Just A Nice Little Ride

Just got home from a nice little ride. I got a call from my friend Jenn who lives over in Prescott and she told me one of her dear dogs had died a month or so ago and she had brought his body to the Humane Society in Cottonwood to be cremated. Well, his ashes were ready to be picked up today and Jenn's truck was broken down and she has been battling illness, so she didn't feel up to a scooter ride to Cottonwood. And of course, she knows my motto; "Any Excuse For A Ride!!!"

I heaped on the clothing since it was still in the low 40's, boots, t-shirt, sweatshirt, my Cortech jacket, gauntlets, balaclava, full-face Scorpion helmet, fired up the Red Baron and pulled out of the driveway. The Humane Society was full of people checking out the pets, but the nice lady at the counter found the time to deliver Bowser's remains to me. He went under the seat and I went on top of the seat and over Mingus Mountain we headed.

It was pretty darned cold out, but the sun was shining beautifully in a cloudless sky and I was just so happy to be riding. The trip was mostly uneventful...nice roads...just a wee bit of ice in the shadows, not enough to keep me home. Bowser and I just kind of did a delicate ballet on the Red Baron and never even slipped. I did, of course, go a little slower than I do when the roads are dry...

I reached the top of the mountain and began the descent into Prescott Valley when my old nemesis, the wind, reared his ugly head. It was coming HARD from the northwest, right into my face and dropped me a good 5-10 miles per hour! We just chugged along, annoying 4-wheelers who wanted to go way over the speed limit, but I didn't mind. I pulled into Jenn's driveway and as I took the package holding Bowser's remains out from under the seat I realized this was both Bowser's first and last scooter ride. I also realized I'd never had a more compliant and genial passenger. I thanked him for his indulgence and handed him to Jenn.

Jenn and I had a nice visit, talking work, scooters, health...you know, the stuff friends talk about and I decided I'd better leave before the roads iced over for the night. The wind had shifted during our visit and was now almost directly from the north...the direction I needed to go! Crap! I got on Fain Road headed north to where it joins Hwy 89A some 8 miles away. The posted speed limit on Fain Road is 65. I was lucky to be able to maintain 55! The wind was HORRIBLE!! After spending half the trip running on the shoulder to allow traffic by, I finally reached 89A. A right turn put me on the path for Cottonwood. I then rode with a severe port list due to the wind. I was going straight forward and leaning at least 20 degrees to the left! Once I made it to the mountain where it blocked most of the wind, I was able to maintain reasonable speeds. I just motored up and up and up some more to the summit, sometimes in the shadow, others in the sunlight...always with a grin on my mug. There was very little traffic this time of year, so I wasn't having to deal with that. I reached the top and eased on down the hill towards Jerome. I caught up to a pickup pulling a trailer, but he was moving right along, so I didn't mind. Just a nice little ride.

I cruised through Jerome and passed Paul and Jerry's Saloon where the new band I'm in will be playing tomorrow. We do sort of a rock/blues thing...shades of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Good stuff, lotta fun!

I looked in the windows of the shops as I passed through town, marvelling at what a dynamic pair the Red Baron and I make. The trip down from Jerome to Cottonwood was again, uneventful and pleasant. The scooter was running well and strong, the sun was shining, it was chilly but I was dressed for it and it was just a nice little ride. Gotta have 'em now and then. Nothing spectacular, nothing dramatic...just a nice little ride. Doesn't get much better...

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys