Everyday for 7 Weeks–Day 43–Prescott to Flagstaff

I didn’t have much a plan for today except to enjoy AZ-89A. 89A is one of my favorite roads and has been since I first rode it in 2009. It was on my first long motorcycle trip with my SV650. I rode solo to the southwest and back. It was also before I started officially blogging although I did take lots of photos and upload them as I went to flickr. I’m tempted to go back to that style as it was less work for me, but my cell phone provider threatened to cut me off and tried to stick me with a $1000 bill for data roaming charges. No worries. We squared everything away, and I didn’t pay anything extra. “Unlimited” isn’t.

As I was packing the bike this morning, one of the innkeepers came by. I had met him the night before. He was interested in my bike. We chatted a lot more this morning. His name is Alex and he moved here many years ago from Poland. He’s a real nice guy. He really was jealous of my Pacific Coast trip. He said he’s always wanted to do the pacific coast road. I told him he should, but he said his wife wouldn’t go for it. He also wanted to get a motorcycle again, but his wife said no. Poor guy.

I like this sign.

I like this one too:

I headed north and east to Jerome. The road twisted and turned as it climbed through the mountains. My GPS says I have a new max elevation for the trip now as well – 6972 beating out the old 6462 from Montana. Cool. I enjoyed the road. It seemed shorter and much easier than the first time I rode it. The enjoyment was still the same.

Jerome is an artsy town that is a bit touristy. It is stuck right on the side of the mountain. Narrow streets and 10mph hairpins make up the towns roads. I noticed a nice looking hotel on the top; I may have to consider staying there next time.

Keith I saw these in Jerome and thought of you; is that normal?

The road is still fun as it heads towards Sedona. A few miles out of town, it opens into a four lane divided highway until the north end of town where it goes back to a beautiful twisty two-laner. The red rocks surround Sedona and pictures just don’t do them justice. I recommend making the time for a visit. This was my third visit to Sedona, and I was still staring at them like it was my first time.

I stopped for lunch and sucked up the wifi while I was enjoying my desert.

Two other motorcyclists came in while I was eating. I tried to talk to them, but they didn’t seem interested. Bah. Based on their bikes and accent, I’m gonna guess they were from Europe and riding rentals. They were the only other riders I saw today wearing full gear.

My SV next to their XT250 and Ninja 250.

After lunch, I explored the Red Rock loop south of town through the state park. I enjoyed the scenery more than the road. There were quite a few houses for sale along it as well.

The road north of Sedona is just as fun as the road near Jerome. Traffic was a bit heavier than the Jerome portion where I really didn’t have any. It worked out ok as it gave me more time to enjoy the scenery which was quite stunning. The mix of the red rocks, green pines, and flawlessly blue sky was impressive.

I lingered on the top of the hill enjoying the strong breeze and the view. The altitude kept most of the heat away, but it was still firmly in the 80s.

I stopped early in Flagstaff. A nice lazy day of about 100 miles enjoying one of my favorite roads - AZ89A

 

PS: I’ve been informed Prescott is pronounced “Preskitt”

 

Day 43 Full Flickr Album

 

Video: AZ-89A

 

 

Today’s Route:

View Larger Map