Via Mexico: Chapter 3

          Day 2. Morning sun and clear skies brought bitter cold temperatures.  The current temp was 15 degrees and the forecast wasn't calling for a warm up.  Our destination for the day was Phoenix, Arizona via interstate 40 and Interstate 17.  

         Sticking to protocal we were on the road by 8am, west bound on I-40 where we would remain for the next 400 miles.  The moment we left we were instantly in the trenches battling a wind chill that would make a snow man shiver, the sort of cold that threatens to freeze the marrow in your bones.  

         After a speedy and painful 50 miles we quickly came to the conclusion that we needed to seriously assess our situation and devise a plan.  We came up with this:  We decided that we would tackle no more then 50 miles at a time.  If we came upon a gas station at 40 miles we would stop there instead of pushing on to the next.  We proceeded to buy out the gas station of hand warmers and stuff them into every nook and cranny we could to absorb as much heat as possible.  From here we would put on our rain gear to block some wind, ski goggles to keep our retinas from icing over and our helmets to give us a false sense of security as we nervously rolled across the intermitent ice patches on the road.  The only problem with the ski goggles was that they were pushing on my broken nose causing it to speratically start to bleed, creating a frozen, bloody concoction that encrusted my beard with what falsely appeared to be a cherry icee from 7-Eleven.    

      So, with our new plan, he reembarked on our adventure.  The temperature never really did increase, 18 degrees was the high temp until we rolled into Phoenix.  But, our plan actually did work.  About every 30 minutes, approximately 30 seconds before our extremities would turn black and fall off,  we would slide into a gas station and attempt to thaw out.  I say slide in because that is basically what was happening.  The roads were relativley clear but the exit ramps and gas stations were snow packed and icy.  In fact, in Flagstaff, Michael managed to dump his bike in a man eating, slush filled pot hole.  

       We approached Flagstaff about 30 minutes before sundown on wet, shiny roads.  At this time they were just wet, but knowing the moment the skies went dark that would quickly change.  We sped into town, quickly gassed up and barreled toward I-17 south where we would push the limits of our bikes in  the hopes of getting to warmer temps before the roads turned to ice.  It worked.  We came screaming into Phoenix at inappropriate speeds excited about the temps now in the 60's!   

       My Uncle lives in Phoenix and that was where we would stay for the night.  Not expecting us to have made it in the conditions we had to face, he has rather surprised when we knocked on his door. But, being the great Uncle that he is, he welcomed us with open arms, a much needed hot shower and a warm bed.  Spending time with family was a great way to end a difficult yet thrilling day.  We spent a little time catching up, explained what happened to my face and soon fell into a deep sleep with anticipation of crossing into Mexico the next day.