloon. He sat right beside the couple from Mankato. I could not hold myself up. He really look like the ghost of Curly! I was cracking up!!!!

We found a nice motel right around the block to crash for the night. It looked like they were remodeling because we were the only guests in the property.

Thank God we found The Adobe Lodge Motel. This stay wasn’t the Hilton, which we were supposed to stay in Tucson, but it topped all of the small towns we had been on the trip. It was the climax of our journey.

We completed road 80 north until we met with Interstate 10, again. We stayed on I 10 until we got to Tucson.  We rode thru University of Arizona, a beautiful campus. Rolled around for a while to see a bit of the city and continued to the Saguaro  National Park, an excellent riding place. We took a couple of pictures. We were amazed by the size of the cactus.

I found out that the movie Tombstone was film mostly at the Old Tucson Studio. They had converted that studio into a Theme Park. We were close by, but, after experienced the real deal, I was not going to pay a cover charge of $20.00 each. to see another “Tombstone like” place. We connected once again I 10 to lead us to our final destination, Phoenix, Arizona.

Coming into the city we were welcomed by a few Dust Devils.  We rode to the Fashion Square, at the request of the wife. Ate at a Mexican Restaurant, again,  and headed to Old Scottsdale for a short walk. We were worn up so we went to, where else?, The Holiday Inn Express near the Airport. Our home for the last 2 nights of the trip.

In our last day, we first visit the shopping mall in Scottsdale. I went to the food court while my wife stretched her legs, and my wallet!!! She needed to get some clothing for an upcoming JR Prom of my daughter. As we got out of the stores, I received a message from a local guy to ask for permission to park his “crappy” car besides my beautiful motorcycle.

Jaja, just kidding. But this image sums up what Scottsdale is all about. Home of the good-looking places and the good-looking people. After,  we went to Old Scottsdale for a while for some window shopping. Another nice cozy place.

Phoenix is a beautiful city. A lot of things to do, a lot of places to go. A very clean city. This time of year is very comfortable. Trafic is heavy, though. We rode thru Papago Park on N Galvin Parkway. We visited the Hole in the Rock Mountain. Pretty nice view of the city from up there. We went to Hwy 101 thru E McDowell Rd. We looped around the Camelback Mountain to make our final stop, The Arizona Towing and Motorcycle Storage.  Michelle and her husband were waiting for us to take in My Ladie to her home for the next couple of months.

After 9 days of riding and  2,000 miles, the adventure had come to an end. It had been a great experience.  We learned that Texas is a big state! No shit, we discovered America!  It had its moments, Austin, San Antonio, Dripping Springs, El Paso. Getting from point A to point B was brutal.  Once we got to a “smaller” state like Arizona, we could enjoy more the riding by taking alternative routes, and making more stops in shorter riding times.  Budget wise we did very good. All the Holiday Inn Express stays and the Hiltons’ we paid with honor points. Membership is easy to get. We are Hilton Honors members, IHG members (Holiday Inn Hotels) and have a credit card for each account. You start accumulating points by each stay or charges made to their credit cards and before you know it, you have some reward points to enjoy! Food was very affordable. Since we had breakfast included in most of our stays, lunch was replaced with early dinner.

 

Our goal has always been getting to The Pacific Costal Highway. It could be 6 months or a year away. The good thing is that we crossed the biggest hurdle of them all, the Long (not the Lone) Star State of Texas. We are almost there!!!

Google Maps route by day:

Day 1 and 2  

Day 3 and 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

(hit on each day on top to see google maps routes)

 

 

 

On October 8, 2016 my wife and I rode My Ladie from Tampa, FL to the Maverick Harley Davidson in Dallas, Texas hoping  for a quick return in March 2017. It wasn’t until March 19, 2018 that finally the Dallas trip became a reality.

 

I made most of the planning for the Texas-Arizona trip back in 2016, early 2017. When things got a bit complicated at work, the Dallas trip was cancelled. Spring Break became the Summer and Summer became Hurricane Season.  My Great Island of Puerto Rico got smashed with 2 major hurricanes, Irma and Maria. But it was the second that put the Island upside down.

Everything started on September 5th,  when we received warnings for the first hurricane. People started to prepare and hustled to the store to get supplies. Our product, ice, became a big commodity. Twelve to eighteen hour shifts became the nine to five’s.  People were on the streets getting supplies and preparing for the worst.  But like every other hurricane, our blessed Island escaped once again from a direct hit. Still, after the hurricane had past Puerto Rico, around 1,000,000 people were without power. Our ice vending machines worked around the clock to supply ice to those without power.

A week later, around the September 15th, we started to get advisories of another major hurricane.  In “no time”, advisories became the news of the worst hurricane to hit the Island, ever.

September 19, 2017. A day that every Puertorrican will remember for a long time. I was at the Polarmatic Ice unit in Piñones, a costal town near San Juan that afternoon trying to get people out of the ice line just to get home to safety. We were feeling the wind gusts from the powerful hurricane that was knocking on our door. People with small children were in line getting soaked waiting for their turn to get ice. When I saw the roof of the adjacent building blowing off, it was time to turn the machine off and kick everybody out.

I drove home to do the final preparations for the disaster to come. On the back of my mind I was hoping, like in every other hurricane situation, that El Yunque and the acient gods of our little island will blow the storm away. I took a look at my cel phone to see if I had any unread messages. I noticed that one of my friends, Javi, my insurance guy sent me a picture of some sort. I didn’t pay much attention. My adrenaline was still pumping from the preparations for the hurricane.

I got home around 5:00 pm. All the shutters of the house were up from Hurricane Irma, thank God! I had some time to relax and go thru the message. Javi, my insurance guy called me to ask me  if I’d seen the pictures he sent of the machine being on CNN Live. I cracked a laugh…… “How in the hell my ice machines would be on CNN?, from Piñones, Puerto Rico? ” I thought it was a prank, that he was just pulling my leg.  He re-sent the pictures with the full clip of the reporter breaking the news. I remembered that, when I was at the unit handling the caos of kicking people out, a reporter came to me, introduced herself, and asked me if she could interview me. My mind was so focus in getting the hell out of the place that I didn’t pay much attention.

The night had gone with some wind and rain, nothing big. At 7:00 am my wife wakes me up in a state of panic. The monster had arrived. All of the house had shutters well installed, besides one of the patio’s big folding door. We had to drill shutters from the inside so the wind didn’t take the door. Hurricane Maria was so strong that, in one instance, I wanted to take the family to an enclosed 6′ x 6′ bathroom to be safe. I opened the garage door to release the pressure and I noticed my pickup truck, with the 40 KW generator on the back moving up and down like it wanted to take off. The most impressive part of all was the roar of the hurricane. It was like a freight train passing by with the devil himself on the wheels.

Later in the afternoon, at 5:40 pm, me and my business partner when out for a spin to see the damage caused by the hurricane. We drove a Jeep Wrangler. Those things can go thru anything. Still, we couldn’t drive more than 5 miles. Devastation, is no word to describe it.  We were stunt to see so many trees, poles and power lines on the floor.  As we were scrambling to get back to our houses, we noticed some guy, in its late 30’s early 40’s getting out of his car, putting on a work safety vest, taking out an axe and started to cut down a tree that was in the middle of the street.  “There is hope, we can do this!” , I thought. That guy inspired to just put my boots and go to work. We all had to do our part in society to bring this Island back to it’s feet. My part was serving ice. Making sure all units were up and running.

 

Right after the hurricane, the only thing I did was work, work work. Getting back on our feet was the only  priority of a nation. In a blink of an eye, it was winter. It’d been 4 months since I even thought of riding. We worked from 6 am to 10-11 pm every single day. We delivered diesel, helped people with our pickup trucks, delivered food and supplies to different needed communities.  People in line to buy ice from our machines were so uncontrollable that the state police came to give us a hand. People were desperate to get first necessity items. Lines at gas stations were 8-10 hours long. Hell, one person told me he waited in line for 22 hours for a bag of ice! We tried everything to ease waiting lines. It was helpless. At the end, we just tried to advised people that each machine produced 500-600 bags per 24 hours. 6-8 bags per 15 minutes, so they could see the people in line and did the math.

Mid December arrived and we felt a big load of people off the lines of the ice machines. Electricity was being restored to places little by little. I planned to take a week off and go to Tampa, my second home, to relax with the family.

School started January 8th, 2018.  Everything was falling into place.  It was time to retake the planning of our Dallas trip.   After we arrived from our short trip from Florida, I purchased the tickets for the trip and the date was set, March 19, 2018, finally!!!!!!!!!

The route was already planned.  Bags had been packed for more than a year!! My Ladie was ready to go. This has been the longest “planning” of a trip yet!

We are finally off to Texas.

 

Finally, it’s happening….. The blogging!!!

Six years ago I decided to take my Motorcycle Safety Course and learn how to a ride motorcycle.  Like any other guy, I went to the internet to find myself a nearby facility that offered the course. I knew very little about motorcycles to say the least. On Saturday, March 24, 2012, I started the courses that  changed my life.

It has been a funky ride. During the past years I have put more that 30,000 miles on three Harley Davidson. From the tropics to the desert, from the beaches of the Sunshine State to the Smoky Mountains, weekend getaways or just going to work on two wheels, riding motorcycles has change the perspective I see life. Even my professional life has taken a refresh.

Everything starts with a plan. A motorcycle trip, a new business, a family.  Even spontaneous trips or actions need some planning. When you are doing what you are passionate about, all stages of the process are great. Sometimes I plan a trip from one day to the other. Others take weeks, months, even years.  The planning process makes me wonder what awaits ahead.

Once everything fits into place, it comes The Riding, what’s all about. That moment when you lift your leg and put it around her and feel the vibration.  It can be for a 10 day vacation or just for a Sunday ride. Is the moment you let your mind go and just focus on the bike and the road.

And that’s when The Learning comes along. Once you free your mind of the everyday task and responsibilities, you let brand new thought and ideas come to you. It could be the most complex ideas or just admiring the outdoors. Heck it could be just the ride. Everything is a new experience, once the wind blows to your face.

Plan Ride Learn blog comes alive by sharing the experiences I have acquire on the road. It can be beneficial to fellow riders/travelers to get a heads up of the places I have traveled. Hopefully, I can get feedback as well from fellow readers and learn their insides of places I am planning to travel.

See you soon.