The Day After Deming
Day #3 consisted of riding from Deming to Phoenix via Tucson on I-10. It was a typical ride from point to point totalling 338 miles. My goal was to have lunch with my Cousin Dionne in Tucson and meet with friends, Ken Usher and Troy Strother in Phoenix for dinner. Ken and Troy are fellow members of Sharkhunters International and I met them both in Germany in Sept. They are two great guys and are well read on WW2 history.
Todays route
I reached Tucson around 1300 hrs and had a delightful lunch with Dionne at a local pub called Famous Sam’s Bar and Grill. It is located only three blocks east of N/B I-10 at exit 252. I sampled their 1/2 lbs Sam Burger which was tender a juicy but they only offered Pepsi so I opted for the iced tea and cole slaw in lieu of french fries. It was a good place to grab a bite and you can watch sports on the many flat screen televisions located within. Click on the photo to go to their website.
Famous Sam’s a good place for a burger or sandwich in Arizona
After catching up on family gossip, I made my way to Phoenix, 109 miles north of Tucson via I-10. Continuing construction zones hamper your progress with reduced speed zones. I noticed a storm front moving in from the west but the usual haze that signals a downpour looked different. With Easterly winds gusts increasing coupled with the tumbleweeds flying across the highway signalled a dust storm. I pulled over briefly 58 miles south of Phoeniz to assess the situation. Many RV’s and Harley Riders decided to take a break. According to the GPS I-10 veers N/E away from the storm front, so I decided to try and beat the heart of the storm.
A Storm’s a brewing!
Into the Abyss!
I caught the leading edge of the rain portion and 44 miles south of Phoenix, I hit the dust portion. I figured a few minutes more and the rain would combine with the dust into mud showers. I was caught in a brief stretch of 10 miles were visibility was greatly reduce, causing the traffic to slow to 25 MPH. I felt like a Hurricane Buster aircraft entering the eye of the storm when I broke through the dust into the sunlight. I could tell the winds were increasing but I was able to make it to the Best Western on Priest Dr before it got any worse.
Left to right; Zeke and Ken Usher. Ken is from England but now lives in the States
I called Troy who was called into work but was pleasantly surprised to find that Ken, who normally lives in Costa Mesa, Ca was visiting Troy. Ken made his way to the Hotel while I washed my riding shorts and socks in the sink and hung them to dry. Ken picked me up in his cage and took me to “The Streets of New York Pizza” restaurant. Troy had told me it was the best pizza he ever had and I think he was right. We ordered their signature pizza and washed it down with some Lager, combined with a full belly, made for sleepy time. I highly recommend you visit one soon, if you are in Arizona.
Hecka good pizza folks!
Tomorrow I make my way into California but I will try to hook up with Troy for lunch before leaving. I dread riding west towards Needles in the afternoon, as you are looking directly into the sun. Only 798 more miles before I hit Tracy, Ca and the home of my friend Tony “Zega” Delgado. I also notified my friend Pete Ullman of Fremont Kawasaki/Honda to get some Metzler tires ready for my bike, which will need new meat and oil for the rest of my trip.
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