When I’m on a solo trip, I spend the evening writing my report for the day, but when I am with folks, I spend my time visiting with my friends.

So, anyway – I have not made any progress with my report and it looks like you will just have to wait until I get home and I will do the entire report with LOTS of pictures.

A quick recap. As previously stated, I am currently in Ajo.

In the deep sand, I had managed to burn out my clutch. I was able to get to Ajo by cramming the gears and able to kinda shift without a clutch. Even then, the clutch would slip so needless to say. The riding is over for right now.

I had planned a side trip to Pipe Organ National Park, but instead I’ll head home in the morning.

I had a great trip and look forward to showing you my pictures, but that will be at least a few days.

Until then, adios

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Beemer Bob

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Completed El camino this afternoon and met up with another group of Ural riders and we will be going back through El Camino in the morning.

I won’t have time to update much of a trip report before I go back in the desert again.

Anyway, all is well. I’m having a blast. I will be in the desert out of cell range for the next the 3 or 4 days before I can update report but all is good.

Beemer Bob

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Anyway, as soon as I could, I hit the road. Crossed into Arizona but did not get a picture. Trust me, I went to Arizona.

Near my destination town, I came upon this sign.

What do they mean? Like what is the alternative? Are they questioning the reason for the existence of senior citizens? Perhaps I should drive on VERY QUICKLY.

I later find out that the name of the town is Why. I ask a local why Why is named Why. I’m told why not Why.

Why not indeed.

I make it to my destination town of Ajo, AZ.

I check into my motel, the Copper Sands. I had made previous arrangements with them to allow me to park my truck and trailer there while I go play in the desert.

El Camino Del Diablo crosses the Cabeza Prieys National Wildlife Refuge and a portion of the Barry Goldwater Military Range. To do that, one has to go get a permit and sign a hold harmless statement in case the air force drops a bomb on you while you are in the test range. So I went to the appropriate office to get that taken care of.

Then my next issue was that an 8′ pole with a bright flag must be attached to your vehicle while on the trail. A good portion of the day was spent trying to find the flag setup, but everybody was sold out. The next town that “might” have these flags was a hour away. So instead, I went to the hardware store and made my own from wire ties, bailing wire and duct tape. This is my homemade safety flag attached to Lyekka.

Since I will be traveling through a military firing range, I think the flag is required to aid in their target practice. A black motorcycle wound be too hard to see from a jet, so the flag makes more of a sport of it.

I enjoyed a nice lunch in the historic downtown. For a small town, they have a beautiful square.

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There were several interesting buildings and museums that I wanted to explore, but then it started to rain so that plan got canceled. If I have time when I return from the desert, I want to explore this town more. From what little I saw, I was impressed.

In the morning I will meet up with a fellow Ural rider an we will begin the trail. I will be out of cell range for the next couple of days. So this will be my last post until I emerge at the other end near Yuma.

I will have my SPOT tracking on so you can follow my travels if you don’t have a life.

While I’m on trips, I like to call my sweet bride and let her know all is well. Since I will not be able to call or post to this blog, I will use the SPOT device to send a preset “OK” message. That message will cause an automatic post to this blog with a map of my location.

So, if you are following this blog, you will understand that OK messages from the SPOT are my way of communicating all is well.

If a day passes and you don’t see a blog entry from me or a SPOT “OK” message, it means one if two things. Either I forgot to send the message or I am not OK. Take your pick

Tomorrow: El Camino Del Diablo

G’nite Y’all

Started off at first light.

Very foggy morning.

Stayed that way for most of the morning which made traveling slow. By noon the fog had lifted and I was able to make better progress.

Traveling through west Texas is not an exciting time. I was determined to be out of Texas before the end of the day. Not for any logical reason, other than if you drive all day you should be in a different state. That is sometimes hard to do in Texas. I plugged on and finally passed into New Mexico about 5 that afternoon.

Keep on trucking.

I make it as far as a small town called Lordsville, NM. I remember once on a trip with Hap Hazard we stopped here and were excited to find a nice, inexpensive motel. It was dark when we checked in and did not notice the motel was right next to a busy train track. We did not get much sleep that night.

Anyway, I’m by myself so I don’t have anyone to split the cost of a motel and I’m too cheap to pay for a motel, so I park the truck in the lot of a Flying J truck stop.

I lay the passenger seat back, grab some pillows and a blankie and prepare to catch some shut eye.

But first, I’m not some country bumpkin without class. I travel prepared.

I pour myself a nice tall glass of merlot to sip while I relax and type this silliness on a keyboard about the size of a postage stamp.

G’nite Y’all

I’m about to venture off on another adventure. I know it seems its been a while, and no I have not died and yes I am still wandering around on motorcycles of sorts getting into mischief, it’s just that for the past few months it’s been local short trips.

I was going to return to Baja but instead, I decided to go ride the El Camino Del Diablo in southern Arizona.

El Camino Del Diablo is Spanish for “Highway of the Devil”. This route earned its name by taking the lives of travelers without mercy. Even before Columbus discovered America, this passage across barren desert lands was luring travelers into its clutches and never letting go.

In 1540, eighty years before the mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock, Spanish explorers traveled the Highway of the Devil. During the 1690s, it was being used by those traveling between missions. By 1800, settlers were using it as a shortcut to connect points in Mexico to points in California. During the 49ers fold rush, would be prospectors charged into its summer heat in a dash for California riches. Many of them unprepared for what they called, a trip through hell. An estimated 400 graves soon lined the narrow dusty path.

El Camino Del Diablo, is pretty much unchanged and is one hundred plus miles off sandy, shady, single track trail that winds through the Sanorum desert zone of Arizona. Along its length, it travels through a National Wildlife Refuge, a National Park, within a mile of the international border with Mexico, and through the middle if a military live bombing range.

My plan is to do this on Lyekka, my not-so-trusty oil leaking Russian Hack (a Russian motorcycle with a sidecar). I plan to leave at first light in the morning with Lyekka in tow behind my pick-up. My first destination will be Ajo, Az. From there I will meet up with a friend and we plan to take two days traveling around and end up near Yuma ad a sidecar rally. From there I plan to hook up with some folks to go back through the desert again but this time spend a little more time in the National Park and after a few days end up back in Ajo, load Lyekka back on the trailer and head home.

As always, I will have my SPOT on so for those that want, you can track my current location by ‘clicking’ on the “were’s Waldo icon”.

I will post entries of my journey as I can, but cell phone coverage may be lacking.