My first Solo Camping Trip: Phoenix to North Rim and back.

Alrighty! I finally grew up and bought a sensible bike. Had to start planning a trip ASAP! Who cares that you live in the desert, you're a boss at drinking water!
HA! Wow, was it hot. But, keep hydrated, and you're not really losing much energy just sitting in the heat. Sweat and water are powerful.

I procrastinated on planning until the weekend before, so reservable campsites were thin. Luckily, I got one at Jacob Lake, about an hour from the North Rim, and in a high enough elevation that it would be pretty cool. That was only open for Sunday night. Thus, I didn't have to plan much in that regard. I didn't want to take any highways or straight roads, but there wasn't much to work with in the desert, other than significantly lengthen the trip. But, being my first solo venture, the goal here was to get my feet wet. I think it turned out rather well in that regard. The Map(821 miles there and back):

I looked up plenty of lists, and blogs, and tips for what to bring, what to do, how to be safe, blah blah blah. Then I ignored most of it. The one blog had very sound advice. Take what you think you'll need, list it all, and cross off what you didn't use. Use that list for the next trip, and try again. Didn't use the lighter, but I'm gonna keep it on the list, just in case... The camp chair may seem extraneous, but I had the room, why not? Left home about 8AM. Meant to leave at 6, but just couldn't get out of bed. Sunday morning, so I had Saturday to prepare.One of the most useful things I brought was a $.98 spray bottle from Wal-Mart. Every stop, I'd drench my face, hair and chest. Less drips, more saved water. Evaporation is KEY, people. I had one water bottle in the tank bag, and ice/water in the Stanley, tied to the trunk. That Stanley... Is amazing. :

About 20 miles in(still on the highway, heading to the east edge of Phoenix), and I was second guessing myself. The net was letting the tent slide into my back, and I was already sweaty. About this point in time, I realized that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. At all. Suck it up buttercup, the campsite already has your $30. When I got off the highway, I pulled into the shade of a Discount Tire to fix my pack. I bought paracord at Home Depot, just expecting to need it for something. Here it was. Non-bungee is a much better way to secure loose items. Pull it tight, and tie it shut.

On the road again! No more highway! Cooled ever so slightly rising up a little on 260, but plenty of desert to go. On up, the straight gave way to sweepers that woke me up a little. Didn't have any coffee, as it's a diuretic. I had the phone in the Ram mount, which has been fine so far, for a couple weeks since I've had it. But, for the trip, I hooked it up to the charger for the first time, ever. With the battery warming from charge, and the bigass screen absorbing the sun, it quickly decided to turn itself off "for my safety". The route was pretty easy, but that doesn't mean I want to be without my GPS! What if I miss a turn!?!

Nearly thought I did once. And stopped on the side of the road to check the hard copy map. Paper maps are so much more difficult without that convenient blue dot, telling you where you are... At this point, I was up in the forest, on 260/87 where it turns left to stay on just 260. But my route had me going straight, onto just 87 (I hate when they double name roads.) until Lake Mary Rd and Happy Jack. Passing Mormon Lake was weird, because the southern part is "Upper" Mormon Lake, and the northern part is "Lower"... Finally got to Flagstaff, and panic ensued. Big city, no GPS! Ok, not panic... A very friendly gas station attendant informed me that it's really easy to get out: Stay straight. So I did. But first, I stopped for lunch at the Five Guys next door, and proceeded to bury my kickstand in their parking space while enjoying my single hamburger, lettuce, pickle, raw onion, not grilled, and a bowl of peanuts. The a/c was great. It really wasn't that hot in Flag. I think they're up at a mile elevation, so maybe in the mid 90s.



Woops.

Onward. Proceeded up the main road, which turned east, and then I saw all the cool local restaurants! Dammit, should have ate at one of them instead. Oh well again. Big signs to turn north onto 89. Prepare for 150 miles of desert. Started with pine trees, but they slowly gave way to bushes and shrubbery, which then turned to grass, then, dirt. Piles of gravel. More dirt. Hot wind. Straight lines. Boring. Stupid drivers holding up the passing sections. Bah. The way up was painful. Stopped frequently, not for gas, but for water and spray bottle breaks. Station people must have thought I was an idiot. I just hated stopping to let all the slow people get ahead again. Just eat the miles.

Picture of leaving Flag:


Went through Cameron, up to 89A, crossed the Colorado River, headed west. Not much to talk about here. There are lots of little "Indian Jewelry" huts on the side of the road. By huts, I mean 8 ft square 2x6 plank shelters with 3 walls and half a roof, with hand painted signs. All of them were empty. Too hot for that shit. Even for natives. The VErmilion Cliffs extended on the east side for a good bit. Big red rock. I realized how little I cared about it, and wondered what made me care to go see the Grand Canyon? I've already been to the South Rim. Same thing, different view? idk. But here I was, sweating, yet drying out. Except my bum. Ermagferkinerd, my bum. I despise this seat. I hate the cheap leather, and I hate the brick underneath it. These were the thoughts going through my head. But, it's actually true still.

Sidebar: I fancy myself a pretty crafty little dude. I sculpted multiple densities of foam onto the Daytona seat, waterproofed it, covered with mesh, and it was a genuine couch cushion on a sportbike. I plan to do the same to this one whenever I get a spare weekend. End Sidebar.

Finally at some elevation, the scenic overlook has two ladies beginning to pack up their shops. I stop to buy the wife a trinket, and take a couple pictures.



Get going, through a couple cool rock passes, and BOOM! Trees, cooler temps, heaven. I was so giddy, I was literally laughing in my helmet. I didn't die!!!! Lmao. Right next to the campsite is a gas station, lodge, and restaurant. Stopped for food. YUM. They have an orange basil dressing, like a vinaigrette, but not sour. I coulda drank that shit. Went with a cold ham and swiss. Hot food sounded awful. The fries were cheap frozen and reheated. Sandwich filled me up, though. Still trying to figure out if they put crack in that dressing.

Finally at the camp site! Shit, it's getting dark, get the tent up!




Easy peezy. Cheapo $25 Ozark Trail tent from Wally. I had originally thought I wouldn't even need the sleeping bag, seeing the scorching weather the desert was expecting, but it actually got down to the 50s that night. Good thing I brought the bag. But I was loving the chill. Brought an inflatable pool raft and a mini bicycle pump. Definitely made a decent little air mattress, but my arms were not happy by the end of the pumping. I had a "Slime" electric pump with battery tender leads at one point in time, but it sprung a leak. Need to add that to the list.

I read in one of the blogs that it's a good idea to put the bike on the centerstand in gravel, so it doesn't sink. It was perfectly fine on the kickstand, but ok whatevs, better safe than sorry.
Nope. Heave it up, and it starts leaning.
Far.
Oh shit far.
The right foot was sinking. Don't know how, but I got on it, used my right foot to hold it up while rocking front and back to get the stand back up. Probably looked funny to my neighbors... Phew. Rolled up closer to the road where anybody else would have had their cars, and packed the gravel better. Went up without a hitch.



Ok, now what. I didn't bring any books. I have crap for cell service. No wood. No friends. People around are enjoying their family and friends. I introduced myself to one set of neighbors, but they didn't seem too receptive. Kids my age, mid-20s, too. Touring from Michigan. Maybe cuz I'm an Ohio native. I went back to my cold dark chair. And to bed shortly after.

NEW DAY! HUNKY DORY! Everybody's up and excited! Pack it all up, and head out. First stop, the North Rim. Got to go through forest roads. That meant sweepers and curves. If only there wasn't always a slow car in front of me. That also meant bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Decent size flies, many of which were juicy with blood, so they stuck to the visor. You'd think I'd learn not to wipe them though. They smeared awful. it was rough for vision, but I got used to it. And I stopped 3 times to wipe, using my handy dandy spray bottle! Then, got pissy cuz the slow cars got in front again. Some of those turns just begged for speed. Then it opened up. Some kind of forest fire ravaged a big chunk of land in the recent past.



le sad.

Saw a little herd of bison right before entering the park area. Pretty cool, but I didn't want to stop and gawk like the other vehicles. Big animals don't exactly make me feel comfortable, on a motorcycle either.

There was noone at the guard shack, so no fee to get in...? Weird. But nice!
Helmet was gross. I had a butterfly wing glued to my brake lever, and a couple of bees in my crotch. Dead, luckily.



That wasn't even the worst of the bugs. Got off the bike, and there were gnats everywhere. No-see-ums as the locals call them. Only I saw them. From the parking lot to the visitor center, to the edge of the rime to the trail to Bright Angel's Point. I saw the clouds of them, saw them speckle my shirt, and heard them in my ears, and felt them in my nose, eyes and mouth. 40% Deet spray seemed to have a little effect maybe, but I drenched myself in it. But, I lived. The views were cool.









So, that's that. Time to go home


I didn't take any pictures on the way home. I was focused on getting through the desert. It was even hotter on Day 2. The north desert at 111, and Phoenix scratching 120.
I pounded some miles though. Tell you what, 100 degree tar strips are literally oil strips in the road. My ass acted like it loved the seat, it puckered up so hard on a few occasions. Even on straights, going 90 ish mph, if you're anything but perfectly upright, it just squirts you over. Drank a lot of water, drenched myself, and kept on pushing. Got to Flag around 2:30, so I chowed Chipotle. Figure it definitely won't be my last time up there. I'll sample restaurants later, when it's not so damn hot.

Leaving Flag, I thought it might be cool enough to put the phone on the Ram mount. I thought wrong. Whatever, it's easy. It did get charged overnight with a couple portable batteries I brought. The cooler forest area was soooooo nice. And the roads had turns! it was heaven all over again. Having just held a steady 90+ mph for a couple hours, I was not ready to slow down. Fun stuff. But, being Monday, there was traffic, so I was careful. Mindful of the many trucks. They were cutting down trees by the road near Happy Jack, so they had the road down to one lane for at least 3/4 mile. Had an escort vehicle, and made one direction stop until he got the one line of people through, then he turned around, and brought us through. Weird, but it worked. Through Strawberry, gas in Pine, stopped in Payson for another drink.

Last leg! Oh man, it was a good one. A lot more sweeping turns, in two lanes one way, so I was just cruising along. Then, a freaking Honda minivan comes up and straight up passes my ass. I'm sitting there like, dam. I don't think he was in a hurry, just cruising along too. So, I picked it up a hair, and we just went. I gave him plenty of room, so he wouldn't feel like I was trying to ride his butt or pass him, but it was great. It was hot, but I didn't care now. Reminded me of "The Pace". If you haven't read it, google it.

Then we came up on an ego. A miata or something. Not to be outdone by a van and a "crotchrocket(in looks only)", he sped up to stay in front. Only he was having a hard time, because his foot kept slipping over to the left pedal for turns. I'm back here, third in line, giving these guys room, and I felt bad for the minivan. He was on Miata's butt, trying to get the point through. Get over, you tool. So, when Miata braked, then van had to. I occasionally had to, but engine braking is grand. This continued for a while. We came up on another cluster. Two trailers in the right lane, and a gramps hanging out next to them, holding up another line. Slowing considerably, we waited it out. Eventually grmaps got over, but Miata was holding us up. Like the traffic jam scared him. The trailing trailer eventually got sick of the density of cars on an otherwise empty stretch of road, so he blasted the horn. No avail. I got uncomfortable then, too. So I got out of Dodge. Squeezed through, and said goodbye to my friend, mr. smooth in the van. Then stepped it up for a couple miles to get away from the mess. Never saw them again, so they must have kept at their idiocy.

Finally got into Phoenix, and felt the blast of freshly opened oven door. Home sweet home. One more stop for water. Advice: Stop for water. If it's any bit hot out at all. Heck, even if it isn't hot. The wind sucks the water out of you. KEEP DRINKING! I've felt dehydration before. It is not fun at all. Took my still ice from the morning gas station stop, and rubbed it everywhere like a porno. I literally put ice cubes in my pockets, just to sit there and melt. Held a couple in my hands and rubbed my face, hair, neck, whatever. It felt so good. Then I saw the sprinklers come on for some apartments across the street. Never before had I felt so much temptation... But, I held back. I was already soaked. The next step is just to get home, and into the a/c. Uneventful highway jaunt though the tail end of rush hour.

Home. Fin.

 

Although I didn't get to read your whole post, looks like you made it back in one piece!

When dealing with vehicles like the Miata, we (my usual riding posse) usually will cross over that "virtual barrier" and get around them as quickly as possible. Of course this is not only sketchy at times, but if any PoPo would happen to see it, instant "performance award" would likely be issued!

 

Hey rsparky. Sounds like you had an amazing time and those are some fantastic pictures. Glad you enjoyed the ride, with maybe the odd exception, but as AM discovered and not that long ago I might ad, the ummmmmmm glitches and bumps in the ride if you will, just add to the ADVENTURE.

Not sure there AM, but I think you might have become this years ENABLER. LOL

 

" I was literally laughing in my helmet"

I love when that happens :nod:

Great write-up Thanks!

 

I enjoyed reading your trip report. Good write-up!! Riding in upper 90s and 100! Wow! I tolerate 80s and low 90s. If it's cloudy I'd rather ride when it's 50s outside.
One day I have to try the ride n camp thing. Sounds exciting but I know it's the last thing I want to do after a long hot ride.

 

Yah, I have an Altoids tin I leave in the trunk for puck. It works pretty well. But, with the net, and all the cord tied up, there was no opening that until I got to my destination. Next trip, I plan to have a few better ways of securing my stuff. U bolts in the walls of the trunk, and a bracket on top.

I really really reaaally wanted to continue going North, but I told myself I'd make the trip easy. But just a little further is Bryce, Zion, angels leap, plenty of roads in Utah. My boss is an avid tourer, so he gave me plenty of ideas and pushed me to go further. Next time. And probably next time I'll head west then up. See hoover dam, roll through Vegas, cut through Utah, maybe cross Lee's ferry this time, maybe not. Could skim Colorado maybe.

Or none of it, and just head west to the beach. Then maybe up to the giant redwoods. I definitely want to see those. While I'm up there, see what everybody is raving about this Pacific Northwest stuff lol.

 

Yah. I've acclimated pretty well, living here for only two years. But commuting every day. Water is key. It's so dry here, that sweat is your best friend. Just gotta keep the glands full. If you're not peeing, you're not drinking enough. And I barely peed but like 3 times. While chugging gallons.

Setting up the tent was relaxing. It was cooler, and like I said, it's a ridiculously cheap tent. The camping was good,if not a wee bit boring once all set up.

 

Nice, absolutely Nice. like the write up, love the photos. Whats the one looking at your boots? very interesting BTW Nice bike too Whats an adventure with out some hurdles, less the bugs right?

 

The boots are showcasing the hole in the asphalt lol.

 

I knew there was a point, but didn't read or missed it, that and the photo was like asking, ok whats going on...