PARKER, AZ TO SAN DIEGO

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It was a quite night last night in the parking lot in Parker.  Well, except for the team that was doing a motor swap.  It has been amazing watching these vintage scooter teams.  They have done overhauls of almost every piece of the scooter with everyone helping everyone else.  They stop and rejet the carb's as much as 5 or 6 times a day depending on elevation. They may not win but they are sure as hell determined to ride across the finish line.

My mindset yesterday, after sweating my way into Parker, was that today would be a nice cool ride into San Diego until someone reminded me that there is still 300 miles of desert to go before we get in to cool part of California.


So, I was off in the dark again this morning following Melanie  "Mapsail13", Capt Gary, and Dave in Gary's support truck. It was a nice ride through Joshua Tree National Park  and several California state parks, up the mountain to Julian and down the other side to San Diego.

 Ashrat was on the first cannonball and 2004 and has vowed to "never do another". Of course she has said that often but keeps coming back. She is a vintage rider and her scooter looks vintage but always finishes with the winners

 Dave, Melanie, and Gary suit up.

Lostboater suiting up.

 Support Dave

 Gary

 Melanie, one aggressive rider

 All the way across America on 50cc!!!!!!

 Cost me time but I could not help it.

The route, after the last mandatory checkpoint, was down south of town and back up.  You could save 40 minutes by getting of the freeway.  I did and it was 31 of the scariest miles of this whole trip.


I survived and rolled in to Vespamotorsports to win yet another t-shirt.

!!!!!!! WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!

FINALLY

SHOW LOW, AZ TO PARKER, AZ

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Had a great night at the KC Inn in Show Low.  This is a mom and pop place, like many of the nights on the road, but this was clean comfortable and had a great bed that I actually stayed a sleep for more than 3 hours without waking up.


My plan was to leave after 7 since the temp was in the upper 30's but by 6:30 I could not resist any longer and hooped on Big Red and headed for Parker.


It was a little chilly but warmed up nicely and by the end of the ride I saw road temp's at 100.


Lots of wonderful scenery and it had warmed up enough were I could wear gloves that I can actually work the camera with.

Met a really nice guy in Jerome, AZ named Allen Muma and we talked of a long time.  It is a nice old little mining town on the hill south of Prescott and a destination for weekend 

Allen, Chief of Police Jerome

Officer he was going really, really fast and I could hardly hold on.

Is that man learning to write like us?

I descended down the back side of the mountain going so hot they sent a fire truck out for me.

Then it was long, straight, flat roads to Parker.

Last night on the road and everyone is doing one more adjustment to there scooters or trying to patch them up in hopes of getting to the finish line.

And, of course you want to have clean clothes when you get there.

ROSWELL TO SHOW LOW

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NEWS ALERT: Big Red and I are no longer in 2nd place (with 30 other people).  They have changed the rules and now we are way down the list.  I understand why they changed the rules but it was nice be 2nd for a while.


Today was 7:01hours of beautiful, chilly riding.  We crossed several 7,500 elevations and the continental divide at over 8,000.

 Check point Trinity home of the
A bomb. 

 Checkpoint Continental Divide

 This rider is sitting with his hands in the sand trying to warm them.

 This is the first day that I have seen more than one or two riders at the checkpoint.

 Refueling at Checkpoint Arizona State line

 The KC Hotel in Show Low AZ

And a nice massage at the end of a long day.