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Winter in the West - January-February 2008

Sunday, January 20, 2008

I'm packing the bags again, and this time I'll be heading West. My plans are to make a couple brief stops to visit friends and relatives along the way out, but will spend most of my time seeing the sights in New Mexico and Arizona. How far West do I plan to go? Well, Phoenix, for sure. After that, it depends on the weather. Stay tuned and see where I end up -- we'll both be surprised.

*** Find the PHOTOS on my public photo album site: the link is at the top of the right-hand column. ***

Friday, January 25, 2008

Departure day.

I spent about a week packing my bags for this trip; a little here, a lot there. And over the past two days I loaded pieces and parts onto the bike. So when I got up this morning at the unHoly hour of 6 a.m., all I needed to do was get dressed, grab my water bottles (I kept them inside where it was warm!), and back the bike out of the garage.

What I wasn't ready for was the temperature -- 22 degrees! Yes, I knew it was coming -- I'd been watching the forecasts. But still, can you really prepare for sub-freezing temperatures in the near-dark morning? Not me, that's for sure.

I headed south through what was almost "rush hour" in Montgomery. A bit early, perhaps. Boy, I don't miss that traffic at all. I was about 100 miles down the road when I heard the local weather - and it hadn't warmed up a single degree. And by the time I got almost to Mobile, I found my water had frozen. Jim Penner and I agree that a cup holder is the best invention ever adapted to the motorcycle. I'm one of the fortunate ones whose cup holder serves up ice water!

By the time I got to Mobile and turned West, it had warmed up to the mid-30s, and reached 40 somewhere across Mississippi. That was the high for the day, too.

I made my way to Covington (about a dozen miles north of Lake Ponchartrain) and met KIM and Randy Ponthieux. (Gotta highlight KIM in every way I can; other wise, she won't read a word of this. We had a great lunch at an out-of-the-way place that specializes in great food. Really good stuff! Then I followed them out to their house so they could get their horses and costumes ready for this evening's parade.

Unfortunately, we quickly learned that the weather was going to get worse sooner than expected. So Randy made the decision for his "horse riding club" (Okay, there's a fancy name for it, and I've already forgotten it -- Sorry) to NOT participate in the parade. Between the horses and their tack, their feather-covered costumes, and their general distaste for riding in the cold rain, it was a smart decision. In fact, before I left their house, it had already started raining, and it got worse as I headed back toward the campground. Once here, I heard on TV that the parade had been postponed due to the weather. Smart move.

While at Kim & Randy's, I got the grand tour of their ranch, along with a very interesting first-hand account of hurricane Katrina and the immediate after effects. They have four beautiful horses and three dogs. Kim took me out to the barn to meet her "babies" out there. On the way across the fields, we had to cross under their fence that keeps the horses inside. Kim had me stoop WAY DOWN (sure, like I'm 18 again?) and slide under the fence -- which turned out to be an ELECTRIC fence. But true to her usual considerate form, KIM turned off the power to the fence ------ AFTER I'd gone under! (On the way back, RANDY was thoughtful enough to actually open the gate and let us out while still standing erect!)

After an hour or so, I left and headed south. As I went, the rain got worse, let up, got worse again, and so on. In short, I got soaked. My friend Jim Penner once said something that I've never forgotten. We were riding back from Georgia and got caught in a true monsoon. Over the CB radio I heard him yell, "DAMN, I HATE it when my crotch gets wet!" Well, Jim, I can sympathize. But try it with 35-degree water. At this very moment, I'm actually typing an octave higher than normal!

Just after I got registered at the campground, the Park Ranger drove up. He wished me luck finding a place to pitch my tent. He said the entire campground was already pretty much under water -- but MAYBE I could find a high spot that would work -- at least unless it rained real hard during the night. That was encouraging...NOT.

I did find a spot of earth that was above the water line, and set out to pitch my tent. I've pitched in drizzle and very light rain before, but never a downpour. This was an ugly, ugly first. But I got it set up with only minimal amounts of water inside. Still, every inch of ground is 100% soaked and squishy. This will be the ultimate test of my tent's floor and ground cloth. If I wake up in the morning with a dry butt, I know I can also use my tent as a floatation device.

The rain's supposed to let up by morning. I hope so. Maybe I can dry off going down the highway in the 40-degree damp air. And that would make the wind chill something like -73. But what the heck; it's only a number

Saturday, January 26, 2008

In a way the rain helped me get to sleep. And I slept like a ROCK. I woke up refreshed and ready to roll ... but it was still dark outside. I laid there, snug and dry, for what seemed like an hour waiting on the sun to come up. It didn't. Finally I gave up guessing and pulled over my clock. 12:34 a.m. What? So there I was, wide awake, and hours to go until sunrise. So I pulled over my little B&W TV with it's 1 ½" screen. Tiny, but it helped.

One thing that surprised me were the advertisements at that hour. One "date line" ad after another; girls batting their eyes trying to entice guys to join the call-in chat lines (for fees, of course). Some Caucasian girls, some African American, some Hispanic -- all aimed at their own little audiences. About 8 out of 10 ads were of this nature. But I turned the TV off when one ad was for GUYS looking to flirt with GUYS. Whatever it takes to recover from Katrina, I guess.

A sign of the times. . . . I snoozed off and on until the sun started to come up. But it was STILL raining off and on. So I pulled over the TV again and started searching for a weather report. And since the campground has a WiFi capability, I pulled over my computer to search the Internet weather sites for an update. All from inside my sleeping bag in the middle of a soggy swamp. Amazing. Isn't this how the pioneers of the Old West lived?

I was delighted to crawl out of the tent after the rain stopped and find myself not only dry but not afloat! I knew I'd picked one of the "higher" pieces of ground, but in the light of day, I realized I'd parked my tent on THE highest piece of ground. It was now an island completely surrounded by a lake that covered the entire campground. ...Okay, a lake less than an inch deep in most places; but still, standing water everywhere but under me!

I packed up in a light mist and headed toward Ft. Worth. I rode in light mist for about 5 hours before hitting dry roads around Alexandria, LA.

Then my next big challenge. Around Shreveport, my heated gear quit working! And it was still cold! I made my way on to the dealership in Tyler, Texas, to see if they had a wiring harness; they didn't. So I made temporary repairs with a 4" piece of duct tape. That lasted until I pitched camp tonight.

I pitched the tent at a campground near Dave Elliott's house (my cousin who I've not seen in DECADES!). I set the tent by itself, and rolled out the rain fly and my sleeping bag liner to dry out from last night. Then headed to see Dave and his wife Janet. We had a short visit, but it was really great to see him again and meet her for the first time. They've got a great house, and we enjoyed some of the best lasagna I've had in years, too! My humble thanks for all their wonderful hospitality. And it was great to catch up on the past 35-45 years with my cousin.

I had to leave early in time to get to the campground before they LOCKED the gate at 10. On the way back, I hit a little fog ...just about every inch of the way. Thank God for GPSs. When I got back to my site, the fog and the 150% humidity had coated everything with water. I washed my tent, rain fly and sleeping mat in the bathtub a few weeks ago -- and they never got THIS wet. Fortunately, I had my sleeping bag still with me on the bike, so IT was dry. Made for a downright miserable night.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

COLD in the morning - especially without my bag liner. 33 degrees. When the sun finally came up a little bit, I couldn't see much outside, as my window was fogged up. When I got up to look out, I opened the "door" (which contained the fogged up window), and realized it wasn't just the window that was fogged. Visibility was less than 100 yards. I packed up all my soaking gear and headed out slowly -- sometimes 10 mph was too fast in this soup.

I headed first for Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies I knew I'd need to try and fix my heated gear; fuses, tape, continuity tester. Then I headed to the Fort Worth Harley shop. Fortunately, they had a wiring harness I could adapt to use to fix my gear. So I'm now SET for the cool temperatures that lie ahead. And by the time I got out of the dealership, the fog had burned off and things were actually starting to warm up!

With the late start, the slow driving, the two stops and such, it was Noon before I got out of Ft Worth.
I decided to stop early and set up a camp -- using the afternoon light and warmth (65 degrees) to dry out my gear and fix the heating wiring. Found a great campground (State Park) just south of Abilene. Rustic, but exceptionally clean, quiet, remote, and uncrowned. So with all my stuff dry and a much-needed shower, I'm ready for the trip to continue.

Monday, January 28, 2008

I guess I'm officially almost a full day behind my loosely planned itinerary, but who cares.

I think I went from "worst night camping" in Waxahatchie, Texas (south of Dallas), to the "best night camping" outside of Abilene. (Aside from the "camping trip from hell up in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota -- but that's a WHOLE 'nother chapter.) Very peaceful evening, perfect temperatures, and no critters snooping around. Winds, however, roared overhead through the trees. Woke me up repeatedly -- sounded like jets flying through!

I changed my destination plans three times today, and ended up with my first choice -- just outside Carlsbad National Park in New Mexico. The drive up was fairly uneventful. One thing I've repeatedly warned people about -- and am constantly failing to do myself -- is "never pass up a gas station out West." I filled up just before I got to Odessa, TX, and rode through Odessa (14 miles) before heading out on an obvious "barren highway." I kept going and going, and NO stations in sight. When my little gas light came on, I saw a sign for two towns up ahead; one an easy reach (13 miles), the other would be pushing it. Obviously, I planned to stop at the first station I saw. The next town (in 13 miles) didn't even warrant a city limits sign! Nothing there. Nada. Just grass and barbed wire. So when I reached a "T" in the road and headed toward that "Town #2" that was barely within my range, I thought I'd stop and check the GPS for the nearest gas stations. NONE in that direction. But if I turned South, I could get to one in 20 miles. I made it, got gas, and returned back to that point and continued on. And Town #2? Two run-down buildings, a couple old oil trucks, and two road signs. Then JUST outside of town was a warning sign: "Next gas service, 52 miles." And I'd just COME 50 miles from the nearest station in the other direction. So, never pass up a gas station!

The whole ride to Carlsbad was windy. No, I mean WINDY! Sustained winds of 35-45 mph, with gusts over 55 mph. Ruined my gas mileage, and wore my sorry butt out trying to hold the bike on the road. But if you think THAT was bad, try setting up a lightweight tent in gusts over 60! That's how hard the wind was blowing at the campground....essentially wide-open field with the wind coming out of the mountains. First I learned my tent might work as a flotation device, now I'll see if it works as a kite.

For a brief moment today, I found myself in a one-sided race with a huge tumbleweed as we both sped down the highway. And it was HUGE -- about half the size of my bike! I thought about catching it and sending it to my Big Sister (who just turned 75 today) but I realized I couldn't afford the freight charges. A little later, the wind blew a cardboard box across the road in front of me. It had started its random journey this morning in California, so it was making better time than I was. I guess I'm going in the wrong direction.

One spectacular section of today's trip -- a LONG ride through a Wind Farm. It started southeast of Abilene, and I rode through it for some 80 miles. Just from what I could see, the wind generators covered more than 500 square miles! And still building more.

Several things were interesting -- and I'll put more info on a series of photos I took (see the PicasaWeb site). First, these companies have their own gravel and cement companies built on site to support their building of more generators. Second, they've constructed their own road systems throughout the whole area -- more miles of roads that state and local roads combined. Third, the generators themselves look so elegant, graceful, slender and such from a distance. Up close -- they're MONSTROUS. Take a look at the photos to see what I mean.

The campground for tonight (and tomorrow night) is right outside the Carlsbad National Park. They advertise free WiFi service. And they do have it. Unfortunately, it's ½ mile down the road at their hotel lobby, not at the campground! Never fear -- I'll make use of it anyway.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Geez, what a night. The wind never let up, and continued to get worse. I was sleeping right down the middle of the tent, and sometime this morning I realized the wind had pushed in the windward side of the tent so far and so hard that it pushed me sideways on the mat. No problem, though. It later changed direction and pushed me back.

Winds gusting about 60 mph are too much for me or the tent. I decided to pack it up (somehow) before heading out this morning. Everything's filled with dust and shards of dead grass and both my tent poles bent (but didn't break) in the high winds. If the winds don't die down today, I'll find a cheap hotel for the night.

--- later ---

First stop today was Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I've been here twice before, but I never tire of it.

Okay, so maybe Carlsbad was my last stop of the day -- aside from a campground. I got a late start today because -- well, you know -- I was wind-surfing with my tent. Then made use of the grounds' WiFi connection to check my mail and update the blog. Oddly enough, I wasn't able to SEND any mail. Hopefully tomorrow at a McDonald's.

I spent about 4 hours at Carlsbad. Had a marvelously peaceful time down in that big hole. I've got more pictures than anyone would want to see, so I'll spare you as well. I'll put a few selected photos on the photo site, though.

Met some great people at the park-- employees mostly, as they outnumbered guests. I chatted at length with one, who agreed I was a bit crazy to ride a bike in weather like this. Just before leaving, I bumped into three other bikers headed toward Daytona (two from California, one from Wyoming). In talking, one said, "Hey, did you hear that some crazy biker actually rode out here this morning when the winds were over 60 miles an hour?!?" I smiled, and said, "Yeah, that'd be me." Hey, I was the only biker here in the morning. Winds died down a bit this afternoon, and that's when the rest came out.

Against some better judgment, I stopped at a campground at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. They think the winds will be a lot lighter here tonight than last night (about 80-85 mph here last night). They're anticipating only 35mph. So I'll give it a try. Oddly enough, with all the tourism, the outdoor activities, and the wide open spaces, there are markedly few campgrounds in this whole area. The next one is about 150 driving miles from here....where I'll probably be tomorrow night. So, you sleep where you can!

All for today. Short day, but I wanted to camp early so I could clean out the sand and debris from the tent and straighten the poles. I think I'm ready....

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

To kill some time last night, I pulled out my little TV. I found I could get ONE station - barely. And there was a special 2-hour episode of a show I'd never seen. "The Biggest Loser" or something like that. If you've never seen it, you really should watch it once. The Biggest Loser? It's the SHOW ITSELF. Geez, what a waste of air time and electricity. I'd rather watch reruns of PeeWee Herman's Funhouse.

What a restful night. I found a fairly sheltered site, and the winds were light. And they died down during the night, so by morning it was very pleasant. Sunrise was awesome, too!

I decided to start out the day's journey by heading straight south to avoid the high winds around the mountains ... okay, and to find gas. It was 110 miles between the last station and the next one down the road to the south. If I'd gone southwest to El Paso, I'd have been walking before Noon.

When I checked my mail at a McDonald's, I was told my photos on PicasaWeb weren't showing up. Duh; I obviously forgot to check the little "Public" box. So if you've been looking for the photos, they're available now. Link is at the top of this blog.

Generally speaking, the winds were kicking back up again today. As I came across through El Paso and Las Cruces, winds were gusting over 40 most of the time. As I came over some little mountain chain on my way to Alamogordo, NM, they went up to around 50. (Estimates for tonight range upwards of 60 mph again.) And the campground I was headed for was right in the middle of it. Fortunately, it was WAY back up in the mountain, and the winds weren't bad there. UNfortunately, the campground was terrible.

First, the sites were so small, I'd have had to pitch the tent in the parking spot with the bike.

Second, there was a sign on the fence right at the edge of the campground. It read, "Warning, Unexploded Munitions. Keep Out!" -- White Sands Missile Range touched the campground on that side. As I said before, can I pick 'em or what?

But the road to and from the campground was unique. "The Tail of the Dragon" is a well known biker route up in Tennessee, and touts something like 317 curves in 11 miles. The little loop of one-way road through the campsite had over 100 turns in about 3 miles. And with the strong winds, this was NOT a ride I wanted to make again!

I headed on down the road toward a couple other campgrounds. One was at Holloman Air Force Base. But just a quick look at it was enough to keep me going. On the edge of White Sands National Monument, it was engulfed in a huge storm of those "white sands" -- and no cover from the wind in the campground. The only other campground was about 8 miles away, itself engulfed in a separate dust storm.

Thus, I gave up. A local Motel 6 gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. So I opted for a private shower in a temperature controlled room without wind, a soft bed with a color TV, and NO requirement to pitch or pack a tent.

For dinner, I had a huge decision to make. Taco Bell, Chili's, or a Golden Corral. I opted for the latter. Really good stuff....and I GOT my money's worth. (Did you know they have a "to go" buffet? Pack anything you want into one of their little boxes for $4.39 a pound. What a deal!) Looks like I won't lose any weight on THIS trip.

So excuse me while I go wash off a few pounds of dust, grit and grime, then lay back and enjoy the non-camper's life.

Thursday, January 31

I guess I got "lucky" by staying in a motel last night. I was so concerned about avoiding the sand and dust storms, I neglected to pay attention to the weather forecast. It was 21 degrees outside when I got up! Ah, this was nice.

I started off at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. A fairly interesting little museum. Nothing as good as the museum up in Huntsville, AL, but nice for this area, I guess. Hey, it only costs $3, so whatcha want? The outside exhibits were the best, even if I did freeze while looking around.

Then I headed to the National Solar Observatory up in the Sacramento Mountains. As I went up, it got colder and colder. Roads that weren't wet were covered in sand and salt. And after a while, it was snow and ice. But not bad enough to turn me back. Besides, after traveling that far at 15-25 mph, I didn't want to waste all that time! So I pressed ahead to the observatory at 9,200 feet elevation. I won't bore you with details, but they've got some pretty cool telescopes there - and surprisingly they're in fairly constant use. The scientists themselves -- well, THEY are the boring part. No personality at all. Then again, if you just sit around and look at the sun all day....

On this little side trip to the high mountains, I again acquired "ice water" on my handlebars! What was room-temperature water in the hotel froze solid by the time I started back down from the top.

Following that venture, I headed back down through Alamogordo and on to White Sands National Monument. Photos in the album give you a sense of the place. I love it there, but wasn't really dressed to roll around in the white gypsum sand. It's an awesome place, unlike anything else I've ever seen in this country! (Okay, or in ANY country for that matter.)

My next stop was the White Sands Missile Range Museum. Unfortunately, I got there at 3:56 p.m., only to learn that it closes at 4:00. So I headed back toward Las Cruces, NM and the Interstate.

Armed with the weather forecasts that the overnight temperatures in this area were going to be in the low 20's to mid-teens, I knew I'd be staying at another hotel somewhere. So I set my sights on a Motel 6 in Demming, NM. And that's where I am tonight. Darn - another warm room, another hot shower, another soft bed, color TV, and the 2-hour season opener of "Lost". I think I can handle it.

One side story of note -- and you may have already heard about it (but doubt it). The fine military folks at Holloman AFB were going to attempt to break the land speed record this afternoon or evening. They have a rocket sled set up and aimed at achieving something like 6,500+ mph on the railway-like track. Wish I could have stayed around the area just to HEAR that test. Can you imagine the sonic shockwaves?

Friday, February 1

What a nice day, all in all. I slept in. Way in. Got up at about 9:00 (making it 10 hours of sleep!). Felt good.

I headed off toward Tucson for another planned stop. This one at the Titan Missile Museum, about 20 miles south of town. Very interesting place to someone like me, who grew up in the times when these silos were considered SO important and who's never seen one before. Took LOTS of pictures, but will only post a few for you. We got to tour the grounds above the complex, look down into the missile silo from above, then went underground to tour the command center and the missile silo.

We were very fortunate. The guide was a former AF NCO who'd worked at all 18 missile silos around the Tucson area and was familiar with all the operations -- as well as the history behind many of the decisions and practices. So we got an outstanding tour. (I suspect most of the tour guides have also worked here.) If nothing else, this was an incredibly interesting look at "history" (as in the '60s) and how we all lived. Hearing how and why the silos were established, how the people with their fingers on the buttons were trained (and why), and generally reliving the fear of nuclear war. What a blast into those days of my childhood.

Having spent most of the day either sleeping or riding in from New Mexico, it was late by the time I left the museum, so found a campground just outside Saguaro National Park (pardon the poor spelling). Nice place, overlooking a suburb of Tucson. So I have a field of little twinkling lights way off in the distance right out my back door. Very cool. (Also cooling down outside, heading to the 30s. So I'm putting this thing up for the night and let my fingers warm up inside the tent!)

Saturday, February 2

Another restful night, despite temperatures that dropped from 60 to 30 in about as many minutes.

After packing up, I took a short ride out through some of the local desert area. Never met another car, nor saw another person. Stopped in the middle of the road for about 20 minutes to admire the cactus, brush, and quiet, and nobody noticed. I love this part of the country!

I'd remembered that I had an old Air Force acquaintance living in this area, so plugged his address into my GPS and headed out to find him. Unfortunately, he wasn't home. So I left a card on his door. At least I hope it was his door. If he's sold the place and moved, I just left some stranger my card, and by now they're confused and troubled. Sorry.

Then it was off to Phoenix. My first stop here was the Hacienda Harley-Davidson to say "HI! to the owner and operations manager for Tim Russom. (Tim, next time, don't make me do this on Super Bowl weekend! What a mess.) Anyway, mission accomplished.

Finally, off to my primary destination -- Norm & Ive's place in Mesa. I figured I'd finally get a chance to sit and relax. Fogeddaboudit. I barely got my butt in a chair than we were off to visit cousin Linda and her husband Larry. Norm and Ive have SO much going on this month, I plan to spend most of my time sitting here alone, guarding their house, while they're out acting like teenagers on speed.

By evening, we started to slow down a bit. Norm had mentioned to me that he wanted some help in figuring out the new Magellan GPS he'd bought. What he failed to mention to me was that it was still in the box. So this will be one of the major chores of the visit. At least we figured out how to plug it in. Tomorrow, how to turn it on.

** WARNING ** For the next several days, photos and coverage will be limited, for several reasons. First, it's mostly boring family stuff. Second, I don't have access to a WiFi connection, and I don't have access to Norm's Internet connection. So the only way I'll be able to update you is if I can convince Norm & Ive to go to McDonalds for breakfasts! Third, I plan to be too busy!

Super Bowl Sunday, February 3

"Relaxing" -- A word NOT found in these folks' vocabularies. If you retire and move out here to relax, be prepared to be running your ass off trying to keep up!

Norm and Ive spent the morning at church helping with all the services there, while I stayed at the house trying to repack my gear and find things I'd misplaced during the trip so far. As soon as they got home, Norm and I were off to an afternoon show by his barbershop chorus and quartet, "Anything Goes." That was followed by a lengthy "Super Bowl Party" with lots of relatives. Before I knew it, I was dead tired and ready for bed. I'd add a photo of the quartet, but there are already enough of them on the photo album!

Monday, February 4

Again, everyone hit’s the floor in the morning with their running shoes on. We went to a 3-hour chorus practice, followed by a series of errands -- I lost track of all the places we went. We made one stop at Norm's bank, where he added me to his bank box access card. The Customer Service Rep at the branch took down my pertinent information, and then said she'd just use my "parents' address" already on file -- meaning my brother's address. I looked at Norm and said, "That'd be okay; right, Dad?" We've been chuckling about that ever since. Obviously while Norm feels younger than he looks, I must look younger than I feel!

Once home, we tried to make a dent in all the leftover foods from yesterday's party.

Then it was preparing for tonight's trip to see the Phoenix Suns basketball team. This, of course, is one of the main reasons I made the trip at this time of year. Specifically, to see Norm's group, "Anything Goes," sing the National Anthem at the Sun's game. A really spectacular event, and a real honor for the group.

The weather here turned rotten. Rain. Not too common here, but it seems I bring it with me every time I visit -- and people curse me for it. I'll be starting to watch the weather in the next day or two, making plans to head back West.

Super Tuesday, February 5

(Did you vote today? To me it was a tough choice; Pat Paulson or Ross Perot.)

Had a great time at the ball game last night. "Anything Goes" handled the National Anthem with all the professionalism of any top-named group at a major event. And, of course, the audience went wild when they sang the final notes. (I'm not sure if it was a sign of patriotism, admiration for the awesome chord the group struck, or gratefulness that they were done!) In any case, the guys got handshakes and high-fives almost every step of the way as they left the floor.

I was able to get a good recording of their performance on my new little camera. Don't worry, with a file size of more than 500 MB, I won't post it here. You'll just have to imagine that you saw it. And of course, since I was recording video, I didn't take any still photos of the show. So again, just imagine....

The game itself was interesting. I've never been to a professional basketball game before, so everything was new to me. And the rules are so different than in my high school basketball days, even the GAME felt new. ("Put ball in hoop." That's about all that looked the same.) Over 10,000 people paying big bucks for tickets, and even bigger bucks for popcorn, beer, nachos and giant pretzels. And the big foam fingers .... well, we won't even go there.

This afternoon it was off to another barbershop chorus rehearsal - a different group. Okay, so I've lost track of how many groups Norm's involved with - sometimes singing with them, other times coaching. It certainly keeps him busy.

Wednesday, February 6 & Thursday, February 7

I'm not sure what happened to Tuesday night or Wednesday. We spent a relaxing Tuesday night watching voting returns (not too many surprises, though) and watching a great movie.

Wednesday? It was mostly a blur. We fixed computers, moved around TV sets, and other stuff. And I ate - TWICE. And not just a little. I think I gained 18 pounds.

First, I had lunch with an old friend of mine from Regions, Mike Sarran. We'd worked together for about 8 years before he left Regions for other opportunities, and ended up working in Phoenix at an investment company -- Countrywide. Had a great (and huge) lunch and a wonderful visit. Unfortunately, it was just announced that Bank of America was going to buy Countrywide, so Mike's already looking for other employment.

Then just after I got back to Norm & Ive's place, we headed out and picked up two other couples (part of the famous "Minnesota Mafia" in his park) to go out for dinner at a Golden Coral. Another great (and huge) meal. Oh well, it's only weight.

Thursday morning I headed out for the journey home. I didn't get more than two miles before I changed my travel plans again. Instead of scooting down I-10 to Tucson, I headed west and took a scenic route on Highways 60 and 70 (called the "Old West Highway"). It was a nice ride, though longer. Had the road blocked twice. Blocked the first time due to a landslide; but the DOT folks were working to clear it off and traffic was moving slowly through the area. Blocked the second time by a HUGE truck being transported on a flatbed. It was one of those dump trucks used in strip-mine operations -- the kind that is so huge you could park a semi tractor/trailer in the back and still have room for a swimming pool, a fleet of cars, a dozen motorcycles and a cappuccino machine. That truck (with two escort trucks and three state troopers) moved along at 30 mph for quite a while. Gave me time to see more scenery!

I followed the Old West Highway on into New Mexico, and finally hooked up with I-10 there. Once I got through Las Cruces NM, I started searching for campgrounds. None to be had. By the time I got past El Paso, it was getting dark, and still no campgrounds on my radar. The next stop would have been Big Bend National Park; but that would have been after midnight! So I changed plans again and headed to Van Horn, Texas, where I crawled into a Motel 6.

Coming across from El Paso to Van Horn was really amazing. With the sun down, clear air, and no moon, the only lights were from traffic. And when there weren't any headlights in my face, the world was pitch black from horizon to horizon, punctuated by a million brilliant white stars overhead. Absolutely stunning.

Since I've already started across Texas and not on a southern route, I think I'll just continue across through Dallas, then on down I-20 to Alabama and home. I'll get home early, but that's fine with me -- I miss my own bed, house, and microwave!

More later ... if anything interesting happens.

(Oh, well, I did see on TV tonight that Mitt Romney dropped out of the Presidential race. I guess that qualifies as "interesting." Not much, but a little. That means that the only viable candidates for President would be ......... well, I guess there aren't any. Sorry.)

Friday, February 8

Okay, so this is a boring finish to the trip. Sorry.

I left Van Horn, Texas, with a full tank of gas and feeling very well rested. My trusty GPS said that if I didn't stop anywhere, I would hit Dallas at 4:05 p.m. -- which I presumed would be early "rush hour." So my options were to: a) take a 3 or 4 hour lunch somewhere between there and Dallas, or b) push through non-stop and try and get through Dallas/Fort Worth before the traffic got terrible.

I chose "b". And I found myself on the eastern side of Dallas at 4:20 p.m. Even so, don't get me started on the Dallas traffic! No, it's not as bad as New York, but they're closing in.

By this time, I had traveled about 450 miles for the day. And since it was just over 1,000 miles from Van Horn to home, it seemed like a great opportunity to press forward to complete an "iron butt" ride (the "SaddleSore" status is for completing 1,000 miles in 24 hours). I was still feeling great, so why not!

So by 3:00 Saturday morning, I pulled into the garage, ending this short trip of 4,400 miles.

Overall, a great trip; but it's so nice to be back home again.

. . . . . 'til next time!

.....

3-D Trip, December 16-18, 2007

Sunday, December 16, 2007

KIM!

Okay, KIM. I wasn't going to actually add anything to my blog for this little trip, but KIM nearly insisted. Kim's excuse for not reading my past blogs too thoroughly (aside from being "too wordy" -- Kim's most common criticism of me), KIM's NAME wasn't mentioned in them. So despite the fact that I hadn't VISITED KIM before and thus had no reason to MENTION Kim, Kim was still unhappy. So I figured I'd better mention KIM on this trip to keep KIM happy.

Okay. The 3-D trip. It's my "3-D" trip for several reasons. First, it's 3 Days. Second, it's 3 Dinners. And Third, once finished, I'll have changed in 3 Dimension (width, depth, and weight).

Day 1 was a short 5 hour run down to Mandeville, Louisiana, which is right on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. That's the monstrous lake on the north side of New Orleans. An entirely uneventful ride down -- except that it seemed to get cooler by the mile.

I met KIM and Randy Ponthieux there for dinner. For those of you who may not know this very dynamic duo, Kim worked with me for several years as a computer training specialist, and later became slave to a couple other boneheads at Regions. Wisely, she no longer works for that banking disaster. Her husband, Randy, was the King of Kings Compliance Guru for the bank; until he and his entire team was ceremoniously jilted from Regions as well.

We had a great time at dinner, though it was all too short. I just don't understand why restaurants have to CLOSE so early! But we had time (barely) to get caught up on what everyone's been doing, and began hatching plans for another get-together.

I headed back to the local State Park near Mandeville for the evening. Surprisingly, I was NOT the sole tenter in the park. Some other fools had pitched their tent as well. (Admittedly, I didn't actually see anyone there, so they may have put up the tent for looks, then went to the Holiday Inn where the heat was turned on.

I got off the bike next to my trusty tent and donned my trusty "headlight" -- you know, one of those geeky flashlights that you wear on your forehead. They're great for camping, amongst other things done in the dark. I lifted my head and was met with four pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness. At first I wasn't sure if they were raccoons (I'd been warned they were heavy in the area) or deer. As I walked toward them, though, it became obvious they were deer. They have me that stare. They ALL gave me that stare.

Oh, come on; you know which stare. That "Deer in the Headlight" stare, of course. But they had better things to do than bother me at night. I'm not sure WHAT, but I'm sure they had things...

In the morning, I again hated to get out of the sleeping bag. KIM had said she was worried I'd freeze over night, since the lows were supposed to be around freezing. Truth is, it crossed my mind as I was lying there trying to fall asleep, that I was actually WARMER in the sleeping bag than I am at home under the electric blanket. And while that sounds like a good thing, it actually worked too well ... I was actually TOO hot most of the night, and it kept me awake. Of course, when it's near freezing outside, there's a TRICK to cooling off the inside of the sleeping bag just a little. Unfortunately, I don't yet know the trick.

But it WAS cool in the morning. I think it was about 34 degrees, give or take a couple. Cold enough to leave frost all over my bike, helmet, boots, and anything else that didn't move during the night. (Don't worry -- all the important things moved.) So once again I packed up a frozen tent. The instructions say to never pack a WET tent -- but it doesn't mention anything about a frozen one.

Monday, December 17

Another short ride, up to Little Rock. And also uneventful. Sorry.

I rode for about an hour, then entered Mississippi. A couple hours later I entered Louisiana. That was a bit confusing, but my GPS rarely leads me astray. Eventually, after riding through some very strangely named towns (including the one indicated by the photo here), I made it to Little Rock and a local park operated by the Corps of Engineers. I was pleasantly surprised that my National Parks Golden Access pass allowed me to stay here for half price! This made it all the more enjoyable.

And my campsite -- well, there was good news, and good news, and bad news, and bad news, and good news, and bad news.

• The good news was that my camp site was right next to the bath-house.
• The good news was that the bath house was VERY well heated.
• The bad news was that the hot water heater was broken.
• The bad news was that the maintenance folks hadn't yet shown up to fix it yet.
• The good news was that as I was setting up my tent, the maintenance guys DID drive up.
• The bad news was -- they turned around and drove off, without even going inside to fix the water heater.

Thus I was forced to proceed with our dinner plans while stinking of road grime, dead bugs, old leather, and other detestable smells. I had a delightful dinner with Doris Green and Pat Embrey -- two other former coworkers at Regions -- and Doris's husband, Ray. We dined at a relatively new Mexican restaurant called El Porton. Actually, the food there was great. And as KIM, Randy and I did the night before, we "closed the place down" -- getting thrown out at 10 when they turned the lights out on us. We all agreed, though, that we sure wish KIM had been able to join us.

However, anyone pulling up to the place after hours may have second thoughts about eating there -- seeing what looks like two of their customers keeled over the railing.

Tuesday, December 18

It was supposed to reach the low 30s in Little Rock, and it was probably close to that. But it didn't seem cold at all. I packed up in comfort -- not having to chip ice or scrape frost -- and headed toward Montgomery. I made it home with just enough time to spare so I could take a shower and don new clothes (both MUCH appreciated by our chapter membership) before heading to our annual Christmas dinner and meeting.

So, 3 Days, 3 Dinners, and I'm now bigger in 3 ways. Not a HUGE trip, but fun just the same. Right, KIM? Happy now?

Until next trip.

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