Peter Furler

I pick up my iPhone in the photo studio and read a text that has just came in from Peter Furler: “Habibi, what are you doing mate?” “Can you get out to Phoenix right away, like

jump on a plane now?”… “Sorry, I am prepping for home group in the studio tonight, I’m hosting!”… “Can You come out in the morning?”… “Text me when you are at the curb and I will pick you up :)” And… so starts another absolutely rocking adventure with Peter Furler.

Like a fine tuned Swiss watch, Peter rolls up to the curb in a rental car on time and ready to rock!, Aussie smile cutting through the glare of the windshield. In one rapid and continuous move, I throw the Baja adventure gear bags in the trunk, run along side the now moving car, and throw myself into the moving vehicle. Once belted in, I catch my breath, finish the rest of someone’s ice coffee sitting in the cup holder, and ask, “What are we doing in Arizona in the middle of summer?”

Peter shifts gears, mashes down on the accelerator (like he is rocking the Black Falcon via his effects stomp box mid solo live) and we exit Phoenix Sky harbor like Mad Max late for second service Easter Sunday.

“We’re going on a bike ride to celebrate my birthday!” Peter says as he scans the horizon. I catch myself grinning in the side mirror as we pass blurry cactus and sun dried vacationeers from New Jersey doing 45 in the fast lane. Yes, this is going to rock!

Peter brings the now dehydrated car to a halt at a warehouse encircled with razor wire and we load our gear onto 2 Honda Gold Wing ultra luxury cruisers. Instantly I flash back to my childhood memories of watching CHiPs in flannel cowboy pajamas before going to bed… “Seven Mary Four and Five, we are in pursuit of open road and hill country, over”…

We head out of town doing 106… degrees that is! , as if prepping to go on a concert tour of the Arabian Gulf by foot. It is so hot we smell motocross gear melting at the stoplights. Yes, I am dressed head to toe in motocross gear riding a 1600cc lazy boy with surround sound, heated seats, cruise control, and possibly a microwave in the dash somewhere next to the espresso machine!

The temperature drops to what feels like a frosty 86f as we zig zag through the hill country higher and higher to Prescott, where we stop for a late lunch (ranch burger), and to thank the Lord that we have made it thus far. After chatting with local spur packing /Gun toting outlaws, we hit the snake trail over towards Sedona. The sun begins to drop and seems to set the hills on fire, no wonder they call em Red Rocks!

Peter’s wife Summer is monitoring this tour via satellite back at the beach house and books us a couple rooms at a killer golf resort… I cast my vote in favor of Summer always booking rooms on all future bike rides! Reading the sign saying “Golf and Country Club” Peter assures me that black is now the new plaid!…. Something about sports without throttles and knobby tires just puts me to sleep:)

Sunrise comes early along with a 4/4 drum beat on my door, either Peter is about to start into an acoustic version of “So High” or I am running late… The latter is the true (norm), and I blitz into my ride gear and head down to breakfast with Peter.

I tape a couple set lists to the windshields for the scenic route back to the low desert inferno they call Phoenix. I fire up the surround sound and line up “La Vie en Rose” by French mega legend Edith Piaf so as to roll up next to Seven Mary 4, music blaring, and hopefully make him laugh! Success, this is so not the way we ride in Baja!

I stop counting cactus as we head back into the city though massive heat wave mirages. Quickly unloading the cruisers,
we shift our crusty gear back into the rental car, AC spewing molten lava as it tries to cool the car down for our 6 hour drive to San Diego, Fox Base Alfa for all Baja expeditions. We are meeting Tommy, Baja biker legend and old trail pal for dinner and to celebrate Peter’s birthday at an Italian restaurant on the bay.

Seafood pasta in cilantro based pesto….reminiscing of previous rides just south of the border. A good time is had by all, and Peter is now officially one year older and wiser.

There are talks of another ride just over the horizon, the perfect end to a high speed rocking weekend!