As one chapter came to a close with another soon to open, I left Santa Barbara. My plan had been to leave around noon with the hope of reaching Laughlin, Nevada by the end of the day, but saying goodbye shouldn't be rushed.
Regardless, I was able to get on the road around 2pm and went by the beach to take a few pictures and to finally get my feet in the Pacific.
From there I headed south on the 101 and then caught 150 to Ojai Valley.
Below is a link to the first day's route:
Google Maps Link - Day 1
Ojai really is a neat little town and the scenery was fantastic.
The road leading out of Ojai and on to Barstow where I finally stopped for the night was a great blend of twist, turns and scenery
Saturday, February 23, 2013 - Barstow, CA to Prescott, AZ
Below is a link to the secod day's route:
Google Maps Link - Day 2
One of the great things about a trip like this is the ability to re-evaluate planned routes and adjust on a whim. Saturday morning in the lobby of the Best Western, I decided that a little detour to travel Route 66 for a while would be worthwhile. After a quick breakfast, I saddled up and started to head out when I saw this across the street:
Yep, that's a tent under the tree in the median. I guess I wasn't the only one looking for affordable accommodations the night before.
After a short ride down the interstate, I took an exit and found myself on Route 66.
Riding an empty road like this gives you so much time to think and wonder. Time moves so quickly and the things we build seem so temporary.
The ride into Laughlin and on to Arizona was beautiful and the roads were almost completely empty. All in all, just about perfect.
Sunday, February 24, 2013 - Prescott to Tempe
My original plan had been to get up in the morning and ride up to Sedona before heading down to Tempe but midnight in Prescott brought snow and I decided to sleep in a bit and make time for a long breakfast and leave Sedona for another day.
The ride down to Tempe was mostly interstate and not of much note but there were plenty of mountains in the distance that left a promise of new roads, new sights and fresh coffee for another day.
