Motorcycle Mojo – July 2019

J ULY 2 0 19 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 29

art museum, the villa is owned and run

by a group of artists and can only be

described as a hippie art commune.

We were greeted by two beautiful

angels of the desert and I wasn’t sure

if I was being led to salvation from the

heat or into the Hotel California. But

all the amazing patrons at the villa and

the incredible vibe and food quickly

put us at ease. We ate and drank and

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is covered completely in paintings and

sculptures and creativity. We sat by

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friends as we looked at the stars. We

were now as deep as we would be in

the desert’s desolation and we could

feel the magic seeping into every part of

our bodies – and sand into every crack

and crevice.

On the last day of our journey now,

we bid our new friends and the desert

oasis farewell and rode out into another

windless day of dry heat. The tempera-

ture was a beautiful 25 C and I could

only imagine rolling through here in

the dead of summer with temperatures

reaching 40 C. The air seemed to suck

every ounce of moisture from our

bodies and I was so grateful for every

water stop along the way.

Back in the Sand

We were sidetracked once again by an

open expanse of Sahara-like sand dunes

with bikes and quads and buggys rolling

all over them. We couldn’t resist one last

opportunity to put the T-120 to task, so

we pulled off and tore into the desert

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every part of our bodies and the clutch

was slipping from the heat. We cooled

the bikes as the roads wound back south

and we could almost feel the shift in the

air pressure as we approached the coast

and the call of the ocean.

Santa Monica, California, was our

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water and beaches called our names,

we rolled on the gas hard the whole

way. We were dry and we were dirty;

but most of all, we were transformed.

The ocean would make us clean and

replenish us, but the desert was deeper

than that now. It was under our skin;

in our bones. Our eyes could see

farther, our spirits could reach higher,

our throttle hands were stronger and,

just like the young Mojave warriors,

we had achieved a higher state of

consciousness.

We had found our mojo.

Clayton Bellamy is a singer/songwriter

who has won multiple awards while playing

with the Road Hammers and is a lifelong

motorcycle enthusiast. Follow him on

instagram @claytonbellamy or listen to

Clayton Bellamy & The Congregation’s

music online.

For additional photos of

California and Nevada visit:

motorcyclemojo.com

Villa Anita is an art museum in Death Valley with sculptures

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