Soozy
0
I finally got to a place with three prong outlets.
Saturday June 20
I was supposed to be out of bed at 5am to start this escapade. Slowpoke had arranged to meet me at Minyards so she could ride the first tank of gas and have breakfast with me. She is getting used to her Burgman 400, a beautiful blue one, and wanted to see if she would still be comfortable after close to 300 miles. Sooo, Slowpoke called at 5:30 and woke me up.
So I jumped up and onto the bike and went in the clothes I slept in...with gear.
Packed and blurry-eyed just like the picture.
I am already packing nicer than this looks here.
Met up with Slowpoke. She told me she bought this Burgman because of the Colorado Ride Report last summer. I had also expressed appreciation for the company on this first leg in spite of the early start. Her words were, "It's worth the price of admission." Guess what? Slowpoke is my FIRST DATE on the 50 First Dates Tour! Her husband didn't even mind.
Here we go! Starting mileage on the Burg is 41862.
We stopped for breakfast and gas a couple hours due west...
...and Slowpoke gave me a traveling companion who I have named Y'all...
...so I can say I am traveling with Y'all. But don't ask how he is because it will sound like this, "How is Y'all?" and you will sound REAL country.
We parted ways and not soon at all I found myself here. The weather had been nice for the ride with overcast skies and coolish air.
By Hobbs NM, I had been asked if I had been caught in the bad storms. Huh? I seem to have this weird super power. If I were a super hero, I would be Good Weather Girl. It was nippy approaching Artesia, so I put on the Frog Togg rain jacket. Those things are sized GIANT. The XXL I was wearing was so roomy, the shoulders seemed to take on a life of their own filling up with air. This little town of Artesia had such a nice downtown, the kind of place that draws one in. They had many large bronze statues like these in the pictures.
Leaving Artesia, I was surprised by a curve warning. I hadn't seen a curve in the road in hundreds of miles. The sign said 55 for this beautiful giant s curve one could take at probably 120mph, but it was a curve!
The ride up to Cloudcroft was very cool and beautiful, then you just drop into Alamogordo.
Way off in the distance is Alamogordo.
I was beat and decided to try Rich Simmon's style of mom/ pop motel,,,the Ace. $31 a night. My only complaint was that they had two-prong outlets so I couldn't use the computer. I was too tired to go looking for an adapter. This is also where I had what has become an intermittent problem with the bike. It is a little thing, but sometimes it won't start. It is either a weakening engine cutoff switch, or a weakening starter button. I am not too worried. Either one of those could be rigged if needed. I will probably replace the cut-off when I am in Seattle. In the meantime, I am leaving the cut-off ON.
The hotel neighbors looked at me with great awe in the morning as I packed. Probably had never heard snoring of that magnitude before.
Alamagordo reminds me of a beach town...flat with one story businesses stretched along the road, but then there are mountains and you are 4000 feet above sea level and there is no humidity.
Saturday June 20
I was supposed to be out of bed at 5am to start this escapade. Slowpoke had arranged to meet me at Minyards so she could ride the first tank of gas and have breakfast with me. She is getting used to her Burgman 400, a beautiful blue one, and wanted to see if she would still be comfortable after close to 300 miles. Sooo, Slowpoke called at 5:30 and woke me up.
So I jumped up and onto the bike and went in the clothes I slept in...with gear.
Packed and blurry-eyed just like the picture.
I am already packing nicer than this looks here.
Met up with Slowpoke. She told me she bought this Burgman because of the Colorado Ride Report last summer. I had also expressed appreciation for the company on this first leg in spite of the early start. Her words were, "It's worth the price of admission." Guess what? Slowpoke is my FIRST DATE on the 50 First Dates Tour! Her husband didn't even mind.
Here we go! Starting mileage on the Burg is 41862.
We stopped for breakfast and gas a couple hours due west...
...and Slowpoke gave me a traveling companion who I have named Y'all...
...so I can say I am traveling with Y'all. But don't ask how he is because it will sound like this, "How is Y'all?" and you will sound REAL country.
We parted ways and not soon at all I found myself here. The weather had been nice for the ride with overcast skies and coolish air.
By Hobbs NM, I had been asked if I had been caught in the bad storms. Huh? I seem to have this weird super power. If I were a super hero, I would be Good Weather Girl. It was nippy approaching Artesia, so I put on the Frog Togg rain jacket. Those things are sized GIANT. The XXL I was wearing was so roomy, the shoulders seemed to take on a life of their own filling up with air. This little town of Artesia had such a nice downtown, the kind of place that draws one in. They had many large bronze statues like these in the pictures.
Leaving Artesia, I was surprised by a curve warning. I hadn't seen a curve in the road in hundreds of miles. The sign said 55 for this beautiful giant s curve one could take at probably 120mph, but it was a curve!
The ride up to Cloudcroft was very cool and beautiful, then you just drop into Alamogordo.
Way off in the distance is Alamogordo.
I was beat and decided to try Rich Simmon's style of mom/ pop motel,,,the Ace. $31 a night. My only complaint was that they had two-prong outlets so I couldn't use the computer. I was too tired to go looking for an adapter. This is also where I had what has become an intermittent problem with the bike. It is a little thing, but sometimes it won't start. It is either a weakening engine cutoff switch, or a weakening starter button. I am not too worried. Either one of those could be rigged if needed. I will probably replace the cut-off when I am in Seattle. In the meantime, I am leaving the cut-off ON.
The hotel neighbors looked at me with great awe in the morning as I packed. Probably had never heard snoring of that magnitude before.
Alamagordo reminds me of a beach town...flat with one story businesses stretched along the road, but then there are mountains and you are 4000 feet above sea level and there is no humidity.