Good morning. I am writing the blog while sitting on Keith’s porch overlooking the valley surrounded by mesas. It is in the 80s with 10 percent humidity at 6000 feet l and it is warming up. We are being careful to hydrate regularly as altitude sickness is a real concern. There is a soft wind with sound of birds all around. Quite idyllic.
Had a short run yesterday from Tucumcari of 140 miles. The best part of the trip was heading north from I-40 on Rt 3. I knew it would be great when I saw the sign that warned off trailer trucks due to the narrow windy road ahead. When I rounded a corner I encountered a group of cowboys in their 20s herding a large herd of cattle along the road. I quickly throttled down and threaded my way through the cowboys at idle. This was not staged this is the real west.
When I stopped briefly for a shot of the countryside, I listened to my phone messages and Keith warned us of their rough driveway. She wanted to meet us and take us up it to determine whether we could drive up or leave the vehicles at the bottom. Judy decided to try it and made it with her superior driving skills. I decided to take the reconnoiter tour. When Keith came to a large hill and said, “This was the place I was particularly concerned about!” I said “With the low clearance of my bike and the its high gearing, I think I will pass.” I drove up the drive to the bottom of the hill and parked the bike in the scrub brush and loaded my gear into Keith’s Toyota Camry. In parking, I had to be careful not to put it in a wash in case of rain and to have the kick stand on solid ground. These little details must be followed to avoid unpleasant experiences.
I might not be able to blog for the next couple of days that we are at Keith’s but will start again on Monday, June 7.
