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

May 1, 2005

Today - on the road again

Even though there’s one more post for Santa Fe to do, I thought I would do this and get this up to date.

This morning I got my stuff together and thought I would be out of there about noon. (*) I got it all on the bike and started the process of checking my oil. The bike started, stalled, started, stalled…and then all the lights went out.

Oops.

First thought was fuses…but the fuses were okay. (The manual (*) lied about how to get to them, too.)

Then A. thought to check the battery; it was a new one and I thought it couldn’t be that and we were both right. The connector which links bike and battery had broken.

With a bit of wiggling, wire stripping and expertise on A’s part (*) the bike roared into action. Woo-hoo!

I putted slowly down the quarter mile dirt road to the intersection of Raven Road and some other road which will remain anonymous while online.
Oakwoman and A. overtook me on their bicycles. ;-)

Then we did a photo shoot and hugs. (*)

And then I left.

I took highway 337 south, making a right onto 55. These are lovely, remote, sunny, scenic roads which I would have enjoyed a lot more if I’d been more relaxed and less tired. I got gas at Taiquique and tried to help a disabled man reinflate his tyres, but the air machine wasn’t doing well. At least I could tell him where the next main town was - Mountainair. I hope he was okay.

The locals were friendly and asked me where I was going.

55 bottomed out into 60 at Mountainair, and I took a right, going west at last. I felt like I was going home. In retrospect taking a few to have a coffee in the little cafe there would have been a good thing, but I just kept going.

I went west, and west, and west, and crossed the Rio Grande with a little shiver. I saw it ahead, a thick lush green strip of bright trees that had *just* come into foliage. Almost unreal. You can tell the water sources by the strip of green.

There were other rivers with no water…

The road was pretty, somewhat windy but nothing that phased me. I was gusted at a grand total of once. I have to say that I could live without ever experiencing the wind again. ;-) It went through a wide valley which occasionally went to canyon and back again. There was a lot of big, beautiful sky and mountains in the distance. And not much opportunity to stop (I’m really not sure how legal stopping on these fast highways is…)

Then I got to I-25, which is another of those empty freeways. By this time I was pretty tired - not only is it my first ride in over two weeks, it was a late start and I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted. I have learnt that when I am tired, I can’t keep to the speed limit, which means I should stop.

I took an exit, filled up, and went to the motel down the road.

And here I am. :-)

117 miles down, about 1100 to go. ;-)