3:10 To Yuma

3:10 To Yuma

This title is written with my brother-in-law Woo in mind. He is a retired helicopter cavalry pilot with the U.S. Navy and along with the smell of napalm in the morning, there is nothing he likes better than a good western. I said that mostly for effect since he was mostly a rescue pilot who served a bit in Vietnam and more in Iran and Antarctica. Nonetheless, I am presuming that he likes the Russell Crowe and Christian Bale film by the same name (3:10 To Yuma) that was released in 2007. My friend Steve, who is often way ahead of me on many things motorcycle, recently sent me a note asking if I had heard of the BMW owners’ magazine called ON (Owners’ News). I wasn’t sure how to tell him that I had been a member of the MOA and thus a subscriber to ON for quite a number of years. His point in bringing it to my attention was to point out an article about the owner of the San Diego BMW Motorcycle dealership, who rode regularly to Flagstaff for a nice desert ride and a late breakfast. Since that represents a 500 mile trek, that’s an aggressive breakfast run. Steve suggested that he would meet me in Flagstaff if I wanted to duplicate the run.

A 1,000 mile day is a bit much for my sorry ass, and especially alone as I would meet Steve there and then turn around and head back. So, I took out the map to see what I could see that might make more sense for us. Sure enough, Flagstaff was anything but a halfway point between me in Escondido and Steve in Phoenix. Yuma, on the other hand, is 196 miles from me and 185 miles or so from Steve. It sits right on the Arizona and California border and is only a stone’s throw from the Mexican border. I can’t attest to the ride that Steve will take to get to Yuma in the best of motorcycling riding fashion, but I know my route fairly well. I will follow the same route through Valley Center and the several Indian reservations I ride through all the time and head out almost through Borrego Springs to the Salton Sea. From Brawley, just south of the saline Salton Sea that sits squarely on the San Andreas Fault, I will need to go southeast. I’m not sure why that bit about the Fault matters, but any time I can invoke the tectonic realities of this part of California, I feel an obligation to do so. Google Maps says I am 3:24 from Yuma, so I figure 3:10 is a fair objective given my tendency to ride especially fast through the desert.

We have set Thursday as our day to meet for lunch (rather than be silly and aim for breakfast) in Yuma. It looks to be a perfect day for a ride and we have agreed to a meeting at high noon (only appropriate). The Thursday weather in Escondido is due to register a sunny high of 64 degrees and the Yuma high (which I should pretty much hit) is due to be 78 degrees. That range makes for near perfect riding conditions since I will want to suit up properly for a 400 mile day and that means a full-coverage helmet, a proper riding jacket with Kevlar armor and one of my pairs of riding pants, also with Kevlar pads on the knees and hips. Naturally there will be a pair of good heavy boots and a selection of good riding gloves. That full kit means that I will be glad that it is on the cool side for the ride.

I am excited for this ride since it will be my first real full-day ride of this strange COVID-dominated year. By now I was supposed to have had our 25th anniversary AFMC ride through southern Utah and a two-week ride from Barcelona to Porto through Andorra and the Pyrenees. Instead I have had to settle for much shorter day rides by myself. Even my usual riding partner, Jeff, has been sidelined by health issues. So Steve’s idea of a midday ride and meet was a welcome idea. Desert riding is fantastic because riding on good dry roads that do not suffer from frost heaves is always good so long as its not too hot. There is always the chance of tar snakes on the desert roads, but I’m hoping for the best and will enjoy the ride regardless of the road surface (within reason). I have a Bluetooth helmet that has fantastic sound quality, so I will expect to listen to my favorite riding playlists all day. That beats listening to MSNBC all day, though I can do that too if the cell system allows. I have a great iPhone grip on the handlebars and have bought a recharging wire so that I won’t drain the battery. This will sound risky, but I can also easily take any calls that come my way while I ride. The acoustics of the Bluetooth helmet system is actually far better than you might imagine and I am told I can be heard very well. The only problem is that I can’t hear my own talking too well, which makes for some interesting conversations.

It is an interesting commentary on both the year and on me that I am so excited by the prospect of this ride. I spoke to my friend Bruce today and he mentioned that his wife recently flew to NYC (where they maintain an apartment for when they are not in Jackson, Wyoming). What ensued was a discussion where I asked if he was totally comfortable with flying now and I expressed that Kim and I were not. Governor Cuomo has made that decision a bit easier by strictly enforcing the quarantines for incoming visitors. Having to sit out a 3+ day post-flight period puts a decided damper on the desire to hop on a plane for a quick five hour flight. We are talking about a roadtrip up to visit our friends in Sonoma in early December and even that feels like a risky venture of sorts.

We will most likely do it, so we’ll will hit our regular Fireside Inn in Cambria and then carry on to Sonoma. We will then go to Mendocino (technically Little River, CA) to stay at the Heritage House Resort, which is the hotel where Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn met every year for their trysts in Same Time Next Year. We will try to get that same room, but they do not guaranty that sort of thing since it would probably diminish patronage if people felt disappointed. We tried to get into the Madonna Inn on the way up the coast, to perhaps stay in the famous cave room, but they don’t allow dogs and we declined to stay on account of Betty. I once stayed in the Bugsy Suite at the Flamingo in Las Vegas (before it was torn down for condos) and I think that the bragging rights are only barely worth the frayed and run-down nature of an over-used celebrity suite.

So, it will be off to Yuma this morning and I will have to leave here at about 8:00am to be sure to arrive with enough time to meet Steve as planned. I’m sure to need a stint in the hot tub when I return at 4:00pm with my tales of adventure on the road to and from Yuma.