Everyone knows the temperatures in the Desert Southwest in July are hot. We experienced some of that heat as we started our journey home.

We left the hotel early; we were on the road by 6 a.m. The temperature was cool and for awhile on I-15 we rode through fog. Traffic, however, was very slow as we headed south. We eventually found the source of the problem; the north-bound lanes were closed due to an accident. We managed to cover only 90 miles in the first two hours.

I-8 goes through some mountains then descends to a valley. We dropped from 4000 ft. to sea level in just a few miles and the temperature jumped 20 deg. to 109. We stopped for gas and put on our wet vests. There was another group of Motor Maids at the gas station. They weren’t wearing jackets and didn’t have wet vests. We saw them later in the day and they admitted they weren’t prepared for such heat.

In addition to the temperature, the gas prices were the highest we’ve encountered on the trip.

We stopped occasionally to re-wet our vests and just kept moving east. The highest temperature we noticed was 112 deg., but most of the day it was 109 deg.

Beth was born in Yuma, AZ, so we got off the highway to take a brief look at the city. We visited the historic district and the visitor’s center.

We had our picnic lunch at a gas station that had some tables out front.

The door handles to the convenience store were insulated. Duh!

One of the gas stations we stopped at had a dinosaur theme.

We spent the night in Benson, AZ and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant across the street from the hotel.

The next morning we got back on the road early again to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. We were able to ride 170 miles before stopping for gas and to put on the wet vests. Temperatures were much lower – in the upper 80s and 90s. We lunched at a truck stop that had picnic tables.

We stopped at the Prada store (an art project) west of Valentine, TX to take pictures. This is the third bike I’ve ridden to the store. (The second was my Trophy, but I can’t find a picture of the bike.) Beth was with me on that trip.

In 2015 – My 2010 Road Glide and Drew’s Tiger

In 2017 with Beth.

2019 and my 2017 Road Glide

We checked into the Stone Village Tourist Camp and shopped for a few groceries next door at the market.

There is a nest of baby Barn Swallows just outside our door. It’s time for them to leave the nest. The mother watched from a distance, but they are still too frightened to fly away. One of them flutters its wings, but just won’t let go. A fourth flies by occasionally to urge them on, but they are having none of it.

Tomorrow we are going sight-seeing in Ft. Davis.