We departed that cool place… Colorado is ‘cool’ in so many ways, but one in particular had recently overtaken the others in prominence… Yep, the mercury was way too low in the glass tube for this delicate flower more accustomed to dealing with heat than anything being offered just then on the slopes of the Front Range… Riding south was very much on my mind!
The wind, too, was a factor in all those ‘venue’ calculations. Everything about early spring ‘up there’ is volatile, extreme, and fraught with challenge… Besides… it was just time to move on. I tend to grow restless after a few days in one spot, and the lure of the open road constantly beckons. I know it goes without saying that our girl also grows weary of sitting around idly marking time, and there is no mistaking her not-so-subtle signals.
With ALI’s front wheel pointing due south, we made our way back into New Mexico. We paused for the night in Las Vegas, NM, then resumed our trek towards warmer temps. We did leave the very efficient but rather dull freeway system, and things immediately began to improve… Two-lane roads first to Santa Rosa for some breakfast, then further southward and a Gerbings-free situation more to our liking…
The scenery improved, or at least changed with each passing mile. Perhaps ‘improved’ is a poor choice of word, because there is no improvement possible when viewing perfection! Mountains are beautiful, clear skies are as welcoming as they are encouraging, and winding roads are invigorating… Vegetation also varies with changes in latitude, longitude, and elevation. No combination of factors is better than any other, in my opinion, they just are different… and all are enchanting in their own unique way…
One’s mental state also is a huge factor in shaping one’s perception and enjoyment of any ride. My ‘attitude’ was soaring right up there with the ‘altitude’, and the whole experience was indescribably satisfying… I wondered if I could have enjoyed it nearly as much without having trodden the same rocky, pot-hole strewn path to arrive here when and how I had… Is the experiencing of hardship really a key to appreciating blessings…?
Alamogordo became our stopping point for the next evening. It was convenient for several reasons, not the least of which were a Walmart store just off ‘motel row’, and our girl’s need for an oil change… Just like countless times before, that chore was performed on the parking lot just outside my room… my most recent ‘current residence’… Unlike previous times, however, this one included a boo-boo…
The foil-like metal basting pan I’d purchased along with the oil and filter, was just like dozens of others picked-up for this purpose all around North America… light, cheap, easily discarded when its purpose had been fulfilled… Did I mention it had been quite windy lately? Well, just I stood her up, so the oil could drain, a gust of wind moved that pan a bit under her… and… I hope nobody reports us to the EPA for an oil-spill! Does this make us environmental terrorists…? Careless, to be sure, but… Oh well, lesson learned…
I put some detergent in a waste basket full of water to wash some of the gunk away…
No helicopters circling overhead and no news teams on the ground filming evidence the following morning, so I figured there was still time for us to escape… We loaded up and headed towards El Paso… and another mess of grits to soothe my jangled nerves, and to ease the guilt I was then feeling. I reasoned this would probably help me appreciate some future blessing more…
The forecast had called for ‘isolated showers about’ that day, but a departure delay was ill-advised for legal reasons… so, I rolled the dice… Van Horn, TX, became our evening's stop-point. By then, I was thinking maybe we should just head for Florida… The spirit of adventure had been satisfied for the moment, and I did need to do my taxes. More reasons could be found if necessary, but those would do for the time being… I was thinking we’d just ride US HWY 90… again… then skirt San Antonio to the south… again…
The next morning, the weather forecast for our proposed ‘plan’ looked downright ugly! Dang, I didn’t want to hunker down for another night or two, and I surely didn’t want to ride into rain, so… Heck, we’d just head west again for a few days, then turn back towards Florida when the forecast improved… Back to El Paso for more grits, then… who knew…
The forecast for west of us was for ‘a chance of isolated showers’… the forecast for east of us was for ‘rain’… a no-brainer, I’d figured… but first, breakfast was on my mind…
I do hope we can get lucky today…
Glad that one is moving away…
That doesn’t look promising at all!
The first one to strike my face was more like a pellet gun round finding its mark… Soon enough it was more like bird shot with a wide pattern! I put my left hand over my face just below my sun shades, and I began to look for shelter… No more than a quarter mile down the road was a picnic area with covered tables! Dang! I’d rather be lucky than good, so I pulled in with ALI protected as much as she could be, then my body hunkered under that merciful cover! I consoled myself with thoughts about how this would enhance future appreciation…
A couple of ice pellets blew in…
20mb image hostingMost pounded the ground harmlessly a few feet away… others made a heck of a racket on the metal roof overhead…
image upload no registrationOnce the hail and rain had passed, we returned to the road and headed for a nutritional tonic… that general elixir I go for when things require serious remedy! I was not disappointed…
I’ve grown fond of that route through the Guadalupe Mountains from Van Horn, TX, to the north side of El Paso… mostly just a jog through some remote, wide open spaces, that includes some rather pleasant scenery…
Mountains…
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Open spaces…
Even a salt flat…
I hadn’t locked-in on a destination, but I was toying with… Silver City, NM, perhaps a return to Arizona… we made it as far as Deming, NM… The following morning, the forecast appeared much better for a long ride eastward, especially if I took a more northerly route through Waco, TX, so… That’s the way we went… I didn't want to get trapped in the west indefinitely, as that is oh-so easy to have happen!
DDT
