Wednesday, August 6

Took my time getting on the road this morning.  I was going to do a shorter ride.  The heat has been wearing my down.  Stopped for fuel on the way out of town.  Morning traffic was busy in Amarillo and it took me 20 minutes or so to get out of town.  Already hot.  Headed west.  Civilization disappeared quickly. The first stretch of road was not the best.  Posted speed limit was 75.  I was doing 65.  Lot’s of pavement, patches etc.  In a car you don’t notice it.  On a bike any little grab on the front wheel will wake you up.  Those shiny slick patches?  They are slick.  Especially warming in the sun.  Old roads also have a slight depression where wheels travel.  A two wheeler can gravitate to those little valleys.  Not always the best. After a bit the road improved and my speed built.  Scenery monotonous. Nothing.  Just nothing.  Sometimes miles before you see a house, if they are houses.  Little two tracks going off in the distance, disappearing over a hill.  Talking about living off the grid.

In an hour or two, New Mexico.  I fueled up in Texline, TX.  State line just outside of town.

I headed out of town.  Passed into the Mountain Time Zone. Nice roads in New Mexico.  Speed limit mostly 65.  That’s ok.  Very rural.  Same as West Texas.  At least in that part.  Topography gradually became more rolling.  I began to think of the mountains.  Pushing my luck.  Long way, I mean long way between towns.  50 miles.  At least anything with a store or gas.

Making good time through the New Mexico hinterlands.  Was hunting for a water stop, maybe even fuel.  I came upon this little place.  They had a bit of everything.  A very small kitchen.  Frito pie was on the menu.  Smelled great.  Even a restroom.  I do not believe the toilet was bolted down.  Got a bottle of water and an ice cream bar.  Sat in the shade.  There was a very old gas pump with an rusted above ground tank.  They might have had gas.  I passed.  I’ve picked up bad fuel before on these trips.  The next town was about 40 miles.  I had enough in the tank.

15 miles down the road, some travelers were having a bad day.  I could see the smoke from 5 miles out.  Motor home towing a jeep.  The Jeep was totally engulfed in flames.  Still hooked up to the RV.  Just a mass of melted plastic and metal.  The back of the RV was beginning to melt.  All I was thinking about was the fuel tank exploding.  No first responders on scene yet.  I scooted around and as I passed, I heard a loud pop and something exploded off the jeep and was skidding along the road towards the bike..  No worries, I’m glad it wasn’t the fuel tank.  I went another 12-15 miles before the first Fire truck passed me heading out there.  A few more miles, another truck and a Highway Patrol.  Town was another 15 miles maybe.  So it would be 30-45 minutes from the 911 call to on scene response.  Living off the grid.

Got to the next town, fueled and watered.  Small, nondescript little hamlet.  Redeeming features were I could begin to see mountains on the horizon.  A sigh in town indicated 5,880′ elevation.  I didn’t realize I was climbing that much.

An hour or two later, I pulled into Raton, NM.  Cute town.  6,800 feet.  Much cooler.  Just south of the Colorado state line.  I decided to wrap it for the day and take it easy.  Stopped at a local watering hole.  Had a beer and struck up conversation with some of the locals.  Lot’s of picks for small mom and pop motels.  I picked one.  Casa Lemus.  Restaurant.  A/C, WiFi etc.  Checked in.  Stopped at a local liquor store before unloading.

Unloaded, showered, sink washed a couple of t-shirts, hung them on the bike to dry, etc and then sat out and relaxed.  Probably in the 70’s.  Jeez, what a concept.  :-).  Had a couple of drinks, a cigar and Mr. Sandman was tapping me on my shoulder.

Went to bed early.  Slept 10 hours.  I guess I needed it.  Beautiful morning.  In the 60’s.  Just like in MI.  About 1,900 miles to this point.  This is in all practicality the farthest west I will get on this trip.  Denver tonight.  See friends tomorrow.  Stay in Cheyenne tomorrow night.  Saturday morning begin the trek north before heading back east.  Plan is to go through Wyoming, Montana into Saskatchewan.

Had a great Spanish omelet covered with NM green chili sauce at the restaurant.  Plenty of coffee.  Finish this, load the bike, top off fuel and back on the road!

Life is good…