After the wettest, coldest winter in many moons, the Arizona sun found its footing and is back with a vengeance. I have been single minded in efforts to get my XS2 up and running, but I have had spring fever and you know what they say, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
So I threw on my gear and prepared to go, where? Who cares, just follow my nose. The sun is out, it’s 56 degrees on its way to 77 today. I fired up the old girl and let it sit, happily chuffing away while I put my gloves on.
A couple of photo ops on the way out of the neighborhood.
I turned and headed Northeast from my house towards my favorite stomping grounds, open desert and mountain foothills. I don’t know if any of you ever do this, but I just love exploring roads I’ve never been on.
I rode to the town of Wittman Az in search of old buildings or gas stations or anything interesting, but all I found there was a post office and people that move out there to be left alone.
So I turned North, straight towards the mountains and told myself I would folllow this road until it ended. I rode through a bunch of washes that had sand and dirt in the bottom, leftovers of our winter rains. The desert was exceptionally green.
This has to be the biggest saguaro I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying something , because I’ve seen them my whole life. This monster must be forty feet tall and probably weighs more than a city bus.
Which photo do you like better? Color or black and white?
I finally found the end of the road. I’ve ran out of pavement and the road is washed out further down.
So I head back and after a few miles, turned down another road. I was surprised that out in the middle of nowhere, I ran into a huge, very secure compound. What looked to be miles of fencing and a secured entrance, with no trespassing signs hanging every fifty feet on the fence. I honestly thought it was connected to the Air Force, since I knew there was an auxiliary airfield for Like Air Base somewhere out here.
It just so happened that on the road that ran along this facility, I ran into an explosion of wildflowers.
Lupine, daisys, desert marigolds, globe mallow, poppy’s, you name it! You can see the fence around th compound across the road.
So then I headed for lunch and went to Dickies BBQ, ( the subject of another thread)
When I got home, I looked up on a map, to see if I was near a military facility and it turned out I ran into a very secure auto proving grounds. The Chrysler proving grounds in Wittman Az to be precise!
Here is an aerial map of the 5,500 acre facility, the arrow shows where I was photographing flowers and th circle shows the secure entrance.
I rode 85 miles today just meandering. I hope to soon see you guys shaking off this blasted winter and getting in some rides yourself.
Maybe I’ll see you on the road!
Later, Bob
So I threw on my gear and prepared to go, where? Who cares, just follow my nose. The sun is out, it’s 56 degrees on its way to 77 today. I fired up the old girl and let it sit, happily chuffing away while I put my gloves on.
A couple of photo ops on the way out of the neighborhood.
I turned and headed Northeast from my house towards my favorite stomping grounds, open desert and mountain foothills. I don’t know if any of you ever do this, but I just love exploring roads I’ve never been on.
I rode to the town of Wittman Az in search of old buildings or gas stations or anything interesting, but all I found there was a post office and people that move out there to be left alone.
So I turned North, straight towards the mountains and told myself I would folllow this road until it ended. I rode through a bunch of washes that had sand and dirt in the bottom, leftovers of our winter rains. The desert was exceptionally green.
This has to be the biggest saguaro I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying something , because I’ve seen them my whole life. This monster must be forty feet tall and probably weighs more than a city bus.
Which photo do you like better? Color or black and white?
I finally found the end of the road. I’ve ran out of pavement and the road is washed out further down.
So I head back and after a few miles, turned down another road. I was surprised that out in the middle of nowhere, I ran into a huge, very secure compound. What looked to be miles of fencing and a secured entrance, with no trespassing signs hanging every fifty feet on the fence. I honestly thought it was connected to the Air Force, since I knew there was an auxiliary airfield for Like Air Base somewhere out here.
It just so happened that on the road that ran along this facility, I ran into an explosion of wildflowers.
Lupine, daisys, desert marigolds, globe mallow, poppy’s, you name it! You can see the fence around th compound across the road.
So then I headed for lunch and went to Dickies BBQ, ( the subject of another thread)
When I got home, I looked up on a map, to see if I was near a military facility and it turned out I ran into a very secure auto proving grounds. The Chrysler proving grounds in Wittman Az to be precise!
Here is an aerial map of the 5,500 acre facility, the arrow shows where I was photographing flowers and th circle shows the secure entrance.
I rode 85 miles today just meandering. I hope to soon see you guys shaking off this blasted winter and getting in some rides yourself.
Maybe I’ll see you on the road!
Later, Bob
