The word for the day � HOT � Damn HOT! We left Sierra Vista late this morning and it was already 98. We rode to Tucson and by the time we got there it was already 108. I hardly knew how to react when one of the guys we were talking to said �it�s only 108 now � it�ll get hotter before it cools off any.� He was right. We continued on and by the time we got to a city called Mammoth it was 120!!!! We stopped a lot for water and looked like two mummies riding motorcycles through the desert with all the bandanas and face cover we were wearing. Funny as it looked � it saved our skin. We traveled on through Tonto National Forest and finally it began to cool off a little � all the way down to 102. We stopped a few times to take pictures but only a few times because it was too hot to be still for long. We stopped for the day at mile 259 � a little short of our Flagstaff goal. Riding through this kind of heat really kicks your butt! We�re in Payson, AZ tonight. We found a hotel, a good steak and a casino. We probably should have skipped the casino as there was no Texas Hold �Em and we pretty much just gave away our money. The scenery in Tonto National Forest and Tonto Basin was quite beautiful. Cactus are funny looking things. We�re headed for the Grand Canyon tomorrow. I can hardly wait!
