MONDAY 9/28/09: VAN HORN (TX) to SHOW LOW (AZ):
After waking up once at 2:30am, and then again at 3:30, I decided to get started an hour earlier than planned, and got myself out of bed at 4:30.
After filling up Honey's tank across the street from the motel, I parked her next to one of the signs of the GSMM I was at. 'Loves' has a heart as their logo, and I thought it was appropriate to get a picture, since it's the norm for me, to be in a loving mood in the morning (and in the afternoon, and in the evening). Unfortunately the picture didn't turn out, but I took another similar one, later on my adventure, here it is now.
About two hours down the road, I stopped at a rest stop and found a text message from Gaeir. Her message said, "As you are riding today, look for examples of God's love." I called her and told her how she was reading my mind that morning, and explained about the picture (that didn't turn out) of God's sunrise colors of love, with yellow, gold, orange, pink, magenta, and purple, and then I went on and on about how grateful I was (and still am) to have her in my life. Thank ya 'G-sus'.
Then I sent her this pic of me waving good morning to her:
My next stop was at a rest stop, and a young teenage kid and his mom were selling homemade tamales, so I bought two of them for $1 each. The one with red sauce and pork was good, but the one with green sauce and chicken was outstanding… lots of spicy bite to it. The coffee I had earlier had gotten my motor running, but the chili verde tamale gave me a nice little jump to keep me goin'.
I made a quick stop in El Paso for gas. It was only 9am, and since I was in… I Still Love… Texas, I'd have to wait until I got into New Mexico for my morning beer. At 10:45am, I stopped in Hatch, NM, for my (very late for me) first beer of the day. I don't really drink as much as it may sound, especially when I'm riding, but for some reason it's nice on these trips to 'break the mold' a bit.
When I got back on Honey, it was already 81 degrees, but I decided to keep my leather jacket on because (1) I was sunburned from the day before, and (2) We were getting ready to go up in elevation, and I knew it was gonna cool down a bit. Fortunately my jacket has 'vents' in it that can be zipped open to allow the wind to blow through.
It was just after noon when I pulled Honey up to the edge of the scenic overlook at Emory Pass. The elevation was 8,228 feet, and while I had been moving, the air had felt nice and cool. As I got off and took off my helmet, I noticed that without the wind chill, the air was quite warm, probably close to 90.
From Emory Pass, looking east towards White Sands and Alamogordo, NM
It always amazes me how my body acclimates itself on my road trips. On one of my rides to Seattle, I'd noticed how quickly I became comfortable in the cold climate. Now, as I ride in the desert… my body adjusts and I don't notice the heat that much.
I stopped for a burger in Silver City about 1:15pm. This is something I normally don't do… eat during the day, and I had done it twice so far today. Gaeir had been complaining before I left that she'd gained six pounds since I moved in with her. I didn't tell her at that time, that I'd gained almost 15 pounds. Things were gonna hafta change when I got back. She's been after me to join her on her diet, but somehow, I just cannot see myself eating berries and cottage cheese for lunch, every single day, for the rest of my life. Plus… her diet doesn't include nearly as much protein as mine does. My mom used to say that I was like my father… a 'meat and potatoes' kind of guy.
The road over the pass was beautiful. It was the first 'little black squiggly lined road' I'd been on so far this trip. There was still about 100 miles left of it, and I wondered how many more animals I'd see. In the previous 15-mile stretch, I'd seen squirrels, rabbits, deer, and a wild turkey, which didn't bother to speed up it's pace, even after I honked my horn at it. It looked pretty old and scraggly, and I chuckled to myself when I thought that it acted as if it wouldn't have minded if I'd run it over. I wondered if humans were the only members of God's creatures who think about suicide when things get tough, or they experience severe and incessant pain.
When I stopped at the 386 mile point of the day's ride in Glenwood, I thought to myself how much this portion of the ride reminded me of the road coming south from Taos that I'd been on, just a couple months previously. Every turn brought new vistas of magnificence. The beauty of this area can best be described as a 'postcard for New Mexico'. I'm really sorry I didn't stop and take a few pictures, but… you can always buy a postcard.
From Glenwood, I went back up in elevation to 8,024 feet and an incredible area called 'Alpine' (Arizona). I'd heard of the beauty of eastern Arizona, but I had no idea it was this nice. The feeling that Gaeir and I had that morning, of 'appreciating God's love' was renewed. This is one of the reasons I'm out here. To experience and appreciate all the different things God gives us, as signs of his love for us. Physical beauty has always attracted me… a beautiful woman or a beautiful mountain or waterfall. How else can you explain these things, other than as 'God's gifts?'
From Alpine, I took a short detour to visit Sunrise Park Ski Lodge. I knew it would be closed, but sometimes I find 'ski-bunnies' at these 'resorts' during the summer. Usually they're hard-core skiers who work at them, and I've had some fun times socializing with them in the past. I just love their young vibrant energy, and smiles that clearly come from within. Here's a pic from one of my trips to show you what I'm talkin' about. Mountains and girls… it just doesn't get any better than this.
Girls and a mountain (Mt. Hood, in northern Oregon last summer)
As I got close to Show Low, the town I was gonna spend the night in, I was amazed at the expansive development. It must've been 20 miles from the outskirts to the central part of this sprawling tourist town. Skiers and hunters… an interesting mix of personas… liberals and conservatives; hippies in tie-dye; and mountain men in fatigues and pelt hats. I hope I can come back and spend a few days here someday. That's one of the reasons I love living in Santa Cruz. It's very diverse.
By the time I'd found my motel, I'd covered almost a hundred miles more than my estimate when I'd left that morning, and I was pooped. I'd started the day's ride at 7am, and it was almost 6pm. I'd crossed two time zones, so I'd been on the road for 13 hours. A pretty long day for an old man. A tired but very happy old man.
547 miles for the day, and 1,058 for the trip.
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