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Roaming the Western USA

Re: Going for Gold

Made contact he is headed this way...
Parts already ordered from Procycle.... so just need to finish another job I have going, go to bike night tonight, teach class friday night, teach class SAT & SUN morning and find time in between to get a new base and head gasket installed on Bajas bike..

Sadly, the trailer Adam and Jennifer stayed in is gone.....

Parts are in, bike is at Marquez place to get fixed.
He did let me take of the easy item, you know the side panels, seat, fuel tank....

I should be back on the road Fri/Sat/(sun :eek2:)
 
Re: Going for Gold

Parts are in, bike is at Marquez place to get fixed.
He did let me take of the easy item, you know the side panels, seat, fuel tank....

I should be back on the road Fri/Sat/(sun :eek2:)

I'll get to it.................... no really I will, just need to finish cooking dinner, finish that XR, clean up and start again.... :giveup:

Film at 11:00 :-D
 
Re: Going for Gold

Here's to good mojo for the rest of the trip. Looking forward to the rest of your journey and stories. :wave:
 
Re: Going for Gold

I'll get to it.................... no really I will, just need to finish cooking dinner, finish that XR, clean up and start again.... :giveup:

Film at 11:00 :-D

Stop making it sound like I am a hard task master.... :scott:


Here's to good mojo for the rest of the trip. Looking forward to the rest of your journey and stories. :wave:

It must have worked.
Originally was going to have to move to another motel as this one did not have a room for Fri night. Went in little while ago and was told I could stay Fri night and keep the same room.

That was great news to me. :zen:
 
Re: Going for Gold

It is good news to hear, cuz your staying a little longer.. Took me a bit to get that other bike off the lift....always the little things.

BUT, yours is up now and lets see how much we can get down before I have to go teach tonight.
I think Sat late is a safe bet.. but will know more when its all apart to see what fasteners broke on the way out.. that front left head bolt is not looking good...

Film at 11:00 (no really 11, that's about what time I'll be home after class and have time to post pics. )

And No Baja, you are not pushing at all, thanks... I do that well enough all on my own.
 
Re: Going for Gold

OK I lied,, needed a bottle of water and the shop fridge is next to the computer.....
13:15 started
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Field attempt to stem the flow
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Never had a chance ...there is a reason the OEM went to a metal base gasket....
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so 1/3 done...

Clean some parts and back together it goes
 

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Re: Going for Gold

adc79e5835c4e86506de66ea31336bc4.jpg


Baja doing final assembly
Into town for some oil and then he will be on his way
 
Re: Going for Gold


You say 'Yay', what about me. Happy to get out of that place. Three spider bites from that motel I was staying at... And this morning, guess I am watching too many sci-fies, because I could swear the a closet door opening with squeak is what woke me up at 1:00 am this morn... didn't get back to sleep till about 5:00am.
Not that I'm ascared of the dark you know.....

Eric, it was so hecktick at the last, unsure if I said thank you...
I do appreciate what you did. Have ridden 150 miles since 3:00pm.
Just give out now, wanted to make San Angelo or even midland.
But no go.

Bike runs and sound very good.
No leaks...

Day 6
Day miles: 157.6
Trip miles; 972.3
Ode day finish: 30935.8

Nothing really to write.
Wind was blowing like a banshee.
That just added to wearing me out also.

Did stop for pic of one historical marker.
connection speed will not support upload.

I am in Eden, Tx.

Still going to try and make the flight museum in Midland and then on to Odessa for meteor crater. From there north to Roswell and on to Clovis.
Don't know which way headed south to southern N.M. just don't care to run over same trackes I had just did. We shall see is all I can say.
 
Re: Going for Gold

Eric, it was so hecktick at the last, unsure if I said thank you...
I do appreciate what you did. Have ridden 150 miles since 3:00pm.
Just give out now, wanted to make San Angelo or even midland.
But no go.

Bike runs and sound very good.
No leaks...

You're very welcome... glad I could get you back on the road :giveup:

And happy to hear it's running as planned.

enjoy the trip, enjoy the adventure
 
Re: Going for Gold

Morning TWT.

Woke up and thought I had slept the whole night through, oh well.
It was my laptop turned on that made it look like the sun was just coming up.
Starting to rain, heavy lightening around.
Need to check the weather report.
Was hoping all the storms would have moved on NE that this place was having yesterday.
Sunny, hot riding to here and thought it was going to be a nice ride on up to the north.

Y'all take care.
Baja.

edit:
According to the weather map, I should be getting out of the server storm alert area, but doesn't seem like it to me.

edit again:
it is pouring down rain and heavy lightening.
I'm going back to bed.
Night Y'all.
------------
Clear partly cloudy to the west.
East has a nasty looking storm continues to move north.
There a dogleg that may pass over here, but still a ways away.
I'll start packing and give it an hour or so for the roads to dry out some.

Checked my spider bites, they healing.
One big one looks like the fangs were 1/4 inch apart and they do show up in the surrounding infected area. Painted it with iodine and bandage.
They don't hurt like they use to.
Oh well, I'll be fine. Just thought I would throw that in.
 
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Re: Going for Gold

Day 8
Day miles: 427.4
Trip miles; 1405
Ode day finish: 31363.2

Elevation: 3,603 ft... I'm cold.

Don't know why the day count is not coming out right.

Pic, Pix and some more Pictures.

-----------------
Permiam Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
P5100040.JPG

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Too Many Names to Count
The names are carved into the reddish stone.
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P5100048.JPG

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The Rescue
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A sad and tragic time.
-------------------------

Odessa Meteor Crater
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Cross Sectional of Crater
P5100050.JPG


Description of Events
P5100051.JPG


Exploration Trench
P5100052.JPG


Uplift of bottom limestone with folding on itself
P5100055.JPG

P5100056.JPG


Aerial photo of early discovery excavation
P5100057.JPG


-------
Timbercat Chanllenge
P5100059.JPG


-------
Japanese Tourist...
Suzuki ?
Yes...

They are looking it over, then ask
"How old are you?"

65

"OOHHHHH"
P5100060.JPG



I think I got into Roswell about 8:45pm MDT.
I had been watching the arrival time to Roswell and it was reading
9:32pm, look down at it and was saying 8:30pm, I realized I had crossed a time zone... Made me feel better cause of getting to Roswell an hour earlier, at least in local time.

Will be going to "Bottomless Lakes State Park" tomorrow after going to the "UFO Museum">
 
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Re: Going for Gold

Good to see you back on the road doing what you enjoy. Keep up the good pictures and lets not have anymore bike trouble!
 
Re: Going for Gold

Day 9
Day miles: 236.0
Trip miles; 1641
Ode day finish: 31601.3

I don't even know where to stop this one, let me get the easy stuff posted first.
The UFO Museum was not worth the 5.00 it cost to get in. Period.
All that was in there pasted on the walls was copies of the news articles from that time of the Roswell crash, then there is some other items pasted, but those too are copies of articles. This place is suppose to be repository of all UFO sightings.
If this was to make me believe in extraterrestrial visits and abductions, well it sure did not. In fact I was thinking that this place was more a scam.

Here's the pics. Which do not lend any credence to their claims.

I am not even going to comments on them, just post'em.

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P5100065.JPG

===============

Bottemless Crater State Park, N.M.

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=====================

Todays Ride

Have you ever ridden 200 miles to go 100?
Well, I wish mine had been that simple.

I was headed west on 82 towards Cloudcroft. As I got closer I kept seeing signs about the slope and altitude. Thinking I didn't want to go through that kind of mess right now, I started looking for a county road that south. So I took one off of 82 that still went west, but appeared to pass south of Cloudcroft. Well this road after a bit said Cloudcroft some miles. So I started looking for one that did state south, along with giving the name of a town Pinon.

Went a couple hundred yards and decided to enter El Paso into my gramin, which said El Paso was something like a 100 miles... Thinking I could turn west before getting to there, I took off headed down 24 and looking the right turn on road 506.

All was going good, beautiful scenery as I have entered a National Forest.
Stopped along side the road and mounted my Virb to my helmet.
( I hope they turn out )

Well I turn right on 506 and just kept a goin..
Then all of sudden the nice pavement ended, just like that, nothing but gravel.
I thought I was almost through and would be hitting a major, or at least semi-major hwy.
But nooooo....

The GPS had already given me my next road to get on from 506, which was something like 40 miles away... I kept on at it. sometime standing, sometimes setting.
I finally came to the pavement, and was about to let go a sigh of relief when I saw a sign stating sharp steep curves and boy was it. All the way to the bottom of a ravine...
Yep, the road was in a ravine.... I don't mean the road was cut into the side of the ravine, the ravine was the road. Follow that?

This here ravine did not have a sandy bottom, no... It was all rocks. I an't talking pebbles here. I mean rocks. Period. Never have I riding on rocks that were this big, even around the twists and turns of the ravine they went on and on for at least 10 miles it seemed.

At this point I must thank UlyBrad for the dirt training I took last year from him.
I know there was more than 50 miles of gravel road and at least 10 miles of ravine rocks.
I will have to go back and figure the milage for that ravine and for just the dirt roads.
Might be able to dump the the gpx as klm, clip that portion and post on a google map.

Back to the story. I was in some sort of test/firing range. At least that is what the signs said. Meaning don't get off the road.

Once I cleared the ravine, not fast in the lay of the land, it just sorted gave way to flat land. The road was still gravel and it searched for 40 miles after I cleared the ravin.
Finally I did come to hwy 54 and turned north towards Alamogordo. When I got on 54, I knew I was about out and would be going to reserve. Alamogordo was 27 miles away.
Went about 5 miles and engine puttered, switched to reserve and had 22 miles to Alamogordo. Getting closer to Alamogordo there was a sign that stated Cloudcroft 15 miles..... I did not gain one inch to the west, I wanted to be in Az right now.

I will see about getting the vids posted, like before I have no idea how they look.
If they look half way decent, you will see what I did, and that freaking ravine.

edit: forgot to say I did not drop the bike once.
Oh it was sliding and wanting to go it's own way.
But getting on the pegs and goosing the throttle brought it right back upright
and headed to where I wanted it to go... It was challenging, and sort-a fun.
The only thing that I kept thinking about was that I was solo, and there an't nobody coming down that freaking road-ravine anytime soon.
 
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Re: Going for Gold

Is it considerably cooler in the Cloudcroft/Alamagordo area?

:popcorn:


.
 
Re: Going for Gold

Is it considerably cooler in the Cloudcroft/Alamagordo area?

:popcorn:


.

Yes, and that was suppose to part of the story and I wound up forgetting and leaving it out.

heading west on 82, I was gaining altitude and it was getting colder with each hill I climbed. Finally I stopped and put on my rain/wind jacket and was better.

But those signs I kept seeing about Cloudcroft being at 7,000 feet and here I was still at just over 4,000 and getting colder by the minute.

The altitude gaining and it getting colder was one of the main reasons I wanted to go south.

It was 47 at night in Roswell and did not want to tent it. Started to tent at the Bottomless SP, but then got to thinking that I had bought my bag and all for warmer weather. Did have thermals to wear at night, but have trouble sleeping with them on.

Had not planned moteling it this much and it is starting to get costly.
 
Re: Going for Gold

Sorry I missed you when you were close to san angelo. I should keep a better eye out.
Following now.
 
Re: Going for Gold

Sorry I missed you when you were close to san angelo. I should keep a better eye out.
Following now.

It's ok....
Now you can tell me to keep going.
Yesterday wore me out.

You see the mountains in this pic?
They don't look big in pic, but just wait until your on top of them freaking things. That is where I was. Once up there every thing is fine and dandy, until you would to get down off of them....

edit: forgot pic
P5120073.JPG


Like I posted yesterday, it would have been a lot of fun if not for being solo up there.

-----
Woke up this morn and decided it was time to get something decent to eat.
Been living on next to nothing, except for granola bars, chocolate milk and some sort of rehydration drink.

Made a mistake in going to Denny's.
They were playing all the old love songs from the early, mid 60s....
I am sure some of you here will understand that part.

Was thinking as I sat waiting for breakfast to come that I could never be a waiter. I raddled off what I wanted to the waitress and she remembered it.
If me I would have forgotten all of the order by the time I turned around to go get it.

Guess i'll just head further west. Getting disenchanted with this ride.

Y'all take care, ya hear....
 
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Re: Going for Gold

Made a mistake in going to Denny's.
They were playing all the old love songs from the early, mid 60s....
I am sure some of you here will understand that part.

Kind of like this song Baja?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7107ELQvY"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7107ELQvY[/ame]
 
Re: Going for Gold

Day 10
Day miles: 237.0
Trip miles; 1878
Ode day finish: 31837.8
Current Location: Lordsburg, N.M.

Wind was blowing and very gusty.
About all I can say about this day.

White Sands (not really impressed with these)

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videos (nor am I impressed with these)

White Sands

White Sands
-----

It is getting cold here tonight, with some rain right now.
 
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