Once that LEO in Lordsburg had disappeared from view as we rounded a curve, I was able to focus more on the ride. That’s a veiled way of saying, “I cracked the throttle and let ALI stretch a bit!” Like all members of the female persuasion I’ve ever known, she does need to be regularly indulged. She appears to appreciate my ‘sensitivity’ and consideration…
It was brisk, and the wind had increased some, but WOW! It felt absolutely grand to be riding off and finding our stride. Just a downright excellent way to begin a new day!!! It didn’t take long, however, before I was thinking about things like… now where did I store that polar mask? And, should we pull-over so I can plug-in those Gerbings I was already wearing?
It was a close call, and, predictably, the procrastinator part of me won the coin-toss… Shucks, we can always pull-over anytime, I reasoned, so let’s just wait a while and see what happens… Of course, we never did. This is so common, it's practically routine!
We didn’t have an arduous or challenging day ahead of us, so no need to bare-down and take too many liberties with posted mobility rate directives. We’d be traveling through some rather remote areas, though, so I didn’t anticipate many ‘revenuers’ out looking for guys like this non-planning gypsy, but still, no need for much risk-taking either…
We’d purposely embarked upon a long-cut that would extend this day’s ride by nearly a hundred miles versus a more direct route. That so we could ride back roads and take an easy jaunt through some not-recently ridden areas. And that, my friends, made all the difference!
Few other vehicles were encountered all the way to Silver City, NM! Heck, I even had time to pause and discharge some well-used morning coffee alongside the road, and nobody ever saw it! Glad that's all I had to do, though... much anxiety occurs when squatting in cactus country!
We made the turn in Silver City back towards Deming, where we would again eschew the Interstate in favor of yet another back road most of the way to Las Cruces. Several miles south of Silver City we passed a motel, restaurant, convenience store, gas station complex along the way.
It appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere, but signs indicated a small town nearby someplace… I never saw it… Anyway, I spotted the 'Open' sign in the window, so I executed another rather elegant U-turn... I've had so much practice doing those! We found a parking spot near the front door and entered for breakfast…
The very nice server-person, brought me a cup of Joe, and then asked for my order. I mused that it would probably be pointless for me to request grits, and she confirmed that. I ordered a regular type meal for that area… which, of course, meant taters. An older guy sitting nearby spoke up and confirmed what I already knew, that I was a bit too far west for that extra special treat… and a very pleasant conversation followed…
I’m often asked if the loneliness and isolation from other people that traveling alone implies ever gets to me. It’s apparently hard for some to imagine this, but I’m only ‘alone’ or ‘isolated’ when I choose to be. It’s not only easy to engage other folks even though we’ve never met, sometimes I have to almost be rude to remain alone! Well, maybe not that extreme, but chatting with strangers is so easy and natural, and it actually is one of the nicer features of this sort of travel.
When we travel with others, the majority of our interactions are with our companions. When we travel alone, all interactions are with strangers, be they fellow travelers or locals, and most folks are quite willing to interact anyway… as they share the same need for contact. Truly, it ain’t hard, folks! By interacting with strangers, a new experience and a fresh take on things is guaranteed… Stimulating and fascinating to say the least.
More pleasant riding followed, and then Deming came into view. The turn off that road onto the next back road came before we actually got into town! WOW! This route selection was really working out! While Silver City is at a higher elevation, which of course means some mountain riding, the areas we traversed most of this day were not. No problem, though, as it was all scenic and most enjoyable…
All good things must come to an end eventually, sigh… And that last back road later ended at I-25. We made the turn south towards Las Cruces and completed the thirty-mile run, then we turned onto US 70 towards Alamogordo and our stopping place for the evening…
A truly great day in the saddle… rewarding in so many ways, and so good, in fact, I was impatient to resume as soon as we could! Yep, just another routine day...
DDT
Mountains to the east of Las Cruces viewed from just north of town.
Even the sun soon called it a day…
I shudder nowadays when I see one of these types of coffee makers in my room! Thanks, Gig…
This image will likely haunt me to my grave!
I now rejoice when I see one of these makers in my room!!!
