We hit Indio @ 6:30 & Quartzsite @ 8:30 for gas.

We decided to take the AZ60/71/89 cutoff through Prescott & Jerome to get to the run this year… since we took the I10 to PHX & up AZ17 last year. I recommend the Prescott route. Although we hit some highway construction (1-lane w/ escorts & a 15min wait), it is a more leisurely pace through some small towns & on the far side of the desert, some twisties & cooler weather heading up the mountains. We made a gas stop in Prescott just before noon… & Jerome is a cool little town to stop in to whet your whistle.

Mike & Sherry (Gabe's friends & our hosts from last year) met us in Jerome @ 1:00 to welcome us with a few frosty cold ones & to escort us in through the scenic, back-route to their abode in Oak Creek. It's about 12mi from the Fairgrounds in Cottonwood, & a nice ride on county roads to air it out between visits.

We lightened our loads & relaxed for a while @ Mike & Sherry's before a dose of Mike's bean & ham-hock soup/stew that remained in effect all weekend.

Gabe & Kim & I rolled down to the Smoke Out around sundown. We made it there in time for the last song of the band's set before the wet t-shirt contest started. Sorry… no video of the event this year. There were many of the same girls from last year's prelim. The vendor's building was kinda' light. One local tattoo shop w/ 2 inkers were busy every time we walked by. The AZ Chapter of HA was well rep'd with their wares. The old guys pushin' their Knuck, Pan & Flattie stuff were workin' hard. The Horse/Back Street Chopper had a booth full of back issues & hawkin' subs. A biker chick undie place was fun to look at… and a guy was sellin' refrigerated, clamp-on handlebar cup holders! No… I didn't buy one for the Ultra, but, I thought about it.

We wandered around the outside vendors and the bikes for a while & thought they were kinda' light also. It might have been 'cuz they changed the date of the event from October to May, and it was also Mother's Day weekend. We headed back to Mike's to rest-up for the Saturday main event.

Sherry made Gabe's special request breakfast to prep us for the day & Mike joined us on his Street Glide. We went up to the Church 'o the Rocks in Sedona for a warm-up ride. There is an amazing mansion/compound @ the entrance road to the church. It has its own observatory!

We took the long way to the fairgrounds via the vineyards of Sedona. We never knew there was such a region.

We took in the sights of Saturday's events and the bike show. Mike & Gabe got in on the Anvil Toss. We saw bikes from back east that rode out here to make the ride back to Smoke Out East. That is why they moved the date... to make it consecutive weekends for the iron-butt'ers. We saw plates from NC, SC, VA, PA, NJ, NY, NH & all over the east coast. I was impressed…

It was just before 4:30 @ the close of the bike show, after the local Roller Derby girls had made an appearance, & I was takin' pix of the late entries to the bike show, when a bug stuck in my ear. Not an insect… a noise… it drew me to the burn-out pit. It was the sound of the last few miles burning off my son's rear tire. I'm not sayin' it was induced by the atmosphere, but, why else would a grown man put his bike in the pit when there is a 500+mi ride home?

Not once… but, 4 times!!! I got there to get a video of #3 & a look at the tire before he tore-out the rear lighting harness on #4. SEE THE VID HERE It was the most enthusiastic crowd I'd seen in the pit all weekend, & was kinda' proud they were cheerin' my son… but, @ the same time I was sayin' to myself… "You dumb-ass! How are you getting' home?!!?" I was still proud of his display… all 6 gears… bouncin' off the rev limiter through 4th & the Speedo pegged.

We decided to head out before dark since Gabe was tryin' to make the 12mi ride back to Mike's. Mike was in front, Gabe in the middle & us @ a distance. We made it about 5mi when I heard Gabe's tire pop. Gabe said the tire felt square until it went flat & then, it was a much better ride. Mike took off for home to get his pickup while we waited on the side of the road.

We got Gabe's bike back to Mike's, & Sherry had an excellent dinner prepared for us when we got home. We started weighing the options… find a tire & someone to change it on Mother's Day Sunday??? Or, haul it home in the back of a pickup…

Luckily… & thankfully… Mike had a spare pickup, & likes Gabe a lot. Mike said "get your bike home… we have friends in LA we need to visit & we'll pick up the truck next weekend". Gotta' love a friend like that!

Mike & Sherry were great hosts again… and they are really good people. We can't say enough to thank them for their hospitality.

We were up early Sunday & on the road (AZ89A) up the valley to Flagstaff & the I40 home. Gabe w/ his bike in pickup behind us. If you haven't been between Sedona & Flagstaff on AZ89A, this is a trip you MUST take. We hit F'staff @ 9:00 & headed for Kingman & my sister's place for lunch. Grilled Jerk Burgers (yum). We visited for a few hours & took off for home.

It was 106 degrees when we went through Needles. Gabe escorted us as far as Barstow & boogied on home… we had to stop. We found the nicely air conditioned, well appointed, Mollie's Pub to cool off for a bit & then, after listening to the traffic report saying "slow from Barstow to Hesperia on I15", we took Old Route 66 from Barstow through Silver Lakes to Victorville.

We had been on this stretch of road before… my sister has a place in Silver Lakes. We had passed a biker bar many times that appeared to be closed all the time. This time… it was open & calling us… I hit the binders & we pulled in.

The Iron Hog Saloon re-opened on Easter weekend of this year under new ownership. We met the new owner that has plans to attract the previous biker clientele & open-up the back side for weekend BBQs. The addition of bikini/lingerie bargirls after 5pm isn't a bad idea either. Check 'em out if you get up the National Trails Highway (old US66) between Victorville & Silver Lakes @ 20848 NT Hwy, Oro Grande, CA, 92368. 760-792-7393

We made the final leg of the trip home with a new attitude… after 1,080mi, we rolled in just after 10pm on Sunday. A hell of a weekend through the deserts… & oasis's @ our stops. We averaged just over 42mpg, 2-up w/ the bags & trunk full on the Ultra… just over $0.06/mile. A great return on fun per mile/$.

PS. Watch for a story on our 1,000mi ride through Sweden, Denmark & Germany this summer.