On The Road, Pt III

It was.

I awoke to rain; lots of it.  I grabbed some breakfast and got ready for the day, hoping all the time that it would let up.  Watching the weather channel confirmed what I thought: it wouldn't.

So, I packed up and got ready to go, figuring I might as well get on with it.  Parked next to my Bonneville was a very nice Yamaha FJR1300.  It actually made me feel better since I wouldn't be the only bike.  As I was strapping my backpack down, the Yammie's owner came out for a chat.  It turned out he was originally from Steubenville, OH, which is very close to Pittsburgh.  I wasn't expecting that.

Belly full of carbs and orange juice, I set off into the rain.  My not packing rain gear was really dumb.  Water came in through my mesh summer jacket and spray from the road came in the mesh areas of my pants.  Clearly, this would be a long day.

The rain let up as I approached Shiprock, NM to fuel up.  The sky was extremely gray and foreboding, though.  I took off from the gas station and headed on down the road.  I settled into the groove of riding, keeping a watchful eye on the skies.

Oddly, something didn't feel right.  I kept seeing signs for Gallup, NM, which wasn't where I wanted to go.  I figured Gallup was the only large town around and it would appear on most of the signs in the area.  A little further and I started to get worried.  Pulling over, I whipped out my phone and it confirmed I was heading south to Gallup instead of going west toward Teec Nos Pos.  I was so focused on what the skies were going to do, I completely missed my turn and went way off course.

If I continued south, I could take I-40 to Flagstaff or I could turn around and take 160, the way I intended.  Rain covered both routes, which meant I had to decide on whether I wanted to share the rain-soaked roads with tractor-trailers or not.  I chose to go back, refuel and head the way I intended.

Heading toward Teec Nos Pos turned out to be a very scenic route.  There were gorgeous canyons and beautiful vistas on either side of the road.  This road even had some corners, which would be quite rare on this route.  Teasing me, the sun popped out for a few miles.  This brief respite would be the only sun and blue sky I'd see for a while.

Rain peppered my face shield off and on but as I got near my fuel stop in Kayenta, AZ, the sky turned a deep black.  At the station, I popped in for a pee and a quick snack.  The sky was incredibly ominous.  It looked like I'd be riding into the lungs of Hell.  I guzzled my water, refueled the bike and headed off.

A few miles later the rain came and it came hard.  Water poured through my gear and my base layers were drenched.  I could feel the cold water running down my back.  Crotch drenched, socks drenched; everything was wet.

I was already cold and this served to bring on intense shivers.  I had 78 miles to go to Tuba City and there were times I thought I wouldn't make it.  I was so cold and shivering so much I could barely keep control of the bike.  Never mind that I was doing so while riding through hard rain (not the movie).  This was such desolate country that there wasn't even an underpass or anything to hide under.  All I did was shiver and stare at my odometer, mentally counting off the miles.

Mercifully, the rain died down.  I was still very wet and cold but I could now see where I was going.  I can say that no one in the history of the world was happier to see Tuba City, AZ than I was.  There was a Quality Inn in town and I couldn't get there fast enough.  I pulled up to the door, hopped off my bike, squished my way up to the desk and inquired about a room.  I'd have to kill two hours, which gave me time to change and eat, two things I desperately needed to do.

I changed and then shiver-walked over to the restaurant next door.  I immediately ordered coffee, something I haven't had in nearly 20 years.  After a mediocre lunch, I went to the trading post next door and bought a windbreaker while the two girls behind the counter complained about their pre-calc class.

While all this was happening, the rain began to dissipate.  According to the map I was another hour-and-a-half from Flagstaff.  The weather around there wasn't as bad and the major storms had all moved north.  I had originally planned to spend the night in Prescott, AZ but that wasn't happening.  If I made for Flagstaff, I'd still get a bit wet but I'd be closer than if I stayed in Tuba City.  Helping spur this decision was the fact that a room at this Quality Inn would cost $130.  That's a lot to stay in this one horse town, even if I was soaked.  Feeling adventurous, I put on my soaked gear, which now weighed twice as much, and headed for Flagstaff.

The skies were a deep gray and I got peppered with rain but I eventually made it to Flagstaff.  I pulled over to search for a hotel and lo and behold, a Hampton Inn was nearby.  I stopped there and got a room for the night, damn the cost.  As I was putting my stuff in the room, beams of sunlight came creeping into my room.  I just smiled since it had been hours since I saw the sun.  This moment was fleeting, however, as the gray came back to reclaim the sky.

I threw on some dry clothes and figured I'd scare up some dinner.  As I walked out the hotel, I stopped to look at my bike.  It was a bit dirty this morning from yesterday's showers.  Now it was completely filthy.  It wasn't even black anymore.  It was now a shade of gray-brown.  She was a champ, though.  Through all the rain and the water, she never missed a beat; never misfired, chugged or slowed down.  What a great bike.

My choices for dinner were Arby's, Jack in the Box or Sizzler.  Yum.  I chose Sizzler and had the salad bar, which was awful.  I think they put the stuff out at nine in the morning and it stays there all day.

I went back to my room and hit the bed, hard.  I was exhausted and two hours away from where I wanted to be.  This meant my push to San Diego tomorrow would be a very long one.  How would that turn out?

Stayed tuned for that in Part IV.