a motorcycle journey 2up


Sunday, July 4, 2010

Albuquerque, NM to Post, TX & Post, TX to HOME

Day 34 & 35 - July 3-4, 2010
Mileage Today: 395 + 311
Total Trip Mileage: 10,116

Today we are headed to Roswell, NM on our way home. They are having a 4th of July/Alien Fest thing going on, so we are going to check it out.

Heading South to Roswell:



They really go all out with the alien theme here:







We walk around an expo area where people are peddling their various alien swag, and pick up a sticker to add to the side cases on the bike. Then we go out to the street to watch the parade.

What a lousy excuse for a parade. It was 30 minuets late getting started, and it was only like 5 minuets long. Seriously. It also included a pathetic rap/rock/outer-space themed band on a trailer with the poorest quality sound system we have ever heard. For your viewing pleasure:



And the rest of the parade:





We checked out the local museum and then headed out. We figured we would get as far East as we could today, that way tomorrow would be less of a drive to get home.

Heading East towards some rain.



Shortly before we entered Texas, we hit the rain, and it was pretty impressive.



It seems about par for this trip to have very odd weather. We went to Alaska in June (when it is colder) because the consensus is that it’s drier - it wasn’t. We spend a week in the Pacific Northwest (commonly referred to as the Pacific NorthWet) and it never rained. And now while in West Texas, where they average 8” (inches) of rain a year, they have received upwards of 6” in the past few days.

We ride through the rain for about 2 hours, and find a motel to stop at in Post, TX. *A quick observation about Post, TX (and probably similar West Texas towns). This place reeks terribly of oil. It hangs in the air, creeps into all the buildings, and saturates everything with a stench. Now, I realize that the odor may equate to $$money$$, but I would sure hate to live there. It seems impossible that you could live their your whole life without getting some terrible lung disease, but I digress…

So, we stay in the motel and crank the A/C all the way up so it runs constantly, and hopefully filters some of the air. We are awakened in the morning by the sound of thunder. Apparently it has been raining all night, resulting in this:



There were flash flood warnings, and for some reason (not the obvious one) the Tornado Sirens kept going off in the town. We wait for the rain let up some, then quickly pack the bike, and head out to get wet. The roads were really flooded, it was like driving through creek crossings at a lot of the intersections.



After about 180 miles or so we finally got out of the rain, and into the sun. Within a couple of hours we were back home.





And a reunion with this guy:



It was amazing trip. The bike ran perfectly, minus the chain/sprocket issue which is still unresolved, but got us home, and is technically a wear item. My wife is an awesome travel companion, and we got to experience some amazing scenery together. We took over 3,500 pictures and met some really awesome people. A truly epic journey. Thanks for following along.

Now back to epoxy garage floors and Glow Coatings.


jordan

5 comments:

  1. Jordan/Nikki
    This whole blog was so incredible---congratulations on a great journey---one I'm sure you guys will never forget!

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  2. WELCOME HOME! Congratulations to you both ~ what an incredible accomplishment! Thanks for taking us along the ride. Our son has been inspired by your blog to plan an RV trip for our family across the Western US....hmmmm.

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  3. He said:
    Thanks for taking us along. Those of us who were born in the 1940's rely on those born in the 1980's to share their big adventures. Although we ride (Goldwing), our biggest day is 250 miles and a 1000 mile week in Colorado. This gives us a better appreciation for what you have accomplished. We know you will never forget.
    She said :
    Glad you are back safely. What an awesome adventure... and photos; you could make an adventure calendar and sell it! Thanks for sharing; it was a fun trip for us too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an amazing journey! I found your blog on the TWT's website. As a reformed Stromer(1000) I am happy your wee-strom treated you well. I now have a bad case of trip envy, my own week out west this summer seeming meager to me now. Thanks for sharing your adventure with everyone.

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  5. Are you still selling your wr250r?

    ReplyDelete

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