Day 7: June 28th

Day 7: June 28th 30,??? miles on the odometer

Our gracious hosts make us some sausage and eggs on the Coleman for breakfast. Phyllis is a good bit sore from last night’s escapade, but is still able to get around. We pay for the campsite and briefly do some shopping in the gift shop before heading back out on the road. It is nicer to ride in the daylight where we can actually see where we’re going.
We stop pretty regularly to take pictures of various “monuments” and rock formations. Looks a lot like the scenery you might see in old western movies; I guess with good reason. I welcome the stops to not only top off on gas and water, but to rest my aching ass and numbed hands. My Bandit is a terrible touring bike. Everything is still working though; more than I can say for Ceci’s Vulcan. Today’s daily problem is a blinker bulb that quits working for a while. Just when I think we should find a place to buy a new bulb, it starts working again on its own.
We make it to the Grand Canyon in good time. Admission fees are pretty high, so it is a good thing we have the pass. As near as I can tell, the park service is deliberately trying to discourage people from visiting the park, especially if you’re driving. Even so, and despite the terrible price for gas, there are a lot of visitors here and the canyon is pretty hazy.
It is a bit cooler at the park, only in the 80’s. We aren’t doing much hiking, but we are stopping often and taking lots of pictures. The soles are starting to fall off of my Bieffe boots, so I ride through the park in my sneakers. They are a lot more comfortable and, with us stopping at every overlook, more practical anyway. We also visit two visitor centers. I really like the old tower, nice views. I have been here a couple of times before, but it is still a pretty impressive sight. Pictures just can’t do it justice. It is Ceci’s first visit and she’s a bit awestruck by the whole thing. One of these days I’ll have to spend some more time here and hike down to the river, but not on this trip. We keep the visit brief enough to ensure we make it to Route 66 before dark.
Mission accomplished. It is dusk when we pull into the Supai motel in Seligman. We have no desire to stay in any of the modern hotels along I-40; we want to stay in the more authentic old neon lit spots on historic route 66. Fortunately, the motel is clean and has been remodeled a time or two since its hey day a half century ago. The price is reasonable. We hike a short distance down the street to eat a decent dinner at the Copper Cart diner. The nostalgia quota is filled. Tomorrow we will eat breakfast at the hyped Road Kill Café. Tonight I take some glue to my boots and get an air conditioned good nights sleep.
Because I forgot to write the mileage down when we stopped last night, I have to guess at the mileage again. Maybe about 300 miles. Again we spent a lot of time sightseeing, so that’s a pretty good haul for the day.