Overland Expo, part I
The hardest part of getting anywhere is just getting out of town…
I hadent had much time for planning. This years overland expo took place less then one week after a complete engine rebuild on the Royal Enfiield motorcycle. In the meantime School and work kept me busy pulling 65+ hour work weeks. running on schedule like this one looses touch with their freedom and ambition and more or less abuses their their body and soul. All account for some sort of barrier that makes less caring and less in touch with those desires that make do the things that will rejuvenate us.
I planned to head south to Amado, AZ right after school on Friday. At about midnight Friday morning the bike was only half packed. A Valve adjustment, chain adjust, and running check were still on the to do list. By about two the bike was packed. After a few hours of sleep the mechanical work was complete and i was running off to school with breakfast and coffee in hand. Class couldnt have been slower working on BMW motorcycles wondering if the Royal Enfield named Pandora would make it.
When I got home from school the road only seemed rougher and as i questioned my Pandora’s recent engine rebuild more signs pointed to “no, don’t go”. some signs are best ignored even if you loose your keys six times, trip on the garage stairs, and realize there is a penny stuck in your clutch case as the toilet floods your bathroom with over an inch of water and it is heading for your pile of laundry on the floor.
heading out of town was not any easier… The bike only cruises about 50mph downwind and the highways are 65 in town. I managed to make to the South side of Phoenix without much mishap only paranoia at the noisy engine and vehicles approaching from the rear at 75mph. When i got to the city limits i missed my exit. it was just as i saw the speed limit switching to 75mph ahead that I also heard police sirens behind.
“Evening officer!”
“You realize how fast you were going on that thing?”
“ummm, I am not going to get speeding ticket am I?”
“Not likely, is that as fast as you can go?”
“Well… she will 70 but only for a few seconds to be safe! I seem to have missed the exit for the back road”, pointing at the map on my tank bag.
“you are going to have to exit there”, as he pointed at the overpass a mile back. I new it would be hard enough to get back on the highway but nearly swallowed my tongue when i realized i had to cross the highway drive down into the cactus infested median and maintain enough speed to hop into the northbound fast lane with oncoming traffic at 75mph.
I powered the bike through the median fishtailing through cacti and jumped the shoulder into the northbound lane. When Pandora hit the pavement she shook unimaginal speed wobble as went I wide open throttle as the traffic grew larger and larger in the rear view mirror. It didn’t take long to make it back to our exit in those conditions. When i got back off the high way i was excited to see a street with my last name ‘Price’ as a namesake. I quickly took this road in excitement. Speeding around the corner with momentum from my high way exit i hit gravel and quickly realized this road was a dead end under construction.
