Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

Apr 7, 2005

Get your kicks

The luggage of doom went a bit more easily this morning. I have realised now that whichever side I put the luggage on first, it yanks the rear strap out so that the one on the other side is way too tight. It makes things very awkward. If there were someone around, I could get some help - just need someone to hold the thing and stop it pulling through. I seem to have the rest down pat. I even remembered to put batteries in my GPS and thus logged my journey today.

I slept well, but not enough. I’m tired today, but in a good way. I checked out and then went down the hill to fuel up at Canada gas, an original-looking station. I also bought Route 66 stickers to try and break up the back of my motorcycle a bit - make myself more visible. I think the net result is that they will show up everywhere but on my saddlebags over the next few days, but it was worth a shot.

Then I took Route 66. It made me very happy, but the eighty-odd miles between Kingman and Seligman are perhaps the most desolate stretch of road I’ve ever ridden on. Very lonely indeed. You go through the town first, then head out into nowhere, quite literally. You climb a bit, and pass through the odd little dusty town, but I didn’t want to pull off because everywhere was gravelly or sandy. But the scenery is quite something - of course it is the foothills of the Grand Canyon and has that same look - and every so often you’d get carpets of bright yellow and a green valley where there was some water source or other. You could tell where the creeks were because they were lined by green trees.

I notice the trains a lot out here - huge long trains with dozens of whatever the things the engines pull behind them are called. Freight trains. They stretch out for miles and there always seems to be one, going somewhere. It gives a lonely kind of a feeling to see them, heading off. I have always loved trains and railways.

I passed through the Hualapai Indian reservation, on perhaps the most desolate part of the journey, and just after Peach Springs I started to feel very sleepy…as I knew I had only twenty minutes to go I kept a close watch on myself and took a long break when I got to Seligman, an intriguing little town with lots of kitschy decor and general Stuff. It would have been nice to stay and look around, but I was determined to arrive somewhere early for a change, and that’s what I did.

I got on the freeway, noticing that my tyres were acting funny: I know that we’re quite high up here, so I figure it must be the elevation changing the pressure. Where I am tonight there’s a gas station and it should have air, so I can check the pressure tomorrow and do whatever changing is required. I rode about sixty or seventy miles on the windy road and then ended up in Williams, another town which I’d love to explore but can’t, because I’m touring. I don’t like leaving all the stuff on my bike…one day I already know that I want to come back and explore this region in more detail - from a base camp of some type.

I am going to cut off here, mostly because I don’t want to announce where I am staying right now. I seem to be in the swing of things now, a lot more relaxed about the ride. I will be back tomorrow evening. I am not riding tomorrow, but will take a tour to the Grand Canyon.