FRIED, Over-Easy, or Scrambler'd

 Taking a Ride on Our Project Royal Enfield INT650

- Kyra Sacdalan

When describing the southwestern climate as it rolls into summertime, the word that comes to mind is "oppressive." We had descended to about 5,000 feet, and the temperature from change Strawberry to Payson was staggering. I'd been riding our budget INT650 Scrambler for half the day, and the mixture of mild exhaustion and a grumbling belly made me all the more anxious for my order to arrive at the table... and as far as water, I might as well have inhaled it, it disappeared so fast. But every other part of me wasn't ready to end this journey. Held up for too long by circumstance, we'd only just finished the build in the spring and, as usual, our calendar only allowed a few days to seek off-road satisfaction in the local mountains before the scalding months were in full force.

Initially, the plan was to escape the heat of our Baja home base. But issues in crossing the border with manufacturer plates, plus that annoying matter of our schedules, meant Justin and I were relegated to the blazing confines of Arizona. Not quite as cool as we'd hoped for a trial of our "new" motorcycle, but it was no less charming.

Golden and sage rolling hills sprinkled with an army of multi-limbed saguaro cacti opened up to tall pine-covered peaks as we ventured north on 1-17. But what was the catalyst for this excursion? If we were resigned to the U.S., then we would hunt one of America's most elusive, tasty, and sought-after prizes: the cherry pie-apple's seasonal, tart little cousin. Points of interest included Rock Springs Café in Black Canyon City, Udderly Divine Café & Bakery in Camp Verde, PIEbar AZ in Strawberry, and, as it turned out, Crosswinds Restaurant in Payson.