Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

May 3, 2005

A little closer

Well, I’m about 150 miles closer to home, but got so tired and sleepy that I decided to give it a rest and hole up for the night. Looks like there is no local dialup for this place, unfortunately, so I’m going to stick to email and keep things brief.

Set out a little after nine, heading into sunshine. Had a minor panic attack when I couldn’t find my belt pack, until the hotel proprietor pointed out that it was around my waist. ;-) The pack part was on the rear. I would have noticed when I got on the bike. ;-)

The ride was a straight shot up I-10 through the desert. Periodic signs would warn of dire things: “Dust storms for next 45 miles”. “Road works - double fines”. (That’s why it’s taken me four hours to do 150 miles, btw…lots and lots of roadworks.) “Zero visibility possible.” “Mowing for 2 miles.”

I am now haunted by visions of evil lawn mowers scouring the countryside looking for hapless motorcyclists.

I passed through border control…it was quite a surprise, but they waved me through. Lots of border vehicles in the area. I’m away from the border now, but still.

I took a substantial break in Deming, NM - a quiet little dusty oasis away from the crowds. During that time a Harley rider on a yellow motorcycle rolled up and asked me about my journey, and shared that he’d been to Florida. He thought it was cool. Then a couple (hi Sheri and John!) showed up - now they were from Alabama! And I thought *that* was cool. They will probably roll into Phoenix tonight while I catch up on some zzzz’s here.

I’m starting to feel that it’s time to come home. I crossed the continental divide again today, and now I’m in the western half of the continent. I have a sense that I will be simply travelling from here on…going from A to Z with most of the alphabet in between. The wind was very strong around El Paso, and while it got better, with less gusts and the direction in my face, it’s tiring.

I’ll see how I feel after tomorrow. For today, I have some reading and writing to catch up on, and if I get hungry, there’s a restaurant right next door.