Crunch Time...

[DDT (12)]

What’s that sound? Dang, I sure ain’t heard that in a while! I hadn’t expected to hear that, either, but it wasn’t surprising at all…  It didn’t involve our girl, though… at least not directly. Each step I took to get to her, though, involved more crunching… The frost on her cover was a huge clue, so…
 
Actually, I’d been standing outside late the afternoon before chatting with the motel owner, when the light rain had changed to snow… Not much, it turned out, but a dusting up on the nearby mountains, frozen puddles on the parking lot that morning, and our girl resting easy on her side-stand… waiting patiently for her rider to make a move…
 
Her ‘blanket’ had frost and other frozen stuff, and the rain that had been soaking that item before had stuck to her saddle bags and windshield overnight… I pulled everything free, shook the cover without removing it, and went back inside the room. Yep, no rush to get out this morning!
 
Just another form of moisture, I sighed… something we’ve had to deal with nearly every day on this outing – now in its third week. Either we’d been riding through, around, or nearby it, or we’d been holed up in a motel letting some pass, but that topic had dominated or impacted every day so far… It gets old, too, in case you’re wondering…
 
We’d departed Donna, TX, just because I had to get some wind therapy to ease the claustrophobia starting to set in… I mean, all ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘The Virginian’ episodes are re-runs, of course, and many I’d seen way back when…

Not much mystery, but then again, not much either when I try to watch the news… either The Donald is the worst or best president ever, with nothing in between… How can that be, I ask rhetorically…? Contemporary sitcoms and programs I find difficult to connect with, and the movies of recent years don’t resonate much… Is it possible I’m getting old…? Another rhetorical question…
 
Whatever, TV-viewing definitely has its limitations, and surfing the net does, as well… I do try my hand at writing some, but… well… lots of limitations there, too! Oh well, maybe ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ or ‘Barney Miller’ will be on soon…
 
Following a long, wet day, I’d hunkered down in Eagle Pass, TX, for two nights, and poor ol’ ALI got really, really dirty on that run… Yeah, she had already been pretty dirty to start with, but this was serious dirt this time!
 
West Texas has a fine, not-quite-beige off-white colored soil that produces a fine dust… That dust is easily carried by the pervasive wind, and it coats everything… especially roadways and such. When precipitation comes, all of that produces a spray from vehicles that… well, how can I describe it… OK, it appears to this untrained eye to be very much like stucco or some other form of exterior wall covering! Even if one doesn’t wash his/her vehicle, the lights and windshield still require attention!
 
By the time we’d worked our way through Del Rio, the sun had reappeared! Nope, it wasn’t exactly a UFO sighting, but I most surely had missed it! On to Van Horn, then another day of chores… including a much-needed visit to a local car wash… She is merely dirty looking now, but the stucco is gone, and she does have her original color showing again…

From Van Horn, we'd ridden to Carrizozo, NM, where we bumped back into winter! No plan, no destination in mind, no... whatever... We're just heading down the road in search of fun, adventure, knowledge, and... all that kind of jazz...

DDT

[The emperor has no clothes]

Can always count on my friend to come thru with a tale during these trying times.  May your insatiable desire for fun, adventure, knowledge, and all kinds of that jazz continue for many years. 

[Hook#3287]

Good read Bruce, as usual.

I know how "cabin fever" can hit and mess with your head.

Can't imagine it's any better in hotel room.

[DDT (12)]

Can always count on my friend to come thru with a tale during these trying times.  May your insatiable desire for fun, adventure, knowledge, and all kinds of that jazz continue for many years. 

Rob,

Thanks, ol' buddy!      'Trying times'? I sure hope you're speaking generally and not specifically about you and Brenda...!   ???  Yeah, I'm hoping for many more years out here, too... in case you didn't know! 

DDT


Hey Hook,

Yeah, I've tried it in both places, and neither rises up to, let alone above, the 'sux' level... Thanks for the compliment, though, they are always muchly appreciated!!!    

DDT

[The emperor has no clothes]

Can always count on my friend to come thru with a tale during these trying times.  May your insatiable desire for fun, adventure, knowledge, and all kinds of that jazz continue for many years. 

Rob,

Thanks, ol' buddy!      'Trying times'? I sure hope you're speaking generally and not specifically about you and Brenda...!   ???  Yeah, I'm hoping for many more years out here, too... in case you didn't know! 

DDT


Hey Hook,

Yeah, I've tried it in both places, and neither rises up to, let alone above, the 'sux' level... Thanks for the compliment, though, they are always muchly appreciated!!!    

DDT

We are good. Just a little heated lately here on the board.

[DDT (12)]

Rob,

I got marooned in a couple of places lately where I was unable to access wifi...     So, I haven't been keeping up with the posts on here...   ???  Probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, though, as I scrupulously avoid any posts that even hint of politics... My delicate nerves are frayed enough from my past life, that they are far too fragile to risk exposure to anything like... well, you know...    Anyway, I'm mighty glad to hear things are OK on the micro level with y'all...  

DDT

[The emperor has no clothes]

Rob,

I got marooned in a couple of places lately where I was unable to access wifi...     So, I haven't been keeping up with the posts on here...   ???  Probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, though, as I scrupulously avoid any posts that even hint of politics... My delicate nerves are frayed enough from my past life, that they are far too fragile to risk exposure to anything like... well, you know...    Anyway, I'm mighty glad to hear things are OK on the micro level with y'all...  

DDT

I need to live my life more with the credo "what would Bruce do"  keep heading west my friend 

[msb]

Someone such as yourself needs a Netflix account, for times when hunkered down in a motel room with time to pass by. Can also get many great movies, shows on You Tube for free. The Mrs and I cut all ties to cable/network TV when we moved last year and don't regret it for a minute. When we do want to relax in front of the screen on the odd occasion... or when I'm hotel-ing it on one of my many work trips, those are the only two sources for movies, etc I use now, for the very same reasons you mention  here.

Weather challenges... for just a "part timer" like me , these little challenges have always been strangely appealing to me on our longer rides (not so much the Mrs, but she's been a hardy sole in this regard)    Been through everything over the years  and when the ride itself or a particularly difficult day is done, there's a real sense of satisfaction that we got through OK and it always holds as a good memory of that ride. Of course to a full timer like yourself, the not so ideal weather can get old real fast, I'm sure.
Thanks for another great post Bruce... enjoy and I hope you find more agreeable riding conditions soon. 

[RDAbull]

                                         April 15th
                                                                                         itemized deductions

     personal exemptions

                                                                      is that going to be on the exam?
WHAT, you are getting audited

       can't you get me a bigger refund?                                       
                                                                                      Where you going for spring break?
                                                                                                 (the office)

Rain ain't so bad my friend.

Keep on keeping on.  Tax season, the semester, and winter will end.

GOING RIDING THIS SUMMER!

[DDT (12)]

Rob,

Think hard about that, my friend! Follow too closely in my wake, and you might get bad reviews on both CNN and Fox! As for heading west... heck, I dunno... Most any direction except north looks pretty good to me... There just ain't no tellin'...!   

DDT


Mike,

I enjoy reading your replies and posts, too... You are a serious road warrior, ol' buddy, and that fact comes through loud and clear when you express your thoughts and reactions... For example, your statement about inclement weather... For most it is simply bad, forgettable, regret-filled nastiness... but, for you, and for those who truly enjoy what we do, there are some silver linings to offset the unpleasantness. See, I know you and about you! Thanks for the suggestions... I may, or may not, eventually get around to checking those options out... but who knows... I surely don't!!! I ain't in any particular hurry, because I ain't going anywhere in particular, anyhow...   

DDT


Roger,

Gawd! I so don't miss the rat race!!! I do feel for ya, my brother... All I can offer is a good thought and some positive vibes, however... the rest is up to you!!! Good luck putting the finishing touches on a rather impressive career... I'll be looking for ya out here somewhere... soon! I won't be hard to find - I'll be between the Rio Grande and the polar ice cap, and between the two oceans that gird out nation's flanks... I can send up a flare if need be...

DDT

[Bigwolf]

Bruce,
Once again, as always, I have enjoyed reading of your adventures.

Bigwuf

[Reb]

Bruce,

I lurk more than post anymore but sure enjoy reading your stories my friend!

Keep them coming!

[DDT (12)]

Bruce,
Once again, as always, I have enjoyed reading of your adventures.

Bigwuf

Thanks, Jerry,

I was thinking of you the other day... I was just riding along letting my mind 'free-wheel', and I had this flashback recollection of us sitting on your deck chatting... and of how it feels good to trust others to the point we're willing to open up about things that need to be aired out, but most of us are unwilling to risk sharing with others. I appreciate ya, man, and I really appreciate the respectful way you've always treated me!

DDT

Bruce,

I lurk more than post anymore but sure enjoy reading your stories my friend!

Keep them coming!

Preston,

Good to hear from you! Hope all is well with you and yours... I know how life can get hectic and complicated at times, and I've been 'hearing' your silence on here. You have a great deal going on, so I also know you do what you have to do. We've all been watching as you've grown and matured in life since joining us... and I know others who are as impressed with you as I am! I wish you well, and I look forward to sharing some more wind together... down the road someplace...

DDT

Remember this?

[Reb]

OH Man, that fine grub at the Ridgewood! and fine waitresses I might add! Great time that was, I sure enjoyed the company that week my friend!

[Bigwolf]

Bruce,
I sometimes remember that time spent on the deck.  I very much enjoyed the conversation.

Bigwolf