Weather, Road Kill and The People

New Mexico to Lubbok Texas to Sulphur Oklahoma to Hot Springs Arkansas

We had enough rain to sink Noah’s Ark as we left NM, we passed thru a town called Tatum and then the welcome to Texas sign appeared and we were in Plains, Texas.
A large white cloud also appeared with a little bit of sun behind it, Texas is wonderful.
15 minutes in and it all went wrong, we hit rain, thunder, lightning and winds like I have never experienced before and we were on the open Texas plains on motorbikes.

It seems we were caught up in the northern edge of Hurricane Alex and we passed thru Brownsville which was featured later on the news as receiving serious damage.

Texas brought the Nodding Donkeys and a smell of Sulphur, I suppose that’s Oil????, Horse ranches and Cow’s.
Into Lubbok for the night in a Best Western and round the corner to a Bowling Alley for tea and beverages, $130 bar bill later we straggled home, good old Johnnie Walker Red.

A bright day started our run to Sulphur, Oklahoma, no major events other than hot, sticky and hot and sticky, 350 miles of hot and sticky.
Shower, $7.50 Chinese Buffet and bed.

I now recall seeing the same anti littering signs in 4 states, Colorado and New Mexico, their signs made no fuss they just said “No Littering, Littering Fine $1000”
Oklahoma sign said “Keep our Land Grand, No Littering $1000 fine”
But Texas has to say “Don’t Mess with Texas, Littering $1000 fine”

The road Kill in Oklahomha really takes some beating, not rabbits badgers and foxes, oh no, but Alien insects, full size deer with antlers just laid in the side of the road, I'm sure a beaver, many cuddly ring tailed thingys, Turtles and Armadillos by the dozen.





We had two priceless experiences today, the first at our Oklahoma Motel where this guy walks into the breakfast room in dungarees and says (try it in your best drawly accent)
“You boays on them there Motorcyyycles”
Yes we are
"My freyends got a motorcyyycle, burt he cayan’t ryde it”
Oh why not
“Coz eets browken and he cayan’t meyend it”
Oh and what’s wrong with it then
It keeps loosin gas n oil from a piyape and he cayan’t reach it”
“Y’all be safe out they’re and mind for them eediots in the cars” and he left us speechless and in amazement.

The second was a fantastic lady at a little Garage/ General store in a town called Daisy in Oklahoma.
11 bikes pulled up for fuel and in many states you have to show your id and pay for the fuel before you pump it. So 11 of us pile in to the shop to leave cash and or credit cards as required.
Someone mentioned England and when she had served everybody she came out of the store on the phone to her brother “Reechie” saying “these folks are ryyydin BM Dubbya’s and are all the way from New England”
I said to her “No we are from England Great Britain”, she almost had kittens with excitement, she shouted OMG, from THE England, OMG, “I ain’t never seen nobody from England beefowa”
The lady is in the Red T-shirt.







Cameras out, pictures taken, water and pop was shared.
She wanted us to wait for her husband to come back but we couldn’t wait any longer so she fetched her mate Shandy the beautician from the shop next door, but sadly she didn't think she was purrdy enough to be photographed.


Then when all of the excitement had died down she came out with the piest de resistance.
The Anti Fly Water bag with a penny in it.
What you may ask did I just say
Yup, this lady had a bag of water nailed to the post
Exhibit a



And in this said bag was a penny coin
Exhibit b



She told us that this bag and coin kept the fly’s away from the porch.
Now it may have been me who said “does it work” and she laughed and said “weyal ya don’t see any flyyy’s do ya”.
I reckon she won that wind up, hand’s down.


That kept us laughing all the way to our Motel in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This looks like a nice town, so it’s on with the best dancing shoes and crumpled shirt tonight.

Yee Haa!!!!!

Bringing up to date

Navajo night
Real Navajo, Uncle Al in the black hat, let us use his land for camping on, the red tent was mine












and the toilet was used by me for it's rightful purpose, it was a hole in the ground with a seat. OMG.





Gunnison
Had breakfast at a very busy cafe, the locals waited outside for their names to be called and then they could have a table.
best of all there was a Gun shop open across the road with real shoot me dead guns and open boxes of bullets on the back shelf.
The line of rifles / shotguns were not even chained up, the guy let us handle them and sight up the shop to the back door.
Bloody Crazy Colorado.










Aspen
Absolutely stinking with Money, Market day was on and a local said it was the most expensive Farmers market in the US. I paid 4 quid for an ice cream.
All the ladies looked like Wallace and Grommit characters with stretched mouths, tight lips and pearly white straight teeth.

Independence Pass was very Alpine like, and we suffered the first breakdown of the trip, a dead battery at 12000 ft, but sorted a new battery within the hour and all ok.
Forgive the Schuberth Head, the bloody helmet gives me a mohican head every time I take it off.



Creede
What a town, this guy's house is festooned with signs and slogans, he must be a real redneck.





The Rio Grande New Mexico
These photographs were taken on a free standing structure called a bridge, when a lorry / truck went over the bridge, it shook, I mean physically shook beneath your feet and you are stood looking into this abyss.





We left Santa Fe for Albuquerque and the weather was fine, then the sky went black and it spotted rain, we changed into our over suits and then it all went crazy, hail the size of Marbles came down and at one point the road was slush like a snow covering, very very scary, Oh and the lightening didn't help either.
We dropped altitude into Albuquerque and the hail stopped but the rain became heavier.
We eventually parked under a road bridge for respite. other bikers and a couple of cars joined us.




We have been at altitude for 14 days or so now, at a minimum of 5000 ft and I am now breathing like an Olympic Athlete, you know the one who's just finished the marathon.

Rode the Grande Mesa
And
The Million Dollar Highway

I have video of these rides and very good they were too, but no pictures as we just rode from beginning to end.
I managed to get a deer on video, thinking twice about popping out of the bushes and onto the highway in front of me and then changing it's mind, very scary moment that was.

I have just been out to a mexican restaurant for a meal, Sadies as it happens.
The waiter overly polite as ever says "can I get you guy's something to drink", "beer please" says I, he says "can I see your I.D".
"no I don't have any on me" "sorry sir but it's pepsi for you then sir", 2 sirs but no beer.
Apparently he gets a fine of $5000, jail for 2 weeks and loses his license / authority to serve in a licensed premise if he is found to have served alcohol to a person with no I.D??????????.
So 2 of us out of 9 were not served alcohol with our meal.
You can have a gun but no beer if you don't have I.D.

Thoughts today

Rice pudding with a skin on top

Meat and tayta pie with Hendo's

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Tikka Masalla, Roti bread and Pilau rice

Pint of Magnet in the Jolly

Family

NB. these are not in any specific order

Sheffield Wednesday

Steak, Egg, Chips n Beans and half a loaf

Videos

This is a short Video of the latter part of the Yosemite Ride, we are at the maximum altitude now of about 9500 ft, temperature 5 degrees C.

Monument Valley

From Mexican Hat Monument Valley is a 20 mile ride.
5 miles out this is the view.



Someone had a warm feeling and wanted us all to put the bikes in line for a photy



At the edge of the carpark overlooking the valley these were the views
The tracks you can just make out is the route around the Valley – All unmade loose gravel and sand off roading for 15 miles round trip.







With trepidation I set off with the off road god's in front, showing me how to do it.
The sand on this hill is 6 inches thick and it gets your front wheel and will not let go until it has wrenched it from under you and put your bike on it’s side.
I made it down slowly and safely.





One of the God's didn't make it!!!!!! and it won't pick itself up.


That's me in front, they kindly let me go first, great pic though isn't it?



We dropped down 600-700 ft into the Valley and the temp rose to 37 degrees.
Once in the Valley the scale and the reality of the effect of erosion certainly makes it’s mark on you.
This is very serious sacred Navajo Indian Land.
The upstands / pinnacles are the harder rock and are all that is left after thousands of years of erosion, the valley itself and the plateaus above were all the same height and have just disappeared into dust and gone.
After taking all these surroundings in you cant help but take a moment in the valley looking out and thinking about the world that surrounds us.















Back to the hotel and to Sidney the spider and a few cold beers. Laundry to do and then chill before tea.

Bryce Canyon Glen Canyon and Moki Dugway

Today we ride from our hotel at Hatch to Bryce Canyon Thru Glen Canyon and into Mexican Hat via the Moki Dugway

At Bryce there a loads of viewing points to stop at and take fantastic views over the valley and canyon.

So as soon as we are in the park thats what 11 of us start to do and soon we are all leap frogging each other to get to next best view point.

The speed in the Park is 35 mph, I will admit I may have been doing 45.
I saw a white 4*4 vehicle parked in a lay by facing me, then the Red and Blue lights on top flashed and the siren went off, then the officer pointed at me thru the windscreen and began a 3 point turn just missing me as I passed, and pulled out to follow me.
I saw one of our chaps in a lay by just getting back to his bike and I thought I’d nonchantly pull in there as though I’d always intended to, as you do.
BUT Oh no, a lady officer was in the vee-hicle, she got out of the car and put her hand on her hip, I thought that’s a bit posy but then I realised that she had a holstered gun.
"Cumere" she says beckoning with her fingers, I quickly take my Helmet and sunglasses off,
“Good Morning maam” I said,
She immediately tore into me saying she’d got me on camera doing 60 mph, I wasn’t doing 35 but I know she definitely could not have me on camera doing 60.
So no comment from me.
Miss Officer then demands “Show me your license, registration and insurance documents” No Please, Ta or Thank you.
She had a real game face on,
Then she tells me and my mate to “step over there by the fence and don’t move”, Then she went over to her car and pretended to be on the radio, she comes back over and gives us a another lashing about the speed in the park and killing animals.????

She was of course quite right and having made her point and me listening intently without comment she saw the error of her ways and softened up and decided not to issue a ticket, I daren’t ask her for a photo though.
Thank you lady officer.
That was quite an experience really, when a bobby puts her hand on a gun holster for doing 10 mph ish over the limit.


Pictures speak a thousand words.....

















Glen Canyon
Then out into the wilderness and eventually we came into Glen canyon, all I can say is that if this adventure finishes in the morning I am happy with todays experience.
Pictures do not do justice to this canyon.







Moki Dugway
Finally to finish the day off we ride the infamous Moki Dugway, infamous because it is a series of off road gravel 180 degree bends that decends nearly a 1000ft in 1 and a bit miles without tarmac and traffic coming up against you, oh happy day's.
















Into the hotel and this is on the pillow.



Best Riding day so far