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28 day solo ride TX, NM, AZ, UT and CO
- Thread starter humanrace
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
- Messages
- 3,860
- Reaction score
- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
DAY NINETEEN OF TWENTY EIGHT
I rode to Moab after getting gas at a local gas station/fast food place. A fellow adventure rider assured me that I could get tires at Mad Bro's Powersports. I could not. A tent site in Slick Rock RV Park was $35 so I rode on. I got the last tent site in a national forest campground. It was the 6th campground I had tried, one right after another along highway 128 along the Colorado River. Before I paid, two students from the university of Utah offered to share their site with me. It was by far the best site I had seen all day. It was completely shaded and was right on the Colorado River. I gave up my site to a young couple in a converted van type RV and joined the students. They were grad students from India and this was their first time to camp. Their ulterior motive for sharing was to hopefully get experienced help setting up their large Marmot tent. It worked.
Time for arches, but first I searched for a sporting goods store for the correct patches for my air mattress. Regular tire patches just slid right off. I found it. Directions: Caution, do not use this glue if you are pregnant. Contains methyl ethyl ketone. Wait a minute, MEK causes cancer in unpregnant people also. OK, be very careful.
First, Landscape and Double O. Double O is not the same as Double Arch which can be seen from the highway. Double 0 requires a very beautiful 4.5 mile hike round trip. Landscape is only 2 mile round trip. If you have not been to landscape in the last 25 years, it has changed. A large hunk on the underside has fallen off. It’s noticeably thinner. It is believed to be the longest rock span in the world at 290 feet.
Landscape and my finger while trying to shield my lens from the sun.
View along the trail
Me with the sun behind the thinnest portion of the arch. When I asked the young man to take my picture, he readily agreed. When I asked him to kneel in front of me so the sun was behind the arch, he hesitated. I guess I’m persuasive.
The trail to Double O got a little steep.
This broken Utah Juniper limb has been worn smooth to a nice patina by thousands of hands using it as a hand hold to help with the climb.
This narrow ledge was also part of the trail
View beside the trail.
We’re there!
The trail getting here was really nice even if there had not been a bonus at the end.
Bonus, a few people standing in the lower arch.
Looking through the upper arch at more beauty
Next up was Delicate Arch, the iconic Utah image.
The start of the trail to Delicate arch. Even though It’s late, close to half of the people in this picture are just starting the hike. I believe it’s about 3 miles round trip. I came in the early 70’s and when I got to the arch there were 3 other people. There were at least a hundred this time.
This couple were mooning over each other with the moon and the arch overhead.
This guy is forlornly staring at the moon while thinking of loves lost.
Of course both of the above scenarios are purely conjecture on my part as I know none of the people in the pictures.
Looking back at Delicate and a small horde of people through another arch whose name escapes me.
I got back to the road to my campsite after dark and couldn't remember which one of the many sites was mine. The fourth one I tried turned out to be right. A warm Dr. Pepper and a half eaten breakfast muffin was dinner.
Air mattress is still leaking down, but much slower. If I awake, I refill every 2-3 hours. My 71 year old bones creak when I get out of bed. The difference between 1" of air mattress and just 2 layers of plastic is a lot. There was a very small hole about 6 inches from the one I patched.
I rode to Moab after getting gas at a local gas station/fast food place. A fellow adventure rider assured me that I could get tires at Mad Bro's Powersports. I could not. A tent site in Slick Rock RV Park was $35 so I rode on. I got the last tent site in a national forest campground. It was the 6th campground I had tried, one right after another along highway 128 along the Colorado River. Before I paid, two students from the university of Utah offered to share their site with me. It was by far the best site I had seen all day. It was completely shaded and was right on the Colorado River. I gave up my site to a young couple in a converted van type RV and joined the students. They were grad students from India and this was their first time to camp. Their ulterior motive for sharing was to hopefully get experienced help setting up their large Marmot tent. It worked.
Time for arches, but first I searched for a sporting goods store for the correct patches for my air mattress. Regular tire patches just slid right off. I found it. Directions: Caution, do not use this glue if you are pregnant. Contains methyl ethyl ketone. Wait a minute, MEK causes cancer in unpregnant people also. OK, be very careful.
First, Landscape and Double O. Double O is not the same as Double Arch which can be seen from the highway. Double 0 requires a very beautiful 4.5 mile hike round trip. Landscape is only 2 mile round trip. If you have not been to landscape in the last 25 years, it has changed. A large hunk on the underside has fallen off. It’s noticeably thinner. It is believed to be the longest rock span in the world at 290 feet.
Landscape and my finger while trying to shield my lens from the sun.
View along the trail
Me with the sun behind the thinnest portion of the arch. When I asked the young man to take my picture, he readily agreed. When I asked him to kneel in front of me so the sun was behind the arch, he hesitated. I guess I’m persuasive.
The trail to Double O got a little steep.
This broken Utah Juniper limb has been worn smooth to a nice patina by thousands of hands using it as a hand hold to help with the climb.
This narrow ledge was also part of the trail
View beside the trail.
We’re there!
The trail getting here was really nice even if there had not been a bonus at the end.
Bonus, a few people standing in the lower arch.
Looking through the upper arch at more beauty
Next up was Delicate Arch, the iconic Utah image.
The start of the trail to Delicate arch. Even though It’s late, close to half of the people in this picture are just starting the hike. I believe it’s about 3 miles round trip. I came in the early 70’s and when I got to the arch there were 3 other people. There were at least a hundred this time.
This couple were mooning over each other with the moon and the arch overhead.
This guy is forlornly staring at the moon while thinking of loves lost.
Of course both of the above scenarios are purely conjecture on my part as I know none of the people in the pictures.
Looking back at Delicate and a small horde of people through another arch whose name escapes me.
I got back to the road to my campsite after dark and couldn't remember which one of the many sites was mine. The fourth one I tried turned out to be right. A warm Dr. Pepper and a half eaten breakfast muffin was dinner.
Air mattress is still leaking down, but much slower. If I awake, I refill every 2-3 hours. My 71 year old bones creak when I get out of bed. The difference between 1" of air mattress and just 2 layers of plastic is a lot. There was a very small hole about 6 inches from the one I patched.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
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- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
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- Friday
We were out there in 2015 and I needed a battery. They were closed then as well even though the sign on the door showed they should be open at the time we were there. I think their hours are "flexible", as in whenever they feel like being open or closed
I was fortunate that a small autopart store in town happened to have ONE battery of the size and type I needed!I have that same pic of the bridge on Hwy 95. We also stopped at the Hite Marina just of 95 for gas and ice cream. We met some guy from the UK that was bicycling across America, starting in Miami and working his way to San Francisco. I don't think that guy had a single ounce of body fat on him. I still enjoyed my ice cream while we were talking...
There is a fantastic dirt route from the marina over to Blanding. It runs between the Dark Canyon Wilderness and the White Canyon, North of the Natural Bridges NP. We did it on the big bikes (2) 1200GSs, a 1200 GSA, and a KTM 690. It has a wide variety of terrain and scenery, but all the riding was fairly basic dirt road stuff with only a few spots of mild sand.
We stayed on the North end of Monticello at the Inn of the Canyons. It was not expensive. The hot tub was great. Good Mexican food was right across the street and there were a few other decent places to eat in short walking distance. There was also gas nearby. The last night we wanted a nice meal. The lady at the hotel suggested this place,
Roughlock Resort - Linecamp Steakhouse · 7980 US-191, Monticello, UT 84535
★★★★★ · Resort hotel
goo.gl
It was really good, but about $30 per person. It was a bit hard to find though. We drove past the dirt road a few times before realizing where we needed to turn.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
- Messages
- 3,860
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- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
DAY TWENTY OF TWENTY EIGHT
I was going to buy breakfast this morning, but my two student roomies had packed up and gone during the night. They had told me they were going to the Grand Canyon. I started today with a ride to Grand View with planned stops at Mesa Arch and a ride back to camp via Schafer Trail, supposedly a class 3 ride. Here’s Mesa Arch, not in Arches NP, but in Canyonlands. Actually, the prettiest arch I have ever seen is in Canyonlands. It is Angel Arch and requires about a 30 mile round trip hike in the desert. I can’t do it in 2 days like before so if you want to see a picture, come by and look at the one hanging in my living room. Or, from the internet, with angel arch in the background and Molar Rock in the foreground. The opening to the arch is 140'. I did not go here this trip. It requires a permit and a much better pack than I carry on MC trips.
Mesa arch, also in Canyonlands, is accessible by a short hike.
Nice view into the canyon I will ride into this afternoon.
Things get a little gnarly even if one is not riding.
I got this Polish lady to give me a hug while her husband takes the picture. Maybe my wife will get jealous and come with me next time. This lady did insist in being on the non cliff side. The couple did tell me they were from Poland, but on further questioning told me they had moved to Indiana 25 years ago. I guess that means I'm from England since my family moved from there to Texas about 170 years ago.
Just a stroll along a cliff. If you want to do the same, you better hurry. All it will take to get the park service to erect a fence is for one stupid person to fall, and we don’t have a shortage of stupid people.
Stupid person at the brink of death.
A glimpse of the road I will be riding shortly, though without the use of my camera. My spare memory cards are back in camp with my leaky air mattress.
phone pics
Switchbacks going into the canyon on the Shafer trail. The Shafer trail can be part of the White Rim Trail.
Soon to be balanced rocks. Well, soon in geologic terms.
The Colorado River, responsible for much of the beauty in eastern Utah and northern Arizona. Note fellow travelers in the upper left.
Pretty bike
The river again. The road is along that cliff to my left.
The roughest portion of the trail.
The Potash ponds. Water is pumped into the underground deposits of potash and dissolves the potash. The water is then pumped out and the water is allowed to evaporate.
Another balanced rock and this one is really balanced.
The road back to the main highway through Moab follows the rail road tracks and the Colorado River.
The Schafer Trail was 32 miles long. It was supposed to be class 3, but I guess I slept through the hard parts. Very little deep sand.
When I got back to camp it was getting dark and I had new neighbors, a nine year old girl and her dad. She helped me eat a box of fresh raspberries and was very excited to tell me about her long uphill hike to Delicate Arch. She was especially excited to show me the pictures she took of her dad at the arch. she wanted to know how fast my motorcycle would go and was disappointed when I told her. They were going to hike to Double O arch the next day and she hoped it wouldn't be as steep as the hike to Delicate. Uh oh, I hope the child wasn't too disappointed. I blew up my mattress 3 times during the night. I was unable to find the small leak until I got home and could completely submerse the mattress in a bathtub.
I was going to buy breakfast this morning, but my two student roomies had packed up and gone during the night. They had told me they were going to the Grand Canyon. I started today with a ride to Grand View with planned stops at Mesa Arch and a ride back to camp via Schafer Trail, supposedly a class 3 ride. Here’s Mesa Arch, not in Arches NP, but in Canyonlands. Actually, the prettiest arch I have ever seen is in Canyonlands. It is Angel Arch and requires about a 30 mile round trip hike in the desert. I can’t do it in 2 days like before so if you want to see a picture, come by and look at the one hanging in my living room. Or, from the internet, with angel arch in the background and Molar Rock in the foreground. The opening to the arch is 140'. I did not go here this trip. It requires a permit and a much better pack than I carry on MC trips.
Mesa arch, also in Canyonlands, is accessible by a short hike.
Nice view into the canyon I will ride into this afternoon.
Things get a little gnarly even if one is not riding.
I got this Polish lady to give me a hug while her husband takes the picture. Maybe my wife will get jealous and come with me next time. This lady did insist in being on the non cliff side. The couple did tell me they were from Poland, but on further questioning told me they had moved to Indiana 25 years ago. I guess that means I'm from England since my family moved from there to Texas about 170 years ago.
Just a stroll along a cliff. If you want to do the same, you better hurry. All it will take to get the park service to erect a fence is for one stupid person to fall, and we don’t have a shortage of stupid people.
Stupid person at the brink of death.
A glimpse of the road I will be riding shortly, though without the use of my camera. My spare memory cards are back in camp with my leaky air mattress.
phone pics
Switchbacks going into the canyon on the Shafer trail. The Shafer trail can be part of the White Rim Trail.
Soon to be balanced rocks. Well, soon in geologic terms.
The Colorado River, responsible for much of the beauty in eastern Utah and northern Arizona. Note fellow travelers in the upper left.
Pretty bike
The river again. The road is along that cliff to my left.
The roughest portion of the trail.
The Potash ponds. Water is pumped into the underground deposits of potash and dissolves the potash. The water is then pumped out and the water is allowed to evaporate.
Another balanced rock and this one is really balanced.
The road back to the main highway through Moab follows the rail road tracks and the Colorado River.
The Schafer Trail was 32 miles long. It was supposed to be class 3, but I guess I slept through the hard parts. Very little deep sand.
When I got back to camp it was getting dark and I had new neighbors, a nine year old girl and her dad. She helped me eat a box of fresh raspberries and was very excited to tell me about her long uphill hike to Delicate Arch. She was especially excited to show me the pictures she took of her dad at the arch. she wanted to know how fast my motorcycle would go and was disappointed when I told her. They were going to hike to Double O arch the next day and she hoped it wouldn't be as steep as the hike to Delicate. Uh oh, I hope the child wasn't too disappointed. I blew up my mattress 3 times during the night. I was unable to find the small leak until I got home and could completely submerse the mattress in a bathtub.
Last edited:
- Joined
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- Sun Lakes & Show Low, Arizona
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- Brian
Really enjoying the report and the photos.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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- 3,860
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- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
DAY TWENTY ONE OF TWENTY EIGHT
I had changed front sprockets to the stock 15 for the ride down Schafer Trail and I changed back to my 16 tooth road gearing before heading to Durango. There are two motorcycle dealerships in Durango. I got there on Monday afternoon and of course they were not open. I didn’t really expect them to be. After a night of blowing up my air mattress, I awoke to a frozen banana to add to my bowl of cereal. Long story short, neither shop had a rear tire for me. They both wanted to install a 160/60 and in both cases it was sport tire instead of dual sport. A 160 is just too wide or I would have accepted their offer. The Suzuki could get me tires in a week to 10 days and the Honda shop said 4 days to a week. No thanks, it’s just a couple hundred miles to Albuquerque and no cord is showing. Walmart did have a mattress that I bought to use until I find a place to submerge my good, although leaky, air mattress. I had already tried a water hose and taking it into the shower with no luck finding the leak.
The Walmart mattress takes 147 breaths to blow up. I know, a pump is cheap, but the problem is space. I’m on a 5 week ride with tools, spares, camping equipment, camera and 2 extra lens, a computer, clothes and toilet supplies. No room for a pump.
I had already been to the hill country and skipped one of the twisted sisters and, even though I have been to Silverton and Ouray many times, I knew I couldn’t be in Durango without at least going to Silverton and part way up the Alpine loop. A fast check of my tires showed enough tread to make it to Albuquerque without cords showing so off I went.
The aspen were turning along the Million Dollar Highway.
I decided to go up towards California Pass as far as I could. I hadn't changed my gearing back to stock so that 16 tooth front was going to severely limit where I went.
Look back to some TWTer's old avatar.
And, across the valley.
I had changed front sprockets to the stock 15 for the ride down Schafer Trail and I changed back to my 16 tooth road gearing before heading to Durango. There are two motorcycle dealerships in Durango. I got there on Monday afternoon and of course they were not open. I didn’t really expect them to be. After a night of blowing up my air mattress, I awoke to a frozen banana to add to my bowl of cereal. Long story short, neither shop had a rear tire for me. They both wanted to install a 160/60 and in both cases it was sport tire instead of dual sport. A 160 is just too wide or I would have accepted their offer. The Suzuki could get me tires in a week to 10 days and the Honda shop said 4 days to a week. No thanks, it’s just a couple hundred miles to Albuquerque and no cord is showing. Walmart did have a mattress that I bought to use until I find a place to submerge my good, although leaky, air mattress. I had already tried a water hose and taking it into the shower with no luck finding the leak.
The Walmart mattress takes 147 breaths to blow up. I know, a pump is cheap, but the problem is space. I’m on a 5 week ride with tools, spares, camping equipment, camera and 2 extra lens, a computer, clothes and toilet supplies. No room for a pump.
I had already been to the hill country and skipped one of the twisted sisters and, even though I have been to Silverton and Ouray many times, I knew I couldn’t be in Durango without at least going to Silverton and part way up the Alpine loop. A fast check of my tires showed enough tread to make it to Albuquerque without cords showing so off I went.
The aspen were turning along the Million Dollar Highway.
I decided to go up towards California Pass as far as I could. I hadn't changed my gearing back to stock so that 16 tooth front was going to severely limit where I went.
Look back to some TWTer's old avatar.
And, across the valley.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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- 3,860
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- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
Thank you. Tire and air mattress frustration have set in, but I have decided at this point to get tires and return to Boquillas, Mexico and take enough time getting there to allow me to go across the river on the weekend. I decided by getting home a few days early, I would have time to get my bicycle pushing trailer cleaned up and running for the 100cc fun run at the Harvest Classic. It hasn't been started for 2 years. I was also hoping Russell Duke would allow me to ride the contraption since it technically had 4 wheels and a 212cc motor. His sarcastic response after looking at it was, "What could possibly go wrong." I secretly was thinking, "Lots," but didn't say anything. It made it.
I'm curious ,what are your thoughts are on how the riding was without a windscreen? I've considered adding one if I ever get around to a big road trip. Thanks
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
I've been riding for 56 years and I've never had a problem street riding without a windshield. Many of my riding partners insist on a fairing and I put a larger shield on my FZ-10 just so my brother will accept it as his ride when I borrow his Road King.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
- Messages
- 3,860
- Reaction score
- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
Thanks. A dry tent next to me would have been welcomed the night the tree limb fell on me. My original plan was 31 days, with me getting home for one day before heading to Harvest Classic.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
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- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
It was mine for a while... But closer to that intersection in the background of your shot to the right of your helmet,
The Aspens look incredible in your shots
Had you managed to get up to Montrose there is a Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki dealer on US 50 on the East side of town. They might have had a tire for you. I tried them many years ago and they had the tire I needed, but they wanted full retail for it plus an hour of labor to install it for me
There used to be a Triumph dealer on US 50 just South of Grand Junction. They were awesome. We a rider get a flat. They gave him a loaner bike so we could ride on into Grand Junction for lunch, then the guy road the bike to where we were having lunch to drop off the fixed bike and pick up the loaner. I stopped in that same shop on a later trip because a Ducati ST-2 was having head light issues. They got it sorted and refused to let us pay for it! I have had mixed luck with dealers while on the road. Some have been great and some have been down right horrible!
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
- Messages
- 3,860
- Reaction score
- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
I have two nieces and 5 grand nieces and nephews in Albuquerque. If one of the shops in Albuquerque didn't have my tires, I had an alternate plan that would be as fun as riding.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
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- Dennie
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- Spears
Although I still have several days to report, they are like the last 10 years of one's life, the sorry ones at the end. I stole that line from "The Third Rock From the Sun," although not verbatim. Anyway, I'm going to take a break from the ride with everyone's favorite, statistics.
Bike-2006 DRZ400 SM:
Pelican saddlebags mounted on Twisted Throttle mounts. I machined the brackets.
Cheap box on back on an aluminum luggage rack-both have lasted through 3 bikes
16t sprocket on the front and carried the stock 15t sprocket for dirt, I should have carried a 14t
Engine guard and case savers
Pipe and jet kit-jetted rich at full throttle and over 9,000'
Miles-5,812 door to door. Just like my day count, I got this mixed up until I got back and checked my notes. My trip meter resets at 999 miles.
New national parks/monuments-7 counting Zion's Kolob Canyon.
Observations:
Black cows have replaced Herefords out west.
National Parks are becoming unbearably crowded.
Hatch, New Mexico has the best green chili enchiladas ever.
Solo riding opens up many, many options.
Solo riding closes off many, many options.
Riders should plan tire changes in advance.
Milk is way over priced in the smaller cartons.
Foreign visitors don't like Trump.
If you are going to change your sprocket 8 times, carry an extra sprocket washer.
Gear:
Thermo-rest air mattress
20 degree down sleeping bag
Tool kit, including CO2 tire filler and tubes
2 man tent
small backpack for day hikes
Laptop so I could write while thoughts were fresh.
Camera
Phone
Things I left with and didn't return with:
Original tent
Unbreakable spork-I saw this one disappear in the beak of a raven
Klein pocket knife-I suspect the raven's partner since the knife disappeared about the same time as the spork.
8mm Snap-on floppy wrench which I never used
Back pocket on my jeans-scraped off squeezing through slot canyons
Original tires
Bike-2006 DRZ400 SM:
Pelican saddlebags mounted on Twisted Throttle mounts. I machined the brackets.
Cheap box on back on an aluminum luggage rack-both have lasted through 3 bikes
16t sprocket on the front and carried the stock 15t sprocket for dirt, I should have carried a 14t
Engine guard and case savers
Pipe and jet kit-jetted rich at full throttle and over 9,000'
Miles-5,812 door to door. Just like my day count, I got this mixed up until I got back and checked my notes. My trip meter resets at 999 miles.
New national parks/monuments-7 counting Zion's Kolob Canyon.
Observations:
Black cows have replaced Herefords out west.
National Parks are becoming unbearably crowded.
Hatch, New Mexico has the best green chili enchiladas ever.
Solo riding opens up many, many options.
Solo riding closes off many, many options.
Riders should plan tire changes in advance.
Milk is way over priced in the smaller cartons.
Foreign visitors don't like Trump.
If you are going to change your sprocket 8 times, carry an extra sprocket washer.
Gear:
Thermo-rest air mattress
20 degree down sleeping bag
Tool kit, including CO2 tire filler and tubes
2 man tent
small backpack for day hikes
Laptop so I could write while thoughts were fresh.
Camera
Phone
Things I left with and didn't return with:
Original tent
Unbreakable spork-I saw this one disappear in the beak of a raven
Klein pocket knife-I suspect the raven's partner since the knife disappeared about the same time as the spork.
8mm Snap-on floppy wrench which I never used
Back pocket on my jeans-scraped off squeezing through slot canyons
Original tires
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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- 3,860
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- 5,037
- Location
- Bryan, TX
- First Name
- Dennie
- Last Name
- Spears
DAY TWENTY TWO OF TWENTY EIGHT
While I was in Durango, I called my friend Ray to see if he could drop ship me tires. Parts Unlimited is going to allow dealers to do that, but Ray's shop, ProCycle, had not been set up yet. Albuquerque, home of many motorcycle shops, here I come at 55 to 60 MPH. It does not matter what tires they have. I will accept anything that is the correct size.
Highway 550 is a busy highway so I was very surprised to see this sign beside the road. It pointed down a gravel driveway that disappeared in the distance. I didn't drive down it to see what was there, because I was afraid some friend might happen to drive down 550 and see me. I did a U-turn and took these two pictures without taking off my helmet. In my best Foghorn Leghorn voice, "What, I say what, is this world coming to."
A buddy wanted to know if he used a vernier caliper.
No more pictures between Durango and Albuquerque. I wanted to find a shop, get tires mounted and plan what to do next. I did get lost in Aztec, NM. It was only the third time I haven't turned left on 550 in Aztec. After another U-turn, I went to the Yamaha dealership in Albuquerque, no dice for tires. The next stop was Moto Authority and yes they had a matched set of Dunlops in 120/17 and 150/17. They would have been sport bike tires 10 years ago. The tires they had plus the frustration I had over tires and air mattress cemented my plans for the rest of my trip. There would be no turning around to do Jeep roads around Silverton. It was time to return to my working wife and relieve her of the chore of taking out the trash. I'm a good husband. It's a four day ride of 1257 miles from Albuquerque to Bryan. Others may say it's 790 miles, but they don't know my short cuts.
I was near Route 66 so a stay in a motel built in 1959 was the order of the day. I assume that bright orb to the lower right is a UFO returning to Roswell to look for survivors. Motel room $66 dollars even. Breakfast was included on a tray so you could return to your room to sit and eat. No room in the original office for sitting.
Other things were included.
I wasn't planning on stopping very often, but the Quarai mission at the Salinas Pueblos beckoned me. I'm glad I stopped. It is a ruin with a history since Spanish missionaries kept a written history. The natives converted to Christianity, but wanted to retain some of their old religion. the missionaries objected so there are many underground kiva ruins.
This is the original church and it was used for many years.
Construction on a new church was abandoned in 1670 after 11 years of work. It was never consecrated for worship. The entire pueblo abruptly left and because of the Spanish missionaries, we know for sure they left because of starvation due to drought.
I ate green chili enchiladas in Carrizozo at the Tiny Café (real name). They would have been good if I were not expecting Hatch restaurant quality.
Do you think this windmill was abandoned because of poor quality water or was the oil well abandoned because of too much water in the oil or did some rancher have too much time on his hands.
Flowers beside the road, maybe originally watered by the windmill.
Bonita Lake outside of Ruidosa, NM as I remember it from the 1980s. I took this pic off the internet, but I have similar ones in some of my large number of albums from years past. My brother and his two sons would get their limit of trout in this small lake nearly every time they drove up to Ruidoso from his base in Alamagordo. I would make a side trip here every time I would visit Alamagordo or Ruidoso, just because the lake was so pretty.
Bonita Lake today. It filled with sediment due to forest fires upstream. The city of Ruidoso is digging it out. I hope it works.
The rest of the day was spent riding to Whites City, with a stop in Carlsbad for food supplies. I camped in the campground.
While I was in Durango, I called my friend Ray to see if he could drop ship me tires. Parts Unlimited is going to allow dealers to do that, but Ray's shop, ProCycle, had not been set up yet. Albuquerque, home of many motorcycle shops, here I come at 55 to 60 MPH. It does not matter what tires they have. I will accept anything that is the correct size.
Highway 550 is a busy highway so I was very surprised to see this sign beside the road. It pointed down a gravel driveway that disappeared in the distance. I didn't drive down it to see what was there, because I was afraid some friend might happen to drive down 550 and see me. I did a U-turn and took these two pictures without taking off my helmet. In my best Foghorn Leghorn voice, "What, I say what, is this world coming to."
A buddy wanted to know if he used a vernier caliper.
No more pictures between Durango and Albuquerque. I wanted to find a shop, get tires mounted and plan what to do next. I did get lost in Aztec, NM. It was only the third time I haven't turned left on 550 in Aztec. After another U-turn, I went to the Yamaha dealership in Albuquerque, no dice for tires. The next stop was Moto Authority and yes they had a matched set of Dunlops in 120/17 and 150/17. They would have been sport bike tires 10 years ago. The tires they had plus the frustration I had over tires and air mattress cemented my plans for the rest of my trip. There would be no turning around to do Jeep roads around Silverton. It was time to return to my working wife and relieve her of the chore of taking out the trash. I'm a good husband. It's a four day ride of 1257 miles from Albuquerque to Bryan. Others may say it's 790 miles, but they don't know my short cuts.
I was near Route 66 so a stay in a motel built in 1959 was the order of the day. I assume that bright orb to the lower right is a UFO returning to Roswell to look for survivors. Motel room $66 dollars even. Breakfast was included on a tray so you could return to your room to sit and eat. No room in the original office for sitting.
Other things were included.
I wasn't planning on stopping very often, but the Quarai mission at the Salinas Pueblos beckoned me. I'm glad I stopped. It is a ruin with a history since Spanish missionaries kept a written history. The natives converted to Christianity, but wanted to retain some of their old religion. the missionaries objected so there are many underground kiva ruins.
This is the original church and it was used for many years.
Construction on a new church was abandoned in 1670 after 11 years of work. It was never consecrated for worship. The entire pueblo abruptly left and because of the Spanish missionaries, we know for sure they left because of starvation due to drought.
I ate green chili enchiladas in Carrizozo at the Tiny Café (real name). They would have been good if I were not expecting Hatch restaurant quality.
Do you think this windmill was abandoned because of poor quality water or was the oil well abandoned because of too much water in the oil or did some rancher have too much time on his hands.
Flowers beside the road, maybe originally watered by the windmill.
Bonita Lake outside of Ruidosa, NM as I remember it from the 1980s. I took this pic off the internet, but I have similar ones in some of my large number of albums from years past. My brother and his two sons would get their limit of trout in this small lake nearly every time they drove up to Ruidoso from his base in Alamagordo. I would make a side trip here every time I would visit Alamagordo or Ruidoso, just because the lake was so pretty.
Bonita Lake today. It filled with sediment due to forest fires upstream. The city of Ruidoso is digging it out. I hope it works.
The rest of the day was spent riding to Whites City, with a stop in Carlsbad for food supplies. I camped in the campground.
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This is a topic I continue to struggle to understand as a fairly new DRZ owner. I'm assuming you left Bryan with this high altitude jetting, so how did the bike perform when you started and returned from the trip in lower altitudes? Is it subtle changes in engine performance?
I did recently test my bike (with stock jetting and stock exhaust) in Cloudcroft and it performed really well at 8500ft. No rejetting required.
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I would think that sediment might make for some great potting soil or something similar. Surely a company could have dug it out, packaged it, and sold it for a profit
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I left Bryan with the bike running great. It was only at high altitude that I had a problem. Even then it only happened at full throttle while passing someone, so it was a minor problem. If I happen to take the carb off, I will lower the main jet one size, otherwise I will leave it alone. I have ridden six stock DRZ400s and all six had a lean surge at steady speed above 40 MPH. Three were mine and three belonged to friends. I lived with the surge on my first DRZ because it didn't surge at high altitude. The other 2 got a jet kit installed EXACTLY as the instructions read. Do not substitute a slightly bigger jet than suggested because you think it would make more power, it probably will not. For high altitude above Silverton, Crested Butte, St. Elmo, Taylor Park and others, I had to take my side cover off and expose the air filter for all three of my stock bikes (no after market exhaust) to run right. I think that they would have run right with the popular 3X3 mod, but I have not tried that mod on any of my bikes. Two friends with DRZs have gone with me to the mountains and only one had a problem with his stock bike running rich.
"I did recently test my bike (with stock jetting and stock exhaust) in Cloudcroft and it performed really well at 8500ft. No rejetting required."
Your steady throttle surge probably went away at 6000'. If you go above 10,000 feet and have a problem, just take off the side cover. Carb jetting is tricky, with all parameters affecting all the others, even if just slightly. Even working with just main jets can be confusing. Go up one size from a 100 to a 102, and you get 5% more fuel, a big jump, but the only one available. Go up one size from a 200 to a 202 and you get 2.5% more fuel, much finer tuning. Let's all hope for a fuel injected DRZ with a programable module.
"I did recently test my bike (with stock jetting and stock exhaust) in Cloudcroft and it performed really well at 8500ft. No rejetting required."
Your steady throttle surge probably went away at 6000'. If you go above 10,000 feet and have a problem, just take off the side cover. Carb jetting is tricky, with all parameters affecting all the others, even if just slightly. Even working with just main jets can be confusing. Go up one size from a 100 to a 102, and you get 5% more fuel, a big jump, but the only one available. Go up one size from a 200 to a 202 and you get 2.5% more fuel, much finer tuning. Let's all hope for a fuel injected DRZ with a programable module.
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There was a steady stream of trucks hauling it off and I doubt it went to waste.I would think that sediment might make for some great potting soil or something similar. Surely a company could have dug it out, packaged it, and sold it for a profit
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DAY TWENTY THREE OF TWENTY EIGHT
I awoke in the middle of the night to high winds. The rest of the night I tried to sleep while bracing my tent poles with one hand. My helmet and saddle bags blew off the park table. I had a chilly, windy ride today cut short by my desire to get some sleep. I stopped in Alpine around 4:00 and immediately took a nap.
I don't know why I didn't stop here a month ago, but I did not. I was told that the original intent of this art work was to make fun of fashionistas, but if that is true, it backfired. Lots of dressed to the hilt women come here to have their picture taken in front of Prada.
The fence surrounding the boutique has become a place to "lock in our love" for each other.
I'm guessing this is, "The key to my heart."
And, this one is, "I love all 4 of you, but you're all nearly identical."
And last, "The door is always open."
I'm going to Mexico tomorrow and then it's just a ride back to Bryan. I dumped my 147 breaths to fill Walmart air mattress. Goodbye $10. I dumped my inventory of food, keeping two tuna kits, peanuts and a can of peaches. My plan is to spend one more night in a motel and eat two meals a day in restaurants.
DAY TWENTY FOUR OF TWENTY EIGHT
The return to BB
This time the line was a little longer than before.
My transportation to Boquillas
The rejects
I took a couple of sacks of apples, bananas, grapes and pecan halves to Mexico to give the kids a treat that they seldom get because of the distance to a supermarket. This little girl, her name is Natalia, offered me a lick of her sucker in exchange for a banana. The lady to my right is from Lubbock and her husband is taking the picture. Ventura Falcon was at the Boquillas Restaurant. He was very busy cooking because his wife had finished college and was teaching school in the town that's 160 miles away. Their son, the reason I didn't see Ventura on my last visit, is nearly three years old and in town with his mother They all see each other most weekends. His sister finished college in Austin and is managing the hotel in a resort in Cancun. Ventura predicted another win for Trump and I'm not betting against him. I got my IOU from my last bet back from Ventura so my $100 debt is officially wiped clean.
My transportation back to the US where God has already blessed us. God, please take a few blessings down to Mexico and give at least one to Natalia. Amen.
My last view of Mexico before heading home.
I rode straight to Sanderson, TX and spent the night in a motel.
I awoke in the middle of the night to high winds. The rest of the night I tried to sleep while bracing my tent poles with one hand. My helmet and saddle bags blew off the park table. I had a chilly, windy ride today cut short by my desire to get some sleep. I stopped in Alpine around 4:00 and immediately took a nap.
I don't know why I didn't stop here a month ago, but I did not. I was told that the original intent of this art work was to make fun of fashionistas, but if that is true, it backfired. Lots of dressed to the hilt women come here to have their picture taken in front of Prada.
The fence surrounding the boutique has become a place to "lock in our love" for each other.
I'm guessing this is, "The key to my heart."
And, this one is, "I love all 4 of you, but you're all nearly identical."
And last, "The door is always open."
I'm going to Mexico tomorrow and then it's just a ride back to Bryan. I dumped my 147 breaths to fill Walmart air mattress. Goodbye $10. I dumped my inventory of food, keeping two tuna kits, peanuts and a can of peaches. My plan is to spend one more night in a motel and eat two meals a day in restaurants.
DAY TWENTY FOUR OF TWENTY EIGHT
The return to BB
This time the line was a little longer than before.
My transportation to Boquillas
The rejects
I took a couple of sacks of apples, bananas, grapes and pecan halves to Mexico to give the kids a treat that they seldom get because of the distance to a supermarket. This little girl, her name is Natalia, offered me a lick of her sucker in exchange for a banana. The lady to my right is from Lubbock and her husband is taking the picture. Ventura Falcon was at the Boquillas Restaurant. He was very busy cooking because his wife had finished college and was teaching school in the town that's 160 miles away. Their son, the reason I didn't see Ventura on my last visit, is nearly three years old and in town with his mother They all see each other most weekends. His sister finished college in Austin and is managing the hotel in a resort in Cancun. Ventura predicted another win for Trump and I'm not betting against him. I got my IOU from my last bet back from Ventura so my $100 debt is officially wiped clean.
My transportation back to the US where God has already blessed us. God, please take a few blessings down to Mexico and give at least one to Natalia. Amen.
My last view of Mexico before heading home.
I rode straight to Sanderson, TX and spent the night in a motel.
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DAY TWENTY FIVE OF TWENTY EIGHT and the last day.
Yep, I lost 3 days in my note taking. I left on Monday and came back 4 weeks later on a Sunday night. That's supposed to be 28 days.
I did go just a little out of the way on my way home to ride the third of the twisted sisters, the one I missed at the start of my ride. Total distance was 5,812 miles with the longest day being the last and an average of 208 miles per day. I checked my speedometer against my GPS and the odometer is nearly spot on while the speedometer is off by 3 MPH at an indicated 60 MPH. I had to get on a freeway 5 times, twice in Utah going to Kolob Canyon, twice in New Mexico from Bernalillo to Albuquerque and from Albuquerque to Moriarty and for a short distance in San Marcos, TX. Less than 100 miles total.
My first stop from Sanderson was 120 miles away in Del Rio. I told myself my next stop was going to be 100 plus miles, but a Whataburger sign messed up my plan after only 75 miles. It's been a long ride and I'm happy to be home.
My greeters
Yep, I lost 3 days in my note taking. I left on Monday and came back 4 weeks later on a Sunday night. That's supposed to be 28 days.
I did go just a little out of the way on my way home to ride the third of the twisted sisters, the one I missed at the start of my ride. Total distance was 5,812 miles with the longest day being the last and an average of 208 miles per day. I checked my speedometer against my GPS and the odometer is nearly spot on while the speedometer is off by 3 MPH at an indicated 60 MPH. I had to get on a freeway 5 times, twice in Utah going to Kolob Canyon, twice in New Mexico from Bernalillo to Albuquerque and from Albuquerque to Moriarty and for a short distance in San Marcos, TX. Less than 100 miles total.
My first stop from Sanderson was 120 miles away in Del Rio. I told myself my next stop was going to be 100 plus miles, but a Whataburger sign messed up my plan after only 75 miles. It's been a long ride and I'm happy to be home.
My greeters
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Great writing and photographs. Enjoyed following along your journey. 
I hope to someday do the same.
I hope to someday do the same.
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Excellent report! 
It most definitely brings back great memories of my own rides in some of those areas and makes me want to get back out there to continue exploring!
It most definitely brings back great memories of my own rides in some of those areas and makes me want to get back out there to continue exploring!
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Thanks. I hope you get to do an epic ride someday.Great writing and photographs. Enjoyed following along your journey.