Day 4 \u2013 Santa Fe, NM
\nThis has been a good trip \u2013 reminds me of how much I enjoy being on the bike. The terrain changed quickly \u2013 in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi I rode through heavily wooded, flat lands wrapped in rivers and lakes; in Louisiana there are flat, fertile delta lands mushy with water. Everything is green, and you can\u2019t see a half a mile ahead. Arkansas is hilly and dense with growth. Then Texas begins to stretch flat and dry with stunted-looking trees standing on slight hills. Soon it\u2019s just flat and dry \u2013 mile after mile after mile. Finally, the ground begins to heave and New Mexico interrupts the monotony of Texas with its red rocks, endless vistas, rolling hills, and mountains scattered here and there. I love that I can see 40 or 50 miles, til a hill blocks the view. The trees are what people in the South would call shrubs. Call \u2018em what you like, they don\u2019t get in the way of your looking.
\nI spent Friday night at a Motel 6 in Amarillo, TX \u2013 everything I needed for $40 less than I\u2019d paid the night before. But shortly after settling in, I heard this funny, tinny sound \u2013 hail and lots of it. Weather channel app on my phone explained we were under a significant weather threat with forecasts of 50 MPH winds, hail the size of nickels, with tornadoes spotted. Oh well, at least I wasn\u2019t getting pounded in a tent or waiting it out under an overpass on the highway. I looked out the window once at my bike and decided if it blew over, I\u2019d pick it up in the morning. This\u00a0 morning the clouds were dark and low, and I rode thru some light rains. The kind of rain you might not take a walk in, but on the bike it\u2019s kind of nice. I could see that I was riding out of it soon, so I didn\u2019t stop to put on rain gear. You dry pretty fast at highway speeds.
\nThe clouds hung low all day today, and it was actually cool enough for a Tshirt, long sleeve shirt, windbreaker, and my vented jacket. I stopped at Clines Corner on I40 in NM \u2013 my favorite tacky store. It\u2019s stuffed with colorful junk. Then I headed north to Santa Fe where I\u2019ll stay the night. The last hour on the road the winds kicked up, reminding me that the VStrom weighs about 400 pounds less than the Gold Wing did. The winds were not enough to be dangerous but enough to be tiring.
\nEach day, I\u2019ve gotten temporarily misplaced. Mostly, I think it\u2019s funny; it helps to not be in a hurry and to be alone so there is no one complaining. Being lost out in the open is one thing, but I don\u2019t like being lost in a city. But \u2026 I took the city bus to downtown Santa Fe to the REI store, walked around the plaza awhile, and got so turned around I couldn\u2019t find the bus station. Finally, I made it back to my motel, but with heavy black clouds building. I\u2019d gone to REI to get a few things because I plan to tent camp at the conference center near Abiquiqu. Dark clouds and camping don\u2019t seem to mix. I\u2019d assumed Friday night was a Texas thing. Back at the motel, there was a repeat of last night \u2013 hail, high winds, reports of tornados. If the weather hasn\u2019t cleared by the time REI opens tomorrow, I may just return this stuff! They have full accommodations at the conference center; somehow I was thinking it would be a beautiful place to tent camp.
\nI brought a camera but realized last night that I packed the wrong cable, so I can\u2019t download pictures to my computer or blog. I may be able to buy one tomorrow or I may only be able to post what I get on my cell phone. For now, I\u2019ll just post pictures on the Facebook page for Public Secrets and Justice.<\/p>\n
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Day 4 \u2013 Santa Fe, NM This has been a good trip \u2013 reminds me of how much I enjoy being on the bike. The terrain changed quickly \u2013 in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi I rode through heavily wooded, flat … Continue reading