Day 2: Thursday April 30
We were up early knowing we would have to ride to breakfast. It was pretty cool, temps in the low 40's. As soon as the sun hit the temps began to climb and with the dry air it was really nice. Here is a view of the Lake Conchas. Plenty of boats at the marina.
We had a little over an hour to ride to reach Las Vegas, NM were we would find a diner for breakfast. If traveling across northern NM this is definitely a great way to go. Hwy 104 winds it's way across broad expanses of ranch land broken by sections with rocky outcroppings and a brief climb up the side of a mesa. Best part was almost zero traffic. A very nice way to start the day.
You may be able to see the road cut up the side of the mesa in this shot.
On top of the mesa.
And Perry's view.
photo by Perry, duh
Finally we rolled into Las Vegas, NM.
First order of business was to find a good place for breakfast. We pulled up to the first stop sign wondering what would be best. The Zumo had several suggestions but you never really know what is out there. All of them aren't in the database. I looked down one street and a solution presented itself. When in doubt, ask firefighters for directions.
photo by Perry
Firefighters are always helpful and tend to really know their neighborhoods. Part of the job don't 'ya know.
They recommended a place called Hillcrest Restaurant. Just a couple blocks away.
This place was a typical small diner from the 50's. Small booths with seating for maybe 50. Great basic breakfast fare with the owner out waiting tables and pouring coffee. These places are worth looking for. It was full of locals. I think we took the last booth available when we sat down. As we were finishing our meal the firefighters that sent us there walked in for their breakfast. We thanked them again for the tip as we were leaving.
Next stop................
When in Las Vegas on motorcycles one should stop here for a photo. This location was used as the jail where the boys spent a night in the classic "Easy Rider".
Just to prove we were all really there.
photo by Perry
From the fire station; the red building.
With the sightseeing done, we continued on west to the mountains. We rode HWY 518 and 76 over to the western side of this range. Perfect weather with temps in the 60's and clear skies. A little snow still on the peaks.
We stopped for a short break in a small town called Truchas. Lots of artist studios and this small store. The store was open but no bathroom. It was in the bar which was closed for the season. Opens on May 1.
Can't wait that long so we'll ride on.
photo by Perry
Nice spot for some posing.
photo by Perry
Chris isn't as much of a poser so no photo here.
At this part of the trip we were on the
High Road to Toas Scenic Byway. We continued making our way south with Albuquerque as our destination. I had a couple things to do there. First stop was Thunderbird HD. One visit to a dealer during the trip is OK. Being a weekday the employee to customer ratio was about 5 to 1. Lots of sales people standing around. And they always have nice bathrooms in the customer lounge. I figured with a name like Thunderbird they might have some cool tee shirts. They did and we bought a couple. Good trip souvenir.
Next on the agenda was food. It was after 1 and the boys were getting restless. I had a place picked out but for some reason Zumo had lost the location. So I had to try and find it the old fashioned way. First problem, I couldn't remember the name. Memory just isn't what it used to be. I was trying to go off the map of the town and wasn't having much luck. I decided to turn around and head to the other side of town. We turned into a parking lot, no u-turns allowed, and noticed a little late that it was an elementary school. The security guard came running out like the campus was being invaded by a biker gang not just three tourists. I stopped and explained we ere lost and looking for a good place to eat.
Her answer, they don't serve bikers in our cafeteria.
I told her what I thought was the name of the place and she sent us off in the right direction. We got to the intersection where she sent us and didn't see anything that looked like the right place. Then I spotted it. Here it is.
Doesn't look like much from the outside, but this place had been featured on Food Network's show
Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives. Here's what was ordered this day.
Grilled tuna tacos for me.
Portabello quesadillas for Chris.
Grilled chicken salad, complete with avocado and grilled asparagus for Perry.
The food was every bit as good as it looks. In fact it was AWESOME!
The folks were very friendly and happy to adapt the dish to personal tastes. The grilled tuna is an example, not on the menu but done at request. And to top it all off, this is the cooks ride.
According to him this bike is like a family heirloom. Over 100,000 miles on the clock. That's a Honda 550 engine. Most other components are off Harley's. They just keep replacing parts to keep it going. He made Perry's day when he came in and told him how awesome looking his Nomad was.
From Albuquerque we head west on the Interstate. This was a horrible section of about 60 miles. Too many trucks and too much traffic. This was about the only scenic spot.
Finally off the Interstate we got back on the two lane heading south on HWY 117. Much better.
Riding along I spotted a sign that said Sandstone Cliff Overlook. I made a quick decision, got on the brakes and turned off the blacktop on the dirt road. First sign said "Impassable when wet". OK It wasn't wet so we ride on for a mile and a half to the overlook. The road wasn't too bad. Just some loose gravel and small groves. No problem for us since we all ride dual sport bikes in addition to the cruisers.
Now for some more posing.
My new desktop photo.
Chris even got in on this one.
Reverse gear on a Harley.
This photo you see the lava field in the back ground.
photo by Perry
taken by Chris on Perry's camera
Looking back to the bikes.
photo by Perry
I think it turned out to be a good decision. We continued on south on HWY 117.
I'm always checking my mirrors to make sure they are still back there. After rounding a curve I noticed there wasn't anyone back there. I had passed a scenic turn out and figured they had stopped to take a photo. I hoped they had stopped to take a photo. Sure enough that was the situation. I was met by Perry and Chris coming around the bend as I was heading back to check on their welfare. Here is the scene.
photo by Perry
Since I was there I took one too.
This is when the afternoon got a little more interesting. I had researched fuel stops as best I could using internet resources. There is a gas station at the intersection of 117 and 36 at a town called Techado. It was there, but it had closed a half hour before we got there. We still had about 90 miles to ride for the day and Perry's tank only had about 50 miles left before he would run out. I wasn't able to determine if there was fuel at the next stop. But what can you do but ride on and ponder the options that might be needed. The shadows were getting long.
I like this view of my bike. The fuel cap and the windshield were the only parts of the bike that I spent the time to keep clean.
Quemada is at the intersection of HWY 36 and US 60. We rolled in with fingers crossed and positive thoughts for finding fuel. We were rewarded with a gas station and topped off for the last stretch on 60 miles west to Springerville, AZ. Arriving at sunset we cruised the main street in search of dinner options and settled on Booga Red's. With a name like that and a parking lot full of cars it has to be good.
We weren't disappointed. I had Mexican stew and salad while Perry chose the fajita chicken salad.
Chris chose a more traditional enchilada combo plate.
Hunger satisfied we rolled off into the darkness to find our camp site for the night. About 18 miles north of town is Lyman Lake State Park. We set up our camp in the dark using the bikes headlights and LED head lamps and settled in for the night.
More to come as time allows. I have some homebrew to bottle this afternoon, baseball game tonight, and more pictures and videos to upload. Day 3, US 191, the main goal for this trip will be coming as time allows.
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Have fun.
Hold down the fort while I'm gone. 
That's right, no daylight savings in Arizona so sunup was around 5 a.m. And it was cold, mid 30's according to the temp gauge on the Harley's dash. I was first up and took some pics of the site. 
We got on the IH 20 heading east to Sweetwater, about an hour away. Riding along I see a billboard in Roscoe for Retta Mae's Home Cooking. Bingo! We take the exit and are pleased with what we find. 
Always a good sign. 
