Today would bring me home and my adventure across the US to an end; kind of sad really and though it was a great road trip, it is nice to be home; very nice. The trip ended up being a total of two thousand five hundred and eighty five miles and today- the longest; yet, one if the nicest drives of all. It was also the day that the Arizona Highway Patrol and I would meet; officially.

I needed an early start this morning if I was going to make it home as last night I had stopped just as I had crossed the Arizona State line from New Mexico. I still had to cross Arizona, stop and see my good friend Marc Jones and drive from Scottsdale- home.

I got up early, real early, walked outside the hotel room in a t-shirt and jeans and DAMN…..it was cold! Nineteen friggin degrees cold! I did not know it but Springerville Arizona is located at an altitude of just above 7,000 feet. I hit the remote start button for the car and the engine sprang into life. This also meant that the heater and the heated seats came on as well…nice! Ok Steve….it is a truck, though a very nice truck! I’ll get back to that.

I had a quick bite to eat, loaded up on my drug of choice, coffee, and headed down the mountain. I had never been to the White Mountains of Arizona, but, I will be going back!

If you have not been…go! I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Heading down the mountains and into the valley, before Mesa and Scottsdale was fantastic. I had seen the Arizona desert before, but never in the spring. wild flowers blooming, rich, green-fantastic. So fantastic, that I was simply in awe and NOT watching the ol’ speedometer….you know, that little round gauge that tells you how fast your vehicle is traveling. Well, camera in hand (most of the shots on this entire trip were taken this way…do not try this at home and only professionals drivers on a closed course should attempt this….etc.) I was focused on the road and which direction I should point the camera for my next shot. Look….there is just no-way too look through the view finder and drive…it can’t be done…so I would just point the camera and press the shutter button….Anyway I got a glimpse of “him” in the rear view mirror. I had just gone under an over-pass and saw the car. Shit! How fast was I going? Don’t know. Pretty fast? Yup! 80 plus…Oh, double shit! I pulled in behind a truck and set the cruise at 65…yes, the posted speed limit and waited. By the way…no license plate on the truck….no plate frame or paper plate from the dealer; nothin’. Hell, I should have just painted a big friggin bulls-eye on the back! 

I have not had a speeding violation since 1976; high school. No kidding! Now, I am gonna get lit-up. Sure enough…lights on-CRRRRRAP. I turn on my e flashers, pull over and have my license out before he gets to the window. “Do you know how fast you where going” he asks? I swear to God (the guy looks pretty cool) “I have no fucking idea” I said! He grins….but just a snicker of a grin…He is NOT laughing!  Cool, but, it ain’t over yet! I hand him my license, my business card and the dealer plate and tell him…” I am driving home from North Carolina after picking this truck up for a client … I just got caught up in the scenery…I am really sorry”

He checks the stuff out. I stand at the back of the truck…take a couple of flower pictures…these here. He gets out of the cruiser, walks up, hands me my license and the dealer plate and says “You might want to slow it down, have a nice day”. That’s it? Cool! I shake his hand and thank him.

I stopped in Scottsdale and saw my good buddy Marc. We had a bite to eat, caught up a bit and I drove the rest of the way home. I did run into a bit of traffic in Riverside….It was bound to happen once in 2500 miles!!!

The truck, a very nice 2009 Tahoe-I have to admit….I like it. I am not normally a truck guy but, I’ll be the first to tell you that it was comfortable for this long journey and I actually came to like it. It handles well for a big vehicle and with the 6.2 liter motor, it goes!  There were times that I had wished that I were in something else just because the roads were just so much fun…. After reflecting a bit however, had I been in anything even remotely exotic ….I’d be writing this from a cell.

I gotta go to bed…Thanks for listening!

O.C.C.E

Klaus