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

Moab, UT to Albuquerque, NM

Day 33 - July 2, 2010
Mileage Today: 411
Total Trip Mileage: 9,821

First thing this morning is to go get some breakfast from the Moab Diner. Then we head out of town towards the 4 corners monument.





We leave Utah and enter Colorado.


(graffiti-ed prior to our arrival)

The 4 corners monument is where the corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico all touch. Unfortunately, the actual monument was closed for “construction” although I didn’t see anybody working. Here is the monument from behind a chain-link fence.



And a lovely piece of painted plywood with a diagram explaining the monument that you are forbidden access to.



Some scenery from the parking area:



Leaving the monument we enter Arizona for a bit.



Then into New Mexico.



Where we picked up I-40 and headed east. We got stuck in some mega traffic because the highway was shut down due to a accident ahead. I never realized how much of a pain it is to be stuck in traffic on a motorcycle. Especially on a motorcycle that is slightly too tall for me to touch both my feet flat to the ground. We pass by the carnage from the accident and continue on into Albuquerque.

We got a motel room tonight at a Motel 6 that has recently been renovated to that new sort of ultra modern/modular décor (kind of like the fancy McDonalds). Check it out.



Best $39.99 of the trip.

We were also treated to a slightly entertaining domestic disturbance next door, but it was over soon enough and we had to find something on TV to entertain us. Then we went to sleep with the plan to get up and out early and head to Roswell, NM.


jordan

Ely, NV to Moab, UT

Day 32 - July 1, 2010
Mileage Today: 440
Total Trip Mileage: 9,410


We depart from Ely, NV by about 8am and continue down Hwy 50 toward Utah.



Still plenty of desolation to go around…



Desert in front, desert behind.



But the scenery is starting to change a bit as we head into Utah.




Lush greenness in the middle of the desert; the miracle of irrigation.



We stopped for lunch at a small burger stand. Since we are in Utah, they include a tub of fry sauce for dipping your French fries in. Apparently fry sauce is a mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise and pickle juice (?)



Hwy 50 eventually junctions with I-70, which carries us through this scenery:









We make it to Moab, UT and it is super hot. We find a place to set up camp, ditch our gear, and head to Arches National Park.









Then back to camp for the night.







jordan

Redding, CA to Ely, NV

Day 31 - June 30, 2010
Mileage Today: 530
Total Trip Mileage: 8,970

Today is a really just a travel day for us. We have no stops planned along the way, just going to pound out the miles heading East.

The last bit of forest as we head out of California:



And into the High Deserts…



In Nevada!



We make a quick stop at the REI in Reno to do an exchange. See, we bought this air pillow for Nikki before the trip. It packed down to the size of a pair of socks, and was insulated as well. Everything looked good on paper, but she used it the very first night way back in Kansas, she was not very impressed. We decided that she must be using it wrong, so for the next several nights she tried every variation in inflation pressures, positions, wrapping it in articles of clothing, but nothing worked. By this time we were into Montana, and had passed all the REI’s that we would encounter until Washington. She was stuck with it. When we finally got to Washington there was something always prevented us from being able to get there. It was either too early, or we were too busy, or we would forget until it came time to go to sleep. Finally in Reno we remember and exchanged the pillow for a standard foam one. A lot of effort considering we only have like 4 days left in the trip.



Right outside of Reno we pick up Hwy 50 the supposed “Loneliest Road in America”.



The stretches between services were no greater than the longer ones on the way to Alaska, but the landscape certainly seemed way more desolate - totally devoid of water, and anything warm blooded (at least that's the vibe I got).



Although, you could probably get rich if there was a demand for harvesting sand...



This was to be our scenery for the next several hours and several hundred miles.



We finally rolled into Ely, NV at about 7:30pm. We found some quick lodging, ditched the bike and gear, and ran over to see a movie. A civilized night on the town, and a well deserved bed after 500 miles in the desert.


jordan