Notes from the Aisle Seat Episode 4.11 - The "Rainforest" Edition
The latest edition of my podcast Notes from the Aisle Seat is now available. You may listen right here by clicking the audio button below, or listen on the podcast’s website #rivertao
The ritual that cashiers and counter servers in the PNW have about asking if you have any “plans for the day” is both charming and a little disarming to me as someone from the NE. #rivertao
It’s been a few days of long travel and getting some work done. Next episode of the podcast is pretty much in the can. Just a few more details, but I have to wait for more information. Now I can relax a little before heading back east next week. #rivertao
Last full day in SV. On the road tomorrow morning for parts west and then north. AML and I have really enjoyed our stay here. But I think we’re both ready to see green and trees again. #rivertao
Notes from the Aisle Seat Episode 4.10 - The "Desert Spring" Edition
Episode 4.10 The “Desert Spring” Edition of the podcast is now available! All interviews for the April 2 episode of the podcast are in the can. Time to get serious about the packing.
Over the Pass
I finally managed to get in a trip over Montezuma Pass and in to the SW side of the Huachuca Mountain range of the Coronado National Forest. I wish I had done this sooner, but my planning was poor at times, and at other times the weather did not cooperate in terms of temperature. Yesterday it got up to 72°, a perfect riding temperature.
Montezuma Pass is a steep dirt road that takes you up in elevation from 4500' to about 6575'. It turns into Montezuma Canyon Drive, and is a dirt road that winds along the valley below, with plenty of twists and turns. I took the road that eventually led to Parker Canyon Lake, a small isolated Forest Service campground along the banks of the lake. The lake is actually a reservoir created by a dam at its south end. On the way home, I took AZ 83, a very picturesque paved road leading from Parker Canyon Lake north to Sonoita, and then on to I-10. I also passed by all the wineries in Elgin, which seemed to be stacked up in a straight along the road, one after the other.
The Coronado National Forest region has a number of nice dirt roads to ride, roads I can handle easily. There are a number of more challenging spurs, but I didn’t go down any of them on this ride as I had no time. If/When we come back next year, I will certainly do some exploring, but on the whole, the scenery remains the same: juniper pines, sycamores, some high grasses. There is a road you can take that rides right along the Mexican border. Montezuma Canyon Road also crosses the Arizona Trail in several locations. The area is ideal for dispersed camping.
I keep forgetting when I ride the Trail Rider that 45MPH is not 65MPH, and I wonder why it’s taking me so long to get home. Riding at 25MPH on those dirt roads is actually pretty fast, but when you’re on pavement, that 50MPH limit is something to mentally adjust to. I almost ran out of gas as well, although I always keep about a liter of gas with me whenever I drive. I’ll be looking forward to getting back and doing much more riding next year if all goes well.
One more week in AZ. Next podcast is in the can, and interviews are set up next week for the one after that. Time to start getting organized for the next road trip.
It’s a running joke in my family that, whenever we go on vacation, it rains. We’ve barely seen a drop of rain this trip until tonight, the night of the full lunar eclipse. It is cloudy, light rain is falling, and the moon is hidden. Also windy and cool. Forecasted to stay this way overnight.
Don't Be A Sucker - US War Department Education Film 1947
Don’t Be A Sucker is an educational film produced by the US War department in 1947, shortly after the end of WW2. It presents a quite cogent analysis of how fascists come to power, and how those who are taken in by the lies and false promises of fascists are nothing but suckers. It is eerily timely in 2025. In many ways, it shows how the cycle of history repeats itself, only this time, it’s happening here, and not in another country at another time. Only a sucker could fail to see the parallels.
I have a small voice, but if you are viewing this and have a larger platform than mine, please share. Also available on Youtube. (Side note - the acting is pretty good!)