When last I wrote, the trusty couple of Rick and Tracey were pulling out of the Shell station at 29 Palms heading east on Hwy 62, with a full tank of gas, 2 bottles of water, 100-degree heat and determination to get to Laughlin. Just outside of town the sign read, "No Service for 100 miles." No worries 'cause Ruby can go 125 on a tank of gas, even with the windshield, luggage, passenger and 2 (oops, make that 1) saddlebag.
What we quickly discover about Hwy 62 is: (1) Dead serious about no service for 100 miles, (2) No human beings and/or houses for 100 miles, (3) No road shoulder to pull off if you need to stop - just deep, deep sand, and (4) No shade whatsoever for 100 miles. Are you starting to feel it? Are you visualizing what we're up against? Did I mention it immediately got hotter when we left 29 Palms? Remember the little tidbit of information about Tracey being heat intolerant? Yep, the storm clouds are gathering for the Perfect Storm.
About 20 miles into this leg of our journey, Tracey asks me to stop the next place there's a shoulder because she can't get the water out of the saddlebag. No worry. About 40 miles in, she asks again with a little more urgency in her voice, adding that she really could use a drink of water. 60 miles in she says it a little more forcefully and I offer to pull over. She takes a look at the shoulder and decides that's probably not the best idea - "she can wait" she says. 70 miles into this ride into Satan's living room (now around 105), we come to an intersection AND a place to pull off. There are 3 other motorcycles stopped there, so we pull up and visit with them while Tracey tries to cool off.
After polishing off the water, including pouring some on her head and neck, we jump back on (after all, it's not getting any cooler and there's still no shade)to finish this hellacious ride and get to some A/C and gas at Vidal Junction. We make it - Tracey called it heaven or something like that, and she jumps off the bike to go inside while I take care of Ruby. I pull her into the shade alongside a bunch of Harleys and visit with them as they look Ruby over and ask question after question about her (yes, I'm lovin' this). Then I go inside, drink some water with my Baby, get her cooled down, then we head back out and climb aboard for the last 75-80 miles into Laughlin. Roughly 10 miles down the road it hits me - I DIDN'T GET GAS!!!!!! How could I be so stupid?!?!?! What was I thinking?!?!?! It's now over 105 degrees, we have a quarter tank and we pass a sign that say's, "Next service 50 miles." (How's that for a cliffhanger? --- more later)
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