Got up, ate breakfast and did my Mary Poppins thing by feeding the birds…filled
the hummingbird feeders and put another seed cake out. The hummers are crazy
busy at the feeders these days. I have four feeders, but they seem to have two
favorite locations, so I rotate the feeders to make sure the nectar doesn’t get
nasty slimy from non-use. The hummers
don’t say anything, but I’m certain they appreciate the effort.
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No walking today…Tammy had the day off and today was our designated
riding day. We were leaving in the nine to ten o’clock range. As I was waiting
for nine o’clock to roll around, Kim happened to look at the bikes and made a
comment about how dirty my bike was. We’re
both aware that keeping my bike spit polished isn’t a priority for me…I
maintain that a dirty bike rides just as good as a clean one. So, I glanced out, expecting to see dust on
my seat and bugs on the windshield but what I saw was the sunlight highlighting
the fact that the chrome engine components weren’t shiny, they were dirty
desert brown. Yikes! That’s below even my standards. Kim said we’d have
to do something about that…it could cause the engine to run hotter than it
needed to. I suggested using the air compressor, to blow it off, but he didn’t
think it would help…this dirt was caked on, courtesy of the dust storm and
rain, I’m sure. He went on to say that it “probably would be okay for today”
and I replied that “probably” wasn’t good enough. If the dirt could cause an
issue, I wanted it gone.
We headed to the car wash in Eloy to give Zeus’ engine area a good scrubbing.
The whole bike came out looking so much better and the chrome was shiny again.
It was worth the extra time it took.
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Tammy and I took off about ten o’clock, heading for Roosevelt Lake, near
the town of Globe. As we turned off the
frontage road onto Hwy 87, an elderly woman sitting in a car in the turn lane
waved us to a stop. In heavily accented
English (maybe German or Polish?), she asked how to get to Florence. We told her that Florence was in the opposite
direction, she asked another question, then Tammy tried to give her directions
and finally we both said, “Follow us…we’re going that way.” So, she did a U-turn and followed us to
Florence.
We pulled into a gas station to let her know that we were in Florence…the
first words out of her mouth were that we were a godsend. She explained that
she got lost and was praying to God to help her when we came along…she said
that we were the answer to her prayer. I asked where she had to go in Florence…senior
center, across from the police station. Tammy plugged it into her phone and
away we went, leading the lady once more to her destination. Being able to bring
a smile to what had been a worried face was a good start to a good ride.
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On paper, Roosevelt Lake is 108 miles away, about 2 hours one-way. We managed to turn it into an 8-hour, 276-mile ride. Those 8 hours included a couple of road construction delays (Hwy 60 from Superior to Miami), stops for photo opportunities, lunch, breathtaking views, going up mountains and then back down on 7% grades, backtracking and a longer, construction-free route back to camp…154 miles instead of 108. Oh, and I logged over 41,000 fake steps on my Fitbit.
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Eight hours in the sun with fair skin and no sunburn. What a testimony to the effectiveness of
Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Sunscreen, SPF 45!
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Sometimes when riding, the air can have a cool edge to it and a sweatshirt
feels good. No need for a second layer today.
I don’t know what the temperature was when we started but I saw it top
out at 91o in the afternoon. That’s way above my comfort level, even
with the wind in my face.
I was a sweaty mess when I got
back to camp. Stepping into the coolness of an air-conditioned camper was a
good start to cooling down but a hot shower was needed to get rid of the salty
residue feeling left behind by the drying sweat. And getting a Peanut Buster Parfait from
Dairy Queen (extra hot fudge and peanuts, please) with my favorite guy was a
great way to top off the day.
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Kim was frustrated that the flats he took last night had distortion in
them. Frustrated enough that he formulated a plan to take it apart and clean it,
even though most of his astro buddies would advise against doing that. He went
to Casa Grande today to buy the correct cleaning supplies. This was going to be
intricate work, so it was a good thing that I was gone for the day. He could take all the time he needed without feeling
guilty about it and no one was here to bother him. He feels good about the outcome of his
efforts…ever hopeful that the issues he sees in his images are gone. Still targeting the Dolphin Head Nebula.
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