I woke up to my set alarm of 6am with the sun just making colour in the distance. It was a warm morning, a warning to the hot day to come. I’d enjoyed sleeping like a starfish on my big double bed that I had all to myself, but couldn’t afford the sleep in if I wanted to check out the Organ Pipe National Monument before heading into Phoenix to pick up Kev from the airport. I set off and got to the park visitor’s center just after 7am. It was half way into the park so I’d already enjoyed views of cactus with mountains in the background and was disappointed that there weren’t any cactus flowers yet, despite Larry’s report.

Luckily at the info centre, a ranger was cleaning the outside windows so I was able to grab a map from her that showed me the way to the 20 mile scenic drive that was the only thing to tickle my fancy with the short time I had. It was all dirt, but nothing serious and while the rising sun wasn’t great for photos, once I got into the Ajo mountain range, the views were stunning. The desert was plush and green with Saguaros standing vigil all over, nestled in the valley and even on the sides of the red rock.

The highlight of the drive though was the bunnies that flipped out when I came across them. I’m not kidding, the first one had no idea what was going on and after changing direction at least three times, he flew through the air with all his might, flapping his feet and ears in the effort to create motion. Thankfully he got away. His friend a few miles later was just as lucky and got away with only slightly more style, staying mostly on the ground for the whole freak out.

I completed the 20 mile loop in just over an over, about half the time the park recommended to allow and I wasn’t speeding! They obviously allow for much more “ooh, aah” time. Back on the main road, it was time to head to Phoenix. I was glad I still had plenty of time and wouldn’t be rushing. I left the cactus behind as I went through the town of Why heading north Shortly after, I hit the inevitable border patrol checkpoint. I showed my visa and passport and had no issues. The rest of the drive up north was pretty standard. After stopping in Gila Bend for a much needed bathroom break at an overflowing Maccas, I decided to stay off the interstate a bit more and drive through Sonora Desert National Monument. It was nice to be on a quiet highway, but the desert was nothing I hadn’t seen before.

Driving into Phoenix on the highways, I ended up at the airport just before 11:30am, when Kevin was due to land. I parked in the oversized lot so I didn’t have to take the bike off the roof and I soon realised that many people parked there, probably to take advantage of its close proximity to the terminal. I parked myself amongst the massive F250 trucks and walked on in. After asking for direction by an airport guy, I walked past the baggage carousels and into the arrivals lounge to sit and wait. I was only sitting down for five minutes before I saw him walking towards me. After everything that had happened, here he was, looking fresh without any evidence of a limp. Big smiles for both of us, I really enjoyed that hug.

We collected his bags without issue and walked out into the heat of Phoenix. Kev’s jumper didn’t last long. At the car, he asked, “What are we gonna do the next couple of weeks” and I said I had no idea, which suited both of us just perfect. It was a little too early to check in to the hotel I’d booked for the night, so we headed into town. I did my normal thing of checking in at the visitor’s center where a little old lady told us all the free hotspots around town. After driving in a few circles, we found a park, put some money in a meter and went off to find a pub for dinner. We had a couple of beers and shared a burger and fries. Needless to say, we talked and talked and talked.

Lunch done, it was hotel time. After taking the circuitous route to the place which was right by the highway, we were both immediately on edge. The clientele of this place was not high class, but more like long term bones-of-your-arse type people. I think we’d seen a drug addict and his family and a few prostitutes even before checking in. Check in was a simple affair, but I discovered the pool was closed, which was the only appealing thing about the place. In our rooms, we peered out the window, sure we would either be raped or murdered (or both) before the night was out. If not, it would be an experience!

Kev had a one hour power nap to combat his jetlag, while I sat around looking at an Atlas to see what was feasible over the next two weeks. Impressively, after his hour was up, Kev was up and ready to go. After a quick shower, we ordered an Uber to head back into town. The Uber meant we could have a few drinks without stressing about stumbling home. Before it arrived, I got the bike off my roof and stashed it in the room, just as a precaution. Our Uber took us the eight minute drive into the city where we looked in vain for the free Police Museum we’d found out about. When we couldn’t find it, we hit the nearest bar that looked decent. We ordered a round of beer and sat at the outdoor bar to watch the comers and goers. Kevin had himself a Maple beer which tasted as dark as it looked, but I stuck to a Belgian ale. We carried on talking as if there was no tomorrow until we found out from our neighbour at the bar that it was happy hour until 7pm, so we made sure to get two more rounds in. Our neighbour at the bar was Amanda, a doppleganger of me according to Kev. A petite girl with short hair, we got talking to her and hung out for the rest of our time at the bar. She was in town for a yoga conference and just taking things day by day. Soon, we were joined by Robyn, a thirty-something year old guy who was keen to socialise. Before we knew it, we were smelling each others arms (don’t ask why) and after a quick round of hac-e-sac, we all decided (Kev, Amanda and I) that Robyn was a bit weird and we should move on. I payed for our drinks and we left Robyn to seek greener pastures.

Kevin had spied a rooftop bar a block away so that’s where we headed and it was an absolute gem. When we saw the place had a pool, we asked if we could swim and the bartender informed us it would be open for another hour! Brilliant, beers in hand (a wine for Amanda) we went to the poolside and Kev and I proceeded to get undressed down to our undies. Amanda didn’t partake, mostly for practical reasons (she wasn’t wearing a bra) so she played referee as Kev and I raced the length of the pool, then just enjoyed the luxury of the rooftop swimming with beers at the edge. It was a bit cold after a few minutes, so we towelled down and joined Amanda on the lazy-boy chairs. Soon, Amanda left us because she had a client that evening. This is where we started theorising about Amanda’s actual activities. She’d given Kevin her business card which was full of vagueness and we entertained the thought that maybe she was really a prostitute doing a bit of yoga on the side or vice versa. Anyway, we finished our drinks looking out over the lights of the city below and talked and talked and talked.

After one round on the rooftop, we needed food and we didn’t go far to find it, waltzing into a completely restaurant full of bored waitresses that wore a tiny tartan skirt and midriff top as a uniform. More beers and a rack of ribs to share, it all went down quite well. When Kevin ordered a second beer here, I eventually conceded and gave up the game of keeping up with him, but I was happy with my effort. The night was at its end, Kev ordered an Uber and we were in a black Prius with classical music in our ears heading back to murder-central before we knew it.

Back at the hotel, the lights of the next door strip club drew our attention. Just for something different? We could also have some more beers. After sweet talking our way past the doorman when he explained he wasn’t supposed to accept a foreign ID (I think he liked the look of Kevin), we were told it would be a $10 cover charge each, so we decided it wasn’t worth it and went back to our rooms. Probably a good thing. We were safely behind our door and ready for bed. I drew the curtains, closed the secondary security latch on the door and we were both out like lights. Pretty good first night back together.