Outbackwack
Howard
Started out yesterday at 6am and the temp here in Gilbert was already 85?. Rode up 87 into Winslow constantly climbing in altitude and the temp along the way dropped into the 60's. Brrrr with my mesh jacket. The geology and topography changes from full desert in/around Phoenix to pine forest and grasslands up near Winslow. I took a side trip over to Petrified Forest just to take a picture with the bike, since I'd been there before in a cage. Over route 40 to route 60 and back home from Show Low through Globe, Miami and Superior. Passed gorgeous canyons and cliffs along the way with a lot of nice winding roads. Skirted a T-storm in Show Low and just missed the one in Miami but got a bit wet. Left Superior and once I dropped down into Gold Canyon the temps soared up to 114?! It felt like riding through an oven. Fortunately, only 30 minutes and I was home. Total miles was 460 and I filled the first tank up just after the light started blinking at 247 miles. Overall average was around 57 MPG. The 2012 Vstrom 650 ran flawlessly and was a total joy to ride. Great route!