Rounding Out the Red Mountain

Forgive the lack of photo material to go along with this post, but I've only recently pulled the camera out of the box it was in for the move to Arizona, and the batteries were dead, dead, dead.

Last night, and for the first time in my life I have attended a highway opening. Not the actual ceremony...I wasn't interested in listening to Governor Napolitano run rhetorical or political about the 1/2 cent tax bond enacted in the 80s that made the completion of Red Mountain Highway (AZ Loop 202) possible.

No, instead I went for a bicycle ride on the newly laid blacktop, and let me tell you, that road is SMOOTH.

Well, I went for a bike ride for a half mile or so, then I dismounted and walked the bike through an ever thickening throng of people. Based on the number of people who attended, you would think the opening of a highway was some form of gala event, and maybe it was.

Exhibit booths were set up along both sides of the highway running about half a mile each way north and south of the McKellips Road bridge, with enough free water provided to keep the attendees from dying in the heat of the Arizona sun. Two food vendors were passing out samples to encourage people to swing by their restaurants. One, Famous Dave's Pit BBQ will be getting some business from me soon. I've only been in Mesa for two weeks, and already I miss Texas BBQ.

Everyone I passed or spoke to was very friendly, and the party-goers (if that's what you can call them) seemed to be having a genuinely fun time - especially the children. Everywhere I looked, I could see children of all ages on scooters, bicycles, and skateboards. Families brought out tandem bicycles and even one dual tandem bicycle which sat four people two-abreast.

The people watching experience was great, the people were great, and the event was just all around good fun.

Me vs Ansel Adams

This last Christmas, I took a trip to the Grand Canyon and took some pics and upon returning home found that my memory card was blank...i had no clue what had happened to my photos. I was rather upset about it and set the card aside for awhile and recently found the SanDisk Recovery Utility and gave it a spin. It recovered all of my files and I processed my first pic.

SHortly after I made my pic I was at the bookstore, they had an ansel adams book laying out and when we opened it, the page we opened it to had a picture taken of the same rock formation...I did not know that when i had taken the pic and it was sheer coincidence but i found it interesting. The angles are slightly different but are almost from the same spot (mine is slight right of his shot).

This Ansel Adam's photo as well as 223 other companions by Ansel Adams were commissioned by the Park service in 1936 and are located in the national archives.

I wonder what he could have accomplished with today's technology?

A Moving Experience

When moving companies give you time lines for making things like actual moving reservations, don't believe them.

For the purposes of this brief observation, I'll call the moving companies that I was primarily involved with MC1 and MC2. I had worked out a walk-thru with both MC1 and MC2 a few weeks ago, and they both advised me to make a reservation three weeks in advance of my move. I informed the representatives from both moving companies that I would not have a final destination address until after June 11th. The reps from both companies were fine with this, and said that wouldn't be a problem since my moving date was June 27^th.

Upon my return from Mesa, AZ, and identification of my future residence, I called MC1 and was informed that my rep was no longer an employee, and that arrangement of my move would not be possible due to a lack of carrier capacity during the time frame for my move. Strike one against my move.

Following that let-down, I called the rep from MC2 who set me up for a move date, and I thought the ball was rolling. I thought wrong. The following morning MC2's rep called and informed me that they too had a carrier capacity problem. My options were gone. Strike two for the move.

As a result I am currently waiting for a motorcycle trailer and a U-Haul confirmation in order that I might be able to move to Mesa next weekend.

I still have no definite answers and won't on either until Tuesday. What fun! Ain't life grand?

Motorcycle Stop - Leakey, TX

My friend Jason is the owner of the lone standout in this crowd of bikes. His BMW R900R is parked directly to the rear of my Ultra Classic, which is in the front. This photo was taken in May, when we rode the Hill Country.

The Road is Long

Just the pavement on a road in the Texas Hill Country.