May 28, 2015
Miles: 50
Ash Fork to Valle
I am posting this very short message tonight to let you know that we made it safely to Valle. Unfortunately, we have limited wireless capabilities tonight. We tried uploading our pictures and after 1 hour, no pictures had completely loaded so we were forced to terminate the job. I then tried to upload pictures with my personal hotspot to no avail.
So tomorrow we will try again, and if not successful, perhaps find a place locally with better WiFi access. For tonight, I will leave you with this...
When we arrived at the B&B, Judy the woman who owns the place, said
Steve’s package had arrived. It was the alternate
camera that Andy had sent him. Steve is very, very happy; we plan to be riding through the Grand Canyon - South Rim on Saturday, so it came just in time. Great planning and execution on Andy’s part ... thanks A, you saved the day, not to mention you made your dad very happy!
________________________________________________________POST UPDATES BELOW THIS POINT ....
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Our routine every morning, as soon as we wake, is to check
the blog for comments. I guess I
shouldn’t have been too surprised to find this morning no one commented; even
our two most avid commenters Toni-Ann and Jen decided to pass this
morning. We took this as a sign that last
night’s post was uninspiring and frankly, just not acceptable! So, since we were
able to find better WIFI access, we were able to successfully upload pictures, hence this update; hopefully, a more inspiring post to describe a little better yesterday’s events.
Let me bring you back to the night we spent in Ash
Fork. Where we were forced (I mean
grateful), to stay in a campground. Let
me explain. Camping is great! I mean it.
Under the right circumstances, I repeat - the right circumstances, it is
just perfect! For instance take the
night there in Ash Fork. As Steve previously posted,
it was either the $29 hotel room or the RV Campground. A no brainer right? I actually don’t mind camping all that
much. There are many advantages such as
there are no distractions like a TV; no negotiating over which side of the bed
you want to sleep on, and no one tugging all night at the blankets because we
both have our own sleeping bag. Also, as
soon as the sun goes down, your internal clock kicks in and says time for
bed. So by 8:30pm your eyes start to
close; a few minutes later you are out cold.
Now, in the morning, it is a different story. Leaving the campground is always a production
because of packing of the tent, sleeping bags and mat. Getting on the road seems to take
forever. However does that really
matter? You are up at the crack of dawn so who really cares. This morning we were on our bikes at 7:15am and ordering breakfast by 7:30am.
The Morning Pack |
Another Great Breakfast |
Steve in our kitchen |
At 7:55am we walked over to the main house where breakfast was
being served. Judy and Eva, the chef,
were both waiting for us. Both were very
sweet and happy to see us. Judy, even offered us her car for us to drive to the Canyon. We thanked her, but passed because we wanted today to be a rest day, and because we are
riding tomorrow and plan to stay in the Grand Canyon Village. Eva had prepared blueberry pancakes, eggs,
poppy muffins, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and freshly brewed
coffee. Tonight, Eva will cook us a
private dinner for two, a service the B&B provides, so we opted to partake.
Not bad under the right circumstances right? A great place with great
services, and with very friendly people.
Other than the spotty WIFI access and an occasional wiff of horse in our
kitchen, this place is just perfect!
On Road Shot |
So, yesterday it was another beautiful day weatherwise. Sunny and 80s, wind at our backs. Even with these conditions, yesterday was a long
and difficult climb. At times we were climbing grades between 8%-10%. Sloooow riding. We hit elevation 7000 twice. However, we didn’t stay there long, because as soon as
we crested the second peak we started our descend. Woo hoo!
We rode 50 miles in all.
More pictures as we rode...
Steve Feeling Good! |
Steve feeling not so good! |
Steve good again! |
Steve doing his own thing ... doesn't he always! |
I am happy to report, we no longer have to worry about snakes and scorpions; away with my rattlesnake whip.
Where is my bear bat!
Not so cute! |
However, we rode through the cutiest little town called Williams. The main street sits on the Old Route
66. It was a bit commercialized but it
is a perfect option for those who want to stay outside the Grand Canyon. We rode by a restaurant with a band playing outside
on the patio; it is a happening
town. Steve just loved riding on this
road. He sang ‘get your kicks on route
66’ all day.
Steve loved this sign! |
Last night we ate at a local restaurant that had very good
food. We both order the salmon and even celebrated making it this far by having
one Guiness each.
Thorough Enjoyment |
Di, you sure look happy in that tent! Come on, camping is fun! Thanks for the update, I was feeling out of the loop today.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Eva and Judy sound like gems! Enjoy the ride around the Canyon! Can't wait to see those pictures with that great working camera! Thanks to Andy!
ReplyDeleteYou both are having amazing weather: no rain! The beautiful blue skies are just how I remember it the 2 times I was out there, by car. Glad you are camping too! Di, I love your tent!!
ReplyDelete