One week from today, we will be rolling south. "Um, you don't have 7 fingers, do you, Jim?" No, but thanks for asking. I'm talking about the number of motorcycle rides I'm going to get in before we start the packing up process and get the bikes strapped down in the cargo trailer.
Today was one of those rides. Another hot one, with predicted highs in the mid to upper 90s. I got out early (ish)... well, around 9:00. It was already too hot to wear an armored jacket or shirt, but I did have my mesh riding pants on. I planned to keep it a relatively short (ish) ride.
Out of Hart Ranch, then left on Spring Creek Rd...
At the end of Spring Creek, another left onto Neck Yoke Rd...
Wild turkeys!
Hard to see in that image above, even harder to see when coming at them at 50 mph. I split the flock - you can see two of them in the other lane (they moved fast), another half dozen or so on the right side (in the shadow), and a few more on the left side.
Continuing on Neck Yoke Rd...
The intersection of Neck Yoke and S. Rockerville Roads (above), and rolling south on S. Rockerville...
The guy holding up traffic in the next image was at the peak of a hill, making an issue for traffic going either way...
No idea why he decided to stop in that location - there was room for him to make the turn and get off the road. Continuing...
Another left onto Hwy 40 - the first hint of some fall color in the trees...
Hwy 40 has a 55 mph speed limit and some nice sweeping curves...
And a steep 15% grade...
I swapped the camera from the chin mount on my helmet to a handlebar mount, looking through the windshield...
Well, looking back on that image above, then looking through the windshield...
Going east, so looking into the sun on those images above. At the end of Hwy 40, another left onto the 4 lane Hwy 79...
About 10 miles on that, then another left onto Spring Creek Road and into Hart Ranch...
Other than turkeys and the dumbass hauling an old Jeep, the traffic was surprisingly light for a holiday weekend. Good ride. Then back into air conditioned comfort in the motorhome.
2 comments:
OK, Jim, it's time for a recap for my old mind. Your new place is two houses in one? Until today I thought you had one home and your kids had a separate one. I would love to see a floor plan of your new house.
Hi Jeff - yes, it is two homes in one. It is called a NextGen home. One side is smaller than the other, but we are sharing some of the room in the bigger side, giving me a music room, and a shared laundry room and additional bathroom.
I used to consider the concept a "Mother-in-law" suite, but these have separate entrances, garages, air conditioners, thermostats, kitchens, etc. There is an adjoining door between the two units.
https://www.lennar.com/new-homes/arizona/phoenix/laveen/dobbins-village/signature/trillium-plan-4585/floorplan
Our daughter and son-in-law have no kids, so bedroom 2 in their side will be Dan's office and bedroom 3 will be my music room.
We looked at some duplex options, but didn't care for the layout. This works for all 4 of us. Steph has been lobbying for something like this for years. I was the holdout... until I saw this layout.
Can we all live together in this arrangement? We think so. We love spending time with our daughter and son-in-law, but we'll each have our own space. We've discussed some "ground rules" and have all been open about any concerns. Travel for either couple will be easier, with someone there to keep an eye on things. One address, so never having to forward mail again. We picked out a lot that gives us a decent size back yard, with both units having a view of South Mountain. Steph and Dan both have good jobs there and like living in Phoenix; living in a big city will be an adjustment for Joan and me. Good access for getting out of town and to shopping, medical, etc. My long time friend and music partner lives about a half hour away.
There are even floorplans that include an RV garage (nothing that suited us for the rest of the living space, though).
We have been spending a couple months in the Phoenix (in our RVs) for as long as our daughter and son-in-law have been living there (over 2 decades). We love being able to spend time together, but each have our own space. Since we are happily boatless these days, we are OK with moving away from the water, and had been considering "where to?" options for a few years.
I understand actuarial charts and look forward to spending time together in these "golden years."
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