The year was 2004. I had been meaning to come to the Phoenix Forum for a couple of years, but things kept coming up. I finally decided that there would be no excuses, this would be my first Phoenix Forum.
I asked around, and was assured that the weather would be lovely, and that I should bring my bike. So I did.
The ride out was pleasant enough, but it was pretty heavy with crosswinds most of the way.
As you can see, I got plenty of sunshine on the way out.
Since I had waited until the last minute, the hotel was sold out, so I got myself a room in a neighboring town. After all, the weather was nice, and I was on my bike. This should be fun,
All was well, everyone was hanging out at the pool, enjoying the sunshine
Then it hit . . . . monsoons!
This was going to suck.
Later that evening, when it looked like the rains were easing up, I decided it would be a good time to head back to my hotel. I made it about two or three blocks when it started up again. I pulled over, got my rain gear on, and dodged the pools to get home.
It poured. I mean, all night long and all the next morning.
The next morning I decided I would try to ride out to the Forum hotel. The roads were flooded, Cars were racing causing huge tidal waves. I made it about a mile and decided, screw it. I would take a cab.
I turned around, parked my bike and went to the front office. They got a cab for me, which I was kind of surprised when I discovered they had no meters. Flat rate, about $30
to Scottsdale.
Now, this is an important note, it was $30 TO Scottsdale. The funny thing is, it cost about $60 to leave Scottsdale.
So, for the price of a round trip cab ride I could have rented a fairly nice car for the entire weekend.
As it turned out, on Sunday there was a slight break in the weather, so I packed up my bike and rode like the wind . . . literally. I did stop at a Harley dealership to see if they had a windshield I could buy, but the delay in getting it put on was too long, and I couldn't risk it.
Luckily, the wind was at my back, but it was pushing the rain towards me. I was able to outrun it until I hit the mountains outside Palm Springs. You haven't really lived until you have ridden a motorcycle down a mountain with the rain acting as a slip-n-slide for you.
I decided that for the next two shows to bring my car, and of course, the weather was beautiful. This year I am planning on riding again. If it rains again, I will know for sure it is a Phoenix conspiracy.