Merry Christmas!

I had a few things I had to do last Wednesday early in the day.  Which of course took longer than I had planned.  So I began my ride to Yuma late in the afternoon... 4:00pm to be exact!  I figured three hours, be there a little after 7:00pm.  What I failed to do was account for the temperature drop in the outlying areas!

By the time I got to Gila Bend for my fuel stop, it was getting chilly.  Already down into the low 50's, now add the wind effect of traveling at highway speeds and the "feels like" temp is in the upper 30's.  So I decided to put on my chaps and venture on.  I little to the West of town, as the sun was setting, I started to feel the cold.  And it was only going to get colder over the next two hours.

Winter has finally arrived in Arizona!

So I made the decision to turn around and head back to Gila Bend, get a hotel for the night, and hit the road around 10:00am the next day to continue on to Yuma.  When I got settled in the hotel, I checked the weather forecast and saw the freeze warning till 10:00am on Thursday morning for the entire WSW corner of the State.  Needless to say, I slept-in a little longer, layered-up, broke out the winter riding gloves, and hit the road around 11:00am.

As I loaded up my bike, it was still feeling a little crisp.  Yet once I geared up and got on the road, even with the wind effect, it was a comfortable ride.  Actually got a little warm as I neared Yuma and opened the vents on my helmet and jacket.

So this morning, marks the halfway point on this trip to Yuma.  I will be working the next three nights as well, meaning I will be here through the day after Christmas. This is my third trip to Yuma on this contract, yet I will have effectively worked five out of the thirteen weeks!  Eight more weeks to work... which means only four more trips.  The elegant beauty of a "super-weekend" schedule... work a week (6 days), take a week off (8 days)!

I don't mind working Christmas... in fact, I think I will volunteer to work every Christmas, wherever I happen to find myself in the future.  It is my gift to others!

So to everyone, please be assured.  There are Medical, Pre-Hospital, Public Safety, and most importantly, members of our Military... that are on-Duty, standing-by, responding, and actively making a difference in these coming days.

I wish everyone, a very, Merry Christmas!