After 1745 miles in three days, we are finally home! Considering the number of miles we knocked out since Colorado, we're only a little bit worse for wear. A couple of final thoughts though...
First, thank you to my loving wife Lee Ann for her support in my decision to take this trip and to my P.I.C. Glenn for being the best riding partner ever!
If there's one truism about riding motorcycles it is that there is plenty of time to become deeply immersed in thought and ponder all sorts of things. I figure it might be nice to share a couple of those that struck me during this trip.
The first of these is everybody should make time to travel across this country. However you choose to do it, by motorcycle, car, bus, RV or whatever else you can come up with, get out and see this country. Every time I travel, I am deeply amazed by what I see, smell, hear, touch and taste. I promise you the same experience if you will only take that first step out the door.
When do you make it out there, talk to people. Everybody has a story and striking up the simplest conversation can end up being a rewarding experience. I remember talking to a lady who delivered cell phones into disaster areas for the federal government. She was relating stories about her experiences in New Orleans and why she thought the city was dying. While talking to her, I realized that she had a perspective that was forged in the incredibly difficult circumstances that she worked. It was a perspective that I could never hope to gain by reading the newspaper, looking at photographs or even visiting New Orleans.
While in New Orleans, I was also struck by the value of teamwork and the power of a positive attitude. The hotel that we stayed in there was in by far the worse neighborhood that we had been in. Not only was crime rampant but the hotel was surrounded by the detritus of Katrina. Just across the street was a shopping center that had never been rebuilt while residential neighborhoods several blocks over suffered from the same neglect. Regardless of that, it was one of the places that Glenn and I most enjoyed staying at. To a person, the staff there went out of their way to look after us. They were friendly, engaging and always made us laugh. It was a pleasure to stay there and a testament to something special they have going on there.
Now, a couple of thoughts for my fellow riders.
First, I'll give you my three favorite roads to ride on and if you're ever riding in that area, be sure to snug down your chin strap.
Number three is Highway 82 running from east of Aspen, Colorado to the continental divide at Independence Pass. As you climb out of Aspen, you pass through amazing aspen and evergreen forests. The road itself is twisty, narrow and offers spectacular views. As you pass 10,000 feet, the turns become tighter and the drop offs steeper. Finally, you top out at 12,000 feet and it's like sitting on top of the world! Great ride with great views.
Number two is Highway 152 from Santa Clara, New Mexico to Caballo, New Mexico. Hwy 152 runs through the Gila National Forest and is full of evergreen forests, rugged mountains and spectacular views. The road itself is a 30-mile stretch of twisting road with curves as low as 15 mph safe speed and the occasional long straight stretch. It will scratch every itch you've ever had for diving into corners. One caveat however, when it's hot (like it was when we were there), the oil becomes separated from the asphalt and it can be a bit slick. The best times to attack this road would be in the spring or fall when temperatures aren't quite so hot.
My absolute favorite road is Highway 118 from Big Bend National Park to Alpine, Texas. It is 80 miles of wide-open desolate road where you might see another vehicle every 10-15 minutes. The speed limit is 75 mph (like anybody cares...it is Texas) and subtle hills and slopes and allow for abundant numbers of 30 to 40 mph turns. Where else can you roll into those sorts of turns at speed and still be legal? Even the 50 to 60 mph curves were fun. As an added bonus, you're treated to the west Texas desert which with its unique rock formations and mesas, is beautiful in its own way. Truly my favorite road!
If you ever do decide to take a desert ride, I have a couple of other recommendations. When it is hot, still wear your protective gear. We wore full-face helmets and mesh jackets and what we found is that then you're riding in 100+ temperatures, the gear actually protects you from the heat. Several times we rode without our jackets and having that hot air blowing directly on your skin while the sun beat down on you was much more miserable than wearing the jacket. Every fellow rider we saw with an open face helmet had to find some way to protect their face. Most had some kind of bandana that went right up to their glasses.
Bring plenty of water with you. In Big Bend with the temperature at 116 degrees, we couldn't get enough water. Same in Kansas when the temperature was 108. The one piece of gear we both wished we would have taken with us was some kind of Camelbak. Not only would they have been great while riding but we could have used them when we hiked also.
Lastly, know how far you can go on a tank of gas and where your gas stations are. We ran into a fellow rider in Big Bend who was on a Sportster and he had two gas cans strapped onto the sides of the bike. It can be several hundred miles between gas stations so he knew that he had to carry some with him. Once in the desert, you quickly realize how isolated you are and how fast she can turn on you. Best to give her a lot of respect!
Well, that's it! I appreciate all of you who took the time to read this blog and keep up with our adventures during this trip. I hope that we at least entertained you a little bit, showed you some good photos and maybe piqued your interest in the southwest.
Eric
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