Here´s an excerpt from the journal of our 2009 trip across nearly 8,000 miles of the USA:
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VOX is closing - so I am hoping to transfer my Blog to Typepad
Saturday morning we had an early breakfast whilst watching the humming birds
then loaded up and set off towards Kanab in southern Utah.
This is a beautifully scenic area and you could spend days here taking photos.
I just love this ride..
Here's a small (jerky) video showing some of the great ride we had from Colorado to Utah -
Hi from Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
There's a lot to be filled in - maybe in a couple of days we will stop for a 4 or 5 day rest (also, it is almost July 4th and almost everything will be closed)
So for now, some photos from the last couple of days. For my photog friends, many of these were taken on the road with a little point and shoot, so no critique, thank you muchly :) I have used the Nikon a lot - but don't have Adobe Camera Raw on the netbook, so it is a hassle editing them and we are both pretty tired having reached.....
Which means we have traveled (on this trip) 2,759 miles (that doesn't include the ride from Toronto to Ohio, which will bring this year's mileage to over 3,000. The bike only had 10 miles on when it was delivered to Manchester airport, so with tonight's mileage of 30,081 - we have ridden the bike 30,071 miles in the USA and Canada. Poor little workhorse!
We spent 2 days in Clinton, Oklahoma.
The motel was right opposite the R66 museum
Yesterday, Wednesday, we rode back into the Texas panhandle and then stopped for the night in Clayton, just across the border in New Mexico.
A bug flew up my sleeve yesterday and got trapped under the velcro of my armour. I hurt like hell, I yelled into Jan's ear to pull over.
Then, that evening, when Jan took his riding gear off, he found a dead bug in his armour. It had actually formed an impression on his calf!
Thursday 1st July
We followed 86 miles of the Santa Fe Trail in north west New Mexico; Clayton to Springer to Cimarron and the through Taos.
Then we crossed the vertiginous bridge across the Rio Grande
From there it was 12 miles to Angel Fire - a memorial to Vietnam veterans, POW's and MIA (missing in action). It was very moving
There were some beautiful sculptures inside
There was an actual, battle-scarred Huey there too. Couldn't help but imagine what this helicopter had seen and done
From here on, the ride was one of pure joy; empty roads climbing up into Carson National Forest - the sky was promising some rain - and we did have a couple of showers, but nothing to spoil the thrill of riding up and down twisting roads through some great scenery
Yes, we wore rain gear....
We had thought of camping up here, but on second thoughts...
OK friends. There are lots more photos but, tonight, I am cream crackered and wind burned (plus a touch of indigestion from a particularly hot Thai curry). Jan is already well into the land of nod . We are making an early start for Bluff in Utah tomorrow, so, fingers crossed we find a motel with wi-fi. TTFN
The Route Tomorrow
Tomorrow we'll be back on the road. Laundry is done, photos removed from cards, bags re-arranged and, to celebrate, a delicious meal in an Italian restaurant - salmon in lemon sauce with penne. Yum.
Once we have burped and digested a bit, we'll give the bike a good clean using- bought today - Mean Green super cleaner. There's tar and oil splatter around the rear tyre. Then I think the Guzzi deserves a good polish.
I re-visited the Route 66 museum, just across the road here in Clinton, OK. Hopefully, I got a few decent photos.
I also bought some knickers from Dollar General. Not thinking about size differences between the UK and the US, I just picked up a pack of size 12. Back in the motel, I opened the pack and unrolled an incredibly large pair of knickers - enough to make a storm sail!
Back to the store and, sod's law, it was a man on the till. I explained the size thing and he looked dubious - a sort of, 'a 12 is a 12 is a 12' sort of look. So I flicked one of the 3 pairs open and watched his face. 'Oh mah Lord, they is BIG, ma'am' Go ahead, change them. So then I bought a size 8. But, guess what - they are still huge!
Outside the store was an open-backed truck filled with big watermelons. I asked if I could take a photo and the man, sitting in a chair under an umbrella attached to his truck (96 deg F) said, 'sure, go ahead'. In his lap he had a half watermelon that he was cutting into neat cubes with a precision born of years of doing it.
'You wanna piece?'
'Wow, thanks, looks lovely and fresh, Do you grow these yourself?'
'No ma'am, got these from Texas as they aint ripe here yet. Dya have these things in England?
'Yes, but not so big'
'Big? These are babies, ma'am. They only weigh 30-40 pounds. When the season is in full swing, I'll be sellin 60-70 pounders'
Here's the planned route for the next 2 days. I hope the weather will be good enbough to camp along the way - in the Black Kettle National Grasslands, still in Oklahoma, or in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, New Mexico.
Thanks to TravelPod, I can now show you photos using a slideshow.
There's much to catch up on here - but a 2 night stay in Clinton, Oklahoma, means I might catch up with myself.
Here's a cheat - a post on Photo4Me forum - just to put you in the picture for the last couple of days.
This morning:
Hi all. Well. still in Texas - Wichita Falls. Yesterday the ride was good; mostly fast and empty roads, lots of small, sleepy Texan towns with some great photogenic abandoned buildings and trucks. The town of Paris, Texas was bigger than we thought and we couldn't find the Eiffel, but a kind photographer who was also taking photos of a great old cinema put the co-ordinates in his GPS and led us to it. It is only about 20 foot high and has a big cowboy hat on top.
We later went through a town called Muenster. Very Germanic and interesting. Doc's Bar and Grill was the area hospital from the 1800's to 1959 and one of the waitresses gave me a tour of the upstairs (camera in hand) where they still had the birthing chair with the stirrups! There was a notice board with photos of folk born in the hospital - both as babies and as children and adults.
As we approached Wichita Falls, storm clouds were gathering ahead and the temp was 99.9 F / 38 C - definite storm stuff, so we pulled into a gas station to put waterproofs on. Got chatting to a couple on a Harley. They were local (Native Indians, actually, so that's real local :) ). They warned us not to head into the main part of town as there is a big drug problem. They kindly offered to guide us to a motel that was in a safe area (next to the police station) and also right next to the Falls. By now it was piddling down and flashes of lightning circled us. But these good folk insisted on riding ahead (it turned out to be about 10 miles out of their way) to the motel, despite the fact they would get soaked as they were riding in t-shirts. Great place, Econo Lodge. $40 inc breakfast.
They sheltered awhile under the entrance cover and we chatted. They pointed out city buildings in the distance and also showed us the path to walk to the Falls and they told us it was one of the places the Indians crossed when being evicted from their lands on the long, long walk, the route is known as the Trail Of Tears.
Only downside with the motel was, late in the evening, Jan noticed a bug on the wall. Then another; he counted 22 that he killed. They weren't roaches or bed bugs or ants. I've got a macro photo of one so I'll try to find out what it is. They were harmless, but we still slept with a light on and Jan kept bug-watch all night. so I suspect today will be a short ride! Maybe further along the road to a motel out of town and a rest day - washing and all that. The Sangre De Cristo mountains was a bit ambitious really. Those 600 mile rides are more achievable out in Nevada where roads are long and empty and the weather is reliable-ish. The new route takes us through the The Black Kettle National Grasslands which protect s 31,300 acres of grasslands and small lakes. The land has a rich Native American and Great Depression history.
Just shows, some things happen for the best – I always wanted to see the grasslands and the weather led us here. We'll still be heading through the Sangre de Cristo mountains – just a different route to them.
Later:
On account of the weather, we made a change of plan. The forecast showed 2 more big depressions to the east and to the west of us, so we decided to head north. Now in Clinton, Oklahoma – right opposite the R66 museum. Motel a bit run down but has fridge, micro, wifi, breakfast. Only $35, so staying 2 nights to rest and wait out the weather. Also need to do some laundry.
Here are a few photos for the moment. Lots more photos to edit then add, but for now...
DAY 3. Eufaula, Alabama: Well, it is the beginning of Day 3 - we are on Central Time now, so 6 hours behind home.
The route so far
Camera - bike - ACTION