I pulled out of my driveway to begin this “East Coast 2009” journey and headed for the I-10 East on-ramp.  As I waited on my fully loaded motorcycle (a Suzuki V-Strom DL1000, aka “Strom”) at a stoplight, a luxury sports car pulled up in the next lane.  I could see in my rear view mirror that the driver was wearing a white coat accessorized with a stethoscope around his neck.  The car slowly moved forward until it was even with my bike and then I heard a voice exclaim “Gosh I'd love to be going wherever you're going!”.    I smiled under my helmet and would have flipped it up and responded except that the light turned green and I rolled on the throttle so that the Thursday early morning commuters behind me wouldn't start a symphony of car horns (drivers in Phoenix typically allow .036 seconds to elapse after the light turns green before honking).   When I departed Phoenix this morning at 5am I was hoping the weather forecasters would be very wrong.  It's early May and the temperatures are already to hot for this snowbird!  I've always preferred cold weather over hot in all my outdoor adventures for the simple reason that I can better mitigate cold temperatures than hot temperatures; basically I can get myself warm (layering, heated gear, etc) but I can not get myself cool.  I ride in full gear regardless of weather (though I do have heavier and lighter gear); you won't find me piloting two wheels without boots, pants, jacket, gloves, and helmet regardless of the temperatures.  That said, I find riding a motorcycle for long distances fully geared in searing heat to be the most challenging of all my outdoor adventures.  When I say “heat” I'm talking about triple digits for hours and hours.    I can only suppose that those who believe the desert Southwest's chamber of commerce crap of “It's a dry heat!” have apparently never experienced the heat for themselves.... or at least not while a motorcycle.    As for the weather for the first two days of “East Coast 2009”, here is a snapshot of the actual temps today along my route on I-10 East on the left; on the right is tomorrow's forecast (oh, joy!):  Rather toasty, huh?   I guzzled 260 ounces of water (over 2 gallons) while riding it was so freakin' hot!  Staying hydrated is my biggest challenge in hot weather without a doubt.  It's one thing to have to stop and refuel the bike, it's another thing to keep stopping to refuel my hydration source (a 70oz Camelbak).  The rate I was chugging water today forced me to stop between fuel stops, which basically means I was stopping a LOT.  Aside from slowing your overall time down, frequent stops equals even greater fatigue since it requires more energy (getting on/off the bike, re-gearing, re-connecting electronics, etc) than simply riding “WOT” (wide open throttle) down the road. One such stop was at the New Mexico Welcome Center... ...as well as a Rest Area in New Mexico.  Do the Rest Areas in your state look like this?... ...or have these signs?? I took these photos for those who may be wondering what it's like to ride along I-10 through Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas: Not exactly riveting stuff, especially when it's over 106 degrees, huh?!  While zooming through New Mexico I passed 2 disabled motorcycles roadside in different locations.  No rider was seen nearby so I guessed that passing motorists helped the riders out with a lift to the closest town.  Standing roadside in the heat in the middle of nowhere is not safe and definitely not fun.  As I passed each bike (which, by the way, were of the cruiser variety) I got a sick feeling in my stomach for these poor riders and hoped for a quick solution for them as I rolled by.   Exactly 13 miles after taking that last photo above and to my complete dismay I came upon a third disabled motorcycle!  The bike was on the other side of I-10 (westbound) and the rider was crouched down inspecting the side of the bike.    There was no doubt in my mind something was wrong (no one in their right mind would just park their bike on the side of the interstate in 106 degrees anyway!    ) and I immediately started looking for a place to turn around to go see if I could offer any help.  I guess you could say I have a “No biker left behind” attitude.... regardless of race, creed, color, club affiliation, etc., of rider or bike!    The median wasn't an option to use so I rode another 4 miles to the next exit (with no services, of course) then re-entered I-10 going west.  While riding back to him I thought of what I might be able to offer him – fuel (since I carry the “Oklahoma Credit Card” aka gas siphon), water, food, cell phone, tire repair kit/pump, and various tools since I do carry quite an array.  After riding the eight miles (four to the exit then four back to him) I pulled onto the shoulder of the road and right behind the disabled Harley Davidson:   I met “James” who seemed quite surprised to see another motorcycle pulling up behind him.  He said he was having clutch problems but of all the tools he had on board he didn't have a big enough allen wrench to address the issue (“needs to be at least a 1/4” allen wrench”).  I'm quite confident he was in shock when I produced the exact American (Harley Davidson) size tool he wished for from my Japanese (V-Strom) tool bag!  Ironically, the tool I use to adjust my fork mounted auxillary lights ( Moto lights) happened to be the necessary size.  As we both stood on the black asphalt of I-10 westbound under the relentless blaze of the sun, James tried to fix the clutch while I called a friend to do a quick web search for the nearest Harley Davidson dealership.  Most people who passed us had expressions of confusion and those who didn't probably understood that one of those riders (me) was taking an opportunity to “pay it forward”.  Despite his efforts James wasn't able to fix the clutch problem so AAA was summoned (thankfully there was cell phone coverage!).    We were 60 miles equidistant from Deming, NM and Las Cruces, NM, which meant an extended wait in the sun.  James declined my offer of water and food saying he had enough until AAA arrived.  He repeatedly thanked me for stopping and insisted I keep his phone number and repeated several times if I ever rolled through his hometown to let him know.  Just as I was getting ready to get back on the bike, James removed his neck bandanna, handed it to me, and said “Take this on the rest of your journey.  I am very grateful for your help.”  The black bandanna with a skull and cross bones is now honorably attached to one of the straps on my Nelson-Rigg saddlebag.    I shook hands with James then pulled back onto I-10 westbound.  It was a 13 mile ride to the next exit to turn back around.  After retracing the 13 miles on the eastbound side of I-10 I waved as I passed by James.  It might have been the hottest 34 mile detour I've ever made, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  Thankfully, an uneventful ride (as from it being hotter than blue blazes!) to the next fuel/water stop which was just before the Texas state line.  There is one thing I always look forward to when reaching this point:    Yup, highest posted speed limit in the US are found on I-10 and I-8 in west Texas!    What can also be found is a very active law enforcement patrol (State Trooper an Border Patrol) basically from El Paso to Van Horn, TX.  I don't think I have ever been through that area that vehicles aren't pulled over on both sides of the interstate.  I wondered if my radar detector (Valentine One) was going to start smoking from overuse in that particular stretch today!   One of my goals during this journey is to not ride as long each day so that I can spend more time off the bike meeting other people and exploring.  My pencil plan for today was to stop earlier than usual given I'll be battling heat two days in a row.  I also have a personal rule that I never ride in west Texas at night due to the “Bambi factor (deer are everywhere).  So, I chose the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it town of Van Horn, TX (population 2,000) as my stopping point this afternoon since they had a campground.  I really wanted to camp since I'm so tired of hotels; the empty, homogeneous environment leaves me with not much to remember, a different kind of traveler stays at a hotel versus a campground, etc.  However, despite my love of sleeping outdoors, setting up and taking down camp on a daily basis while on an extended ride can be exhausting.  I've got a third option I'm going to introduce during this “East Coast 2009” journey, which I'll discuss more tomorrow.  Tonight I'm indeed at the Van Horn KOA where I've met the only other tent camper and motorcyclist “Matt”, an extremely personable and friendly retired moto cop from Florida who is on a month long journey of the four corners of the US (not the “official” run like I did, just his own) on his Goldwing & trailer:  Though I didn't see an air conditioner in his trailer, there was a full cooler!:  The weather service 'round here: End of day GPS (I'm surprised all my electronics didn't completely fry from the heat!): Thanks again for all the support, time to get some rest!  AGirl   Note: James emailed me an update about his bike later in the evening saying his clutch was repaired and he was looking forward to being back on the road.  He also included the photo he took of me when we were roadside (I'm holding my tool bag that carried the wrench he needed!): Copyright © 2006-2012, All Rights Reserved.