I did the trip last weekend.  Weather was great, ranging from the upper 50’s to the lower 80’s in southern Arizona.  Left Sylmar at 6:00 am PST.  Visited the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center just south of Lone Pine for the Manzanar NHS stamp (which I stamped poorly the first try.)    I had been to Manzanar several times, but never went to this center, which is about 15 miles south of Manzanar.  Then a quick trip through Death Valley (gas was $2.63 a gallon for regular in Death Valley).  I took a photo at the Furnace Creek VC in Death Valley NP.  They even had a motorcycle only parking space.  Then I used the back roads to Las Vegas, stopping for the Lake Mead NRA stamp.  Then over Hoover Dam.   Then it was down US93 and US60 to Surprise, AZ where mom was parked.  I arrived at 6:30 pm MST, just in time for dinner.  Total miles for the day were 676.  GPS said I averaged 71.2 MPH while moving (it automatically doesn’t count the time standing still).  I spent roughly 9.5 hours in the saddle, and  2 hours getting stamps, gas, and food (plus 1 hour for the time zone change).  I delivered the Girl Scout cookies to mom, along with some coffee from her favorite shop, and some Betty Boop shot glasses I found on E-Bay.  I left just before 9:00 am MST the next morning.  It was on to Casa Grande NM.  Finally got to use my pass again here, saving $3.  (Technically you should pay $5 in DV, but it is ‘on your honor.’)  Then it was on to Saguaro NP, and across the Indian reservation to Why, AZ and Organ Pipe Cactus NM.  Then it was just get my iron butt back to home, mostly via I-10 (again).  AZ has a nice decent speed limit of 75, and I hooked up with a crowd cruising at speeds somewhat above that – that is when they can.  It is fun to play with the cagers; I would cut through traffic easily when the trucks and slowpokes had both lanes clogged up.  Then I would cruise at 75-or so and wait for the fast pack to catch up to me.  I did this a number of times; it would usually take 10-20 minutes for the cages to pull up to me again.  I was home at 8:30 pm PST.  Total for the trip was 1,451 miles, 6 stamps, 6 parks, 2 new states – NV and AZ.  I averaged just below 70 mph when I was in the saddle (just under 21 hours).  Next trip will be in 6 weeks.  I hope to finish AZ on that trip, getting all but a few of the stamps possible in AZ.

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