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Poop
Blatherings From The Editor To some, the ride is what it’s all about; to others, it’s the destination; and to some of us, bringing the ride and destination together with a travel plan all worked out in advance is the object of our desire. The anticipation rises as the planning gets deeper and the ride draws nearer. I love to pour over our maps and search the internet for places to stay and things to do along the way. Never fails, there are always more interesting and sometimes down right strange places to visit than there is time for. A good plan helps squeeze them in. A few years back we got into town at half past dark with no hotel or motel reservations and found all the rooms in town were booked – major construction project near by. Bummer, we had to ride what seemed like another 1,000 miles in the dark, not really sure if the next town would have a room. I’m not the best rider after 8 to 10 hours in the saddle, and adding on several more hours of night riding was not something I wanted to do. Now the plan is for Wanda and I to come into town at the end of the day with a room, a shower and a beer waiting for us. Anything less is barbaric. We’re looking for the comfort of a soft, albeit probably worn out, hotel/motel mattress, sufficient hot and cold running water, and civilized indoor plumbing right next to the bed. Air-conditioning is a given. A room with a Jacuzzi is kewl, although a heated indoor pool with a bubbling hot tub will do nicely. We’re not talking “Resort” here, standard hotel/motel chains and some mom and pop places do just fine. Part of the hotel plan is the restaurant plan. Ideally we’re looking for a full service restaurant with a bar or lounge adjacent to the hotel. Sports bars and Pizza places with pitchers are really neat. After a long, hot day on the road, a couple of cold beers taste sooo good…but go right to my head. Don’t want to have to negotiate unfamiliar local city streets on the bike with a beer buzz going on. Walking or stumbling distance to our room is preferred. Even with the best planning, things can go wrong. Not too long ago we stopped for the night at a hotel I’d chosen that didn’t look anything like what was on its web site or brochure. Seems all hotel/motel rooms look the same with your eyes closed; unfortunately, they don’t all smell the same. Luckily in the neighborhood there was a good restaurant that served barley and hops beverages that helped salvage a bummer of a hotel. Without a tasty meal and a couple of beers I don’t think we would have survived that place. We won’t be going back anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong, just taking off one afternoon with the only plan being to be back before Monday isn’t a bad plan. One man’s adventure is another man’s ordeal. My motto: POOP (Prevent Ordeals - Organize & Plan). Deryle & Wanda, POOPing our way around Arizona.
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