Doctor Bob's Bike Blog: Day #35 - 4/16/2011 - Deming, NM to Phoenix, AZ

Our road trip from Deming, New Mexico to Phoenix, AZ can be found HERE.

A late start out of Deming, New Mexico, we stopped briefly [again] at Walmart before jumping on to I-10 for the 330 miles to Phoenix at 80mph. We stopped at the New Mexico/Arizona border for the usual photo-op.

Zipping along I-10 at 80mph, we stopped, as usual at the border crossing.

The railroad was a constant companion throughout the South and Southwest. Both of us continued to develop an appreciation for how rail moved product and merchandise across the country.

US90 and I-10 paralleled the railroad, which were non-stop throughout the day

After biking through scores of miles of nowhere, we continued to travel by car through hundreds of miles of nowhere. The Arizona desert was stark, spare and largely featureless, until we saw a familiar billboard.

I know what you're thinking: "Fresh jerky? Really? Isn't that oxymoronic?"

If you've traveled CA395 between Mojave and Mammoth Lakes - and I have, 50-100 times over 30 years - the "Really Good Fresh Jerky Signs" dot the highway from as far away as 100 miles. You think "Is this a joke?" But, it's not.

We drew ever near...and had to stop.

While the original jerky shack in Olancha was just a shack, this location was upscale.

Gas, jerky and honey...a must-stop in Bowie, AZ.

So, we stepped in and had the pleasure of meeting Dwayne, the co-owner of Dwayne's Fresh Jerky.

Dwayne, the co-owner, talked jerky with us. Even better, he allowed me to ask him the question: "Fresh jerky? Fresh? Really?"

Dwayne explained that what made his jerky "fresh" was the use of only natural ingredients and the rapid turnover on the shelves.

Dwayne's store was attached to a gas station/C-store which carried the usual items, as well as some local bonuses.

Lani bought some jerky and I picked up some more honey. Hot coffee in the mug and with a fresh supply of jerky and honey, we moved on.

Stopping in Benson, AZ for gas, we took what should have been a short detour through town to return to I-10. Lani, however, saw an antique store that also had old/used books, which compelled us to stop. ( Benson, population 4,934 was founded in 1880 when the Southern Pacific Railroad came through, coming overland from California and chose this area to cross the San Pedro River.

My iPhone allowed Lani to detect the presence of book stores in the smallest of towns.

Lani picked up a few books, including an interesting book on Chinese proverbs published in 1946. I spotted a copy of The Communist Manifesto by Engels and Marx for $7.50, published in 1947 which I couldn’t pass up.

The shop had a large array of collectibles, many from the Old West.

My Mom had a collection of Coca Cola collectibles. It covered a couple of walls and was artfully displayed. When I see Coke collectibles, I think of her. She was a member of the Coca Cola Collectors Club

With only clipless cycling shoes and sandals, we stopped at the Sports Authority in Phoenix for some decent running shoes.

We both picked up a pair of Nike Lunarglide 2, currently my preferred running shoe.

Phoenix was the largest city we'd been through in ages and is a legitimate tourist destination, but it was getting late, so we looked for a place to have dinner.

It was Lani who spotted the sticker on the STOP sign with a little Libertarian sentiment.

Using Yelp and TripAdvisor and filtering for "Mexican Food", we had dinner at Esi Es La Vida ("Such is Life"). We almost walked out when we saw the menu; it lacked the usual Mexican food menu items. It turned out that the restaurant reflected the cuisine of Mexico City. It was an excellent and memorable meal as we were exposed to a completely new flavor palette.

We had an outstanding fresh guacamole dip and a Filet Mignon done that introduced us to a new flavor palette.

After dinner, Lani met a friend she has known from 4^th grade in Palm Beach Gardens, through UF. Steven Weiner came to Phoenix to teach physics at the Middle School and HS level.