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"The Oasis of my Soul"... A Lifelong Journey on the road...

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I have been feeling like in another Planet (with capital “P”) since we have arrived here yesterday.
With my good luck this is an awesome campground, the most remote one as I found out today.
Isolation... total silence... Joshua Trees and many rocks... as you will see in the Blog.

Be well... enjoy...

Ara and Spirit (UralGrowl)

Today was a great day, peaceful and joyful. I have been receiving quite a few e mails from readers that have been enjoying the Journey, and as I was deep in thoughts about my days here, timing could not have been any better receiving an e mail from a good friend of mine, a kind man, and at the same time, quite a sidecar fabricator, Claude Stanley. His words are words to be read everyday as, his own purpose in life is to also spread joy and happiness amongst us... that is just the way he is!
I want to share this e mail with you all... I know it will make you think about your own life, regardless where you are and regardless what you are doing.
We then took a ride through the Park, a bit of blue skies today... it is all in the Blog...
Sit back and enjoy... and just think how fortunate I am to have a friend like Claude!
Be well...

Ara and Spirit

Where was Plan B?

Ah! A lesson learned... a few maybe... we literally spend the whole day from here to there without
the conclusion that should have materialized... Poor Spirit, quietly put up with it... I was disappointed of the outcome... you can read this great day on the Blog...

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

From The Hole in the Wall to Lake Havasu...

Retreat has become a habit these past couple of days!... What was I thinking trying to camp at the Hole in the Wall in the Mojave Desert without checking the forecast first!
Mid 20's at night, wind blowing at 40mph, hail... and I should really change the spelling of that word...
We are now south of Lake Havasu City... nice BLM land... there is something to be said about BLM land! We did the full circle... in pictures on the Blog.

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

A Day in Town...

That is Lake Havasu City... nice town... Dogie Bakery... motorcycle shops... drivers are not crazy as other parts of the country... all and all... pretty mellow I have to say!
The Fireworks Convention starts tonight... the best of the best for two nights!
My friend Jkam is coming to visit for a couple days... he was very instrumental in my preparations for this Journey. We have never met... quite some exciting times ahead.
Yesterday is gone... but still remains in the Blog...

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

A Homeless gathering...

It has been a great time having JKam over, we are small numbers but... we did call it a Homeless Riders Get Together!... Wondering how many more are out there with no ties to any walls and their live’s possession’s at hand! JKam is on a Journey as I am, with a deeper Soul than most, the contrast of being unattached to material possessions makes us dig in deeper into the true essence of life.
We have been lounging around for a couple days now!... Spirit has a new friend, we have shared some great food and many conversations...
Sunrises and Sunsets have been our clock, some great Fireworks seen happening in town... as I have written and pasted the pictures of these couple days in the Blog!

You be well...

Ara & Spirit

Historic Rt66 to Oatman, AZ.

Our last day here, south of Lake Havasu City... it has been a fine and quiet time, a great place to set up camp, besides a few disrespectful dirt riders not slowing down creating waves of dust!
The town has been convenient to get supplies... I did not want to miss the chance to ride Historic 66 to Oatman... First however we rode south on spur 95 making a long loop... thousands of trailers and RV’s that way... sand dunes... and some pictures on the Blog.

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

New Friends in Kingman, AZ.

We are finally settled by Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Why plan any routes since I don’t follow them anyhow!... Left Kingman this morning, actually passed through Las Vegas... I will give you my impressions on the next go around. Yesterday was a smooth ride from Lake Havasu to the Hospitality of Mark, Angie and his wonderful family... including a personal tour in his hangar and some late cooking for everyone... Definitely no dinner for me tonight... but last night was a good one!

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

To Red Rock Canyon, NV.

We have arrived at Red Rock Canyon and it is cold and windy. A shock to the system for the both of us, we were getting used to running around all day in a T Shirt! For the first time I had to put some rocks at the base of the Dish, even though anchored, 30mph winds with gusts of 50 just did not make me trust that anchor.
It was a fine road from Kingman... going through Las Vegas... hummm, what happened to that town?
We are settled and even saw a bit of Mt Hamilton... enjoy the pictures.

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

A bit of Red Rock Canyon, NV.

I could not stand it anymore... cold and snowing a bit, Spirit has his coat, I have my Gerbings... dark skies or not I wanted to at least ride the loop at Red Canyon. And we did just that...
Today, the sun is out again, the temps are still down, and a renewed energy seemed to have surfaced. Sunshine is definitely the meaning of life and the soul. An incredible energizer for me...
This was the loop yesterday... we have much hiking and rides planned here... we?... right!

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

About “Storms” and “Scooters”...

Lots always seems to happen when close to a City... rule of thumb, right?
The idea was to head out for a ride, but seeing scooters after scooters... well, it just did not happen... we stopped, talked and end up following them to their 7th Annual Rally spot!
They were from all over the World, England... Japan... just about all the cities in the USA.
And I was in the middle of it, 4 times their size... that’s the rig mind you.
It took up most of the day... so no sunsets or no sunrise pictures today!
What a break! I’ll make up for it soon... promise!
This was before the storm that caused evacuating Red Rock Canyon... what a night!
Enjoy the Blog...

Ara & Spirit

... There has to be others on the road as me... I would love to read your stories...

Valley of Fire... cooking with heat?

Good move... the winds are practically non existent here and I (we... I heard him!) slept like logs last night. There was some clouds and rain in the horizons threatening and NOAA showed just scattered rain, (smart... finally!), the temps dropping to the low thirties tonight and we took off on this, I call it, Foreign Planet!
There is “green plants” actually... had not seen any for a while and none of the colors here are what they are suppose to be!... The roads?... awesome and so are the people here. A must to visit...
Oh! I also cooked some...

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

More of Valley of Fire... NV.

Mother Nature cannot ever be forgotten... as much as we had a great break yesterday. Windy again and cold... but we are going. We cannot let it stop us in our tracks of the beautiful surroundings... a forgotten National Treasure, no doubt...
The pictures today will speak for themselves... such an amazing place!
I think you will truly enjoy yourselves...

Be well...

Ara and Spirit

Same scenario without the crashing this time...

This is what living on the road is all about... the unexpected... great sunny day and freezing ones... great running bikes and mechanical failures! Will accept it all... with a smile... as around the corner, friends are ready with open arms and open doors of their home to get us going again.
This was the case today as you can read on the Blog.

We are well, hope you are too...

Ara & Spirit

Some Reflections on this Journey...

On hold by a rod... I will have it today, and the one my friend Didier overnighted me from New York is much stronger, maybe this will avoid future dismemberment of my rig!... We cannot afford the past experience and this was fortunate enough to be discovered without any further damage.
Today should be the day... and as I sit here waiting, I would like to share some reflections from my recent months on the road... Looking back is always beneficial to the path that lays ahead...
You be the judges...

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

North... South... West... let’s go East...

The excitement of the rig being so solid again as I took it out for a spin yesterday morning I think distracted me from my plans! Kingman... so close to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Yavapai, Coconino National Forest... the wheels went East. We drove, we rode... we are south of Sedona by a few miles and it has been HOT... with capital letters!
Much to see... always... and experience and much to cook somehow!
The Oasis of my Soul has many facets it seems like!

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

Sightseeing around Sedona, AZ.

We are riding to the sites in the books... much History, and much other visitors also, but all worthwhile seeing. From Montezuma Well, to Montezuma Castle, the latter wrongly named, we have been going all day. Meeting another rider and saying my goodbyes to my great neighbors...
A full day... all in the Blog!

Hope you enjoy, we did...

Ara & Spirit

Jerome and the Mangus Highway, AZ.

Out of the Sedona traffic and construction roads, on to Jerome up in the Mountains with a great ride through the Mangus Highway down to Prescott, what a great day it was yesterday.
As I will probably head north tomorrow, today is the day for errands, tightening up the scene and the loose ends... top of the fuel and water, food... you never know what is ahead with my open minded Journey ahead of me.
I keep thinking that at some point I will meet someone on the road from a Forum, but it has not happened yet... we saw lots of riders, somehow they were all going the other way!
Enjoy the Blog... and be well, have a great week.

Ara & Spirit

More roads up and down and around Sedona...

A gravel road with great watering holes... followed by 89A... not for the faint of heart... and now we are packed headed toward the Grand Canyon... with millions of pictures of it in circulation I have to add my own!... Should be great camping near Tusayan... National Forest... and most likely cooler temps... Ah! Almost forgot... must check NOAA... the weather you know.
Enjoy the Blog...

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

Why on the road?...

It was only this morning that we left Beaver Creek Campground, south of Sedona... we are a few miles for the Grand Canyon’s south rim, I have not seen any of it yet, and it is sometime in the middle of the night... We are camped on National Forest, they call it “dispersed” camping, off a forest road which are abundant around here. There is no one near by and my clock right away has switched to a no time zone... more on the Blog.

Be well...

Ara & Spirit

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