Summer Road Trip 2014_Day Seven

I know...I lost day five and six.

We awoke in Amarillo to more threats of severe weather....and for the second time we have been threatened with severe weather, it never materialized Thank God. Unless you consider savage wind severe weather...more about that later.

There were several bikes in the hotel parking lot this morning ...lots of bikers travel Route 66. While Paul finished packing, I carried my things downstairs and started to load my bike. There were two other couples loading their bikes (riding two up...the girls didn't have their own). One of the guys asked where I was going ....after mentioning our destination...he then proceded to tell me that if I had a rolling pack it wouldn't be so tough to carry everything out to the bike (right). Then he told me that if I had one of the gel seats like HE had, my ass wouldn't get so tired (did I mention a tired ass to this jerk?? No.). Then he tells me that 'I hope you have something to go over your ears, the wind is really bad.' Seriously?? About that time, Paul walked out and started packing HIS bike....Jerk Face started up a conversation with him....did he try to telll PAUL what he needed? Nay Nay. What is it about some men who just can't stand to see a capable woman on a motorcycle??  I bit my tongue; what I wanted to say was, 'Oh, I'm sorry....do I need a penis to do all this??'  I've logged over 125K miles on two bikes since Jan of '08, I really don't need instructions at this point.

Paul talks me down - as he usually does - and we head over to 6th street which is Route 66 in Amarillo. I've taken Rt66 from Oklahoma City to Santa Monica before, but Paul hasn't so we planned to  hit certain sections on this trip. We stop to buy spray paint....and head out to Cadillac Ranch. I love the history behind the different stops along the Mother Road; a bygone era when car travel was more leisurely.  Cadillac Ranch sticks up out of the Amarillo mud along I-40 (which IS Rt66 ). Check out this link for the history:

http://www.route-66.tv/texas-route66.html

We left our mark with the neon pink spray paint; sadly there was a huge mud pit around several of the Cadillacs-(

You know how I hate Interstates, so we traveled a few miles west on I40 to SR 385....its a fairly off road back road, some spots are not in very good condition, but it really is riding at its best. NO traffic except the occassional truck and it winds through the northern Texas plains and the big wind farms with the huge windmills churning along the ridges. Make sure you have plenty of gas coming off 40; the stations are few and far between. Most of these little towns are not even wide spots in the road.

At Dalhart Texas we stop for lunch....basically Mexican fast food.....it wasn't real fast and it wasn't anything to write about.  We take SR 87 northwest towards Raton New Mexico; this is REALLY the plains area...wide wide wide open spaces where the wind started to cut across from the west. I've never experienced wind so persistent and violent. We were literally riding sideways; I was gripping the handlebars so hard my knuckles were  whilte and I was gritting my teeth so hard I had a headache by the end of the day.  I would like to say we enoyed the scenery....but it took all of our consentration to keep the bikes semi-vertical!

Stopped frequently to rest, I was really glad to see the town of Raton...we had been riding for nearly five days in Texas, we celebrated when we crossed Texline and were in New Mexico!  I kept thinking the wind would die down...not so. We stopped just over the Colorado line; a couple on a bike were coming from Colorado Springs (our destination), and they said the wind was bad all the way up. Great. We decided to take I-25..maybe the wind won't be so bad on the interstate.....right.  South of Pueblo, we hit gusts to bad (I am guestimating they were at least 40-50mph) I got scared...and I'm fearless. Tempers were getting shorter as the wind got gustier (is gustier even a word?).  We were both hot, wind burned, sun burned (the sunblock gave out several miles back), and weary of wrestling 800 pound motorcycles in gale force winds. Colorado Springs couldn't come soon enough.

A hot shower does wonders for the psyche. I made contact with my daughter who flew into Denver today to be with her cousin. They will drive down to Colorado Springs on Saturday to ride up to Pikes Peak with us. Paul and I are somewhat revived and decide to seek out the local cigar shop and dinner. I had been without my Tatiana's since leaving Florida, we discovered a source in CS! Had dinner at the Phantom Canyon Brewing Company on the suggestion of the kid behind the check in desk at the hotel. Although the food was good and moderately priced, it just wasn't my kinda place. The menu was one of those trendy, organic, granola munching Birkenstock wearing kinda menus, with designer beers.  I am more of a fried chicken, mac n cheese, collard greens kinda girl. CS downtown area is really active though, seemed like a nice area to spend time.

Its one of those riding days that you are, a.) thankful for safe travel, b.) grateful you didn't have to go any further than you did, and c.) grateful for a hot shower and soft bed at the end of the day.

Thank you God for safe travel today; looking forward to seeing my daughter and my niece tomorrow.