Blue skies and cool temperature. Some puffy clouds in the distance but nothing threatening. Time to ride :-). The ride to Cortez through Durango was very scenic, high alpine meadows and forest with gentle turns. A fun and relaxing ride. We stopped in Cortez for lunch before heading out.
Continue reading Pagosa Springs, CO to Blanding, UT
Category: motorcycles
Santa Fe, NM to Pagosa Springs, CO
We got a late start leaving Santa Fe. Breaking camp took longer than expected so it wasn’t before too long that the dreaded thunderstorm clouds started forming again. Yes, I know I sound like a broken record but afternoon thunderstorms can really take the fun out of riding. Based on weather forecasts it looked like the chance of rain was reduced further north. Continue reading Santa Fe, NM to Pagosa Springs, CO
Alamogordo to Santa Fe
After the chain adjustment on Diane’s bike (see the ‘High Speed Wobble’ post for details) we were on our way to Santa Fe. We were leery of the afternoon since that’s when the thunderstorms start to form. Our route was very tentative with an intermediary destination of Mountainair, NM – at which point we would decided to either take the scenic route through the mountains if the weather was cooperating or head straight for Santa Fe.
High speed wobble
Since we started on our trip Diane’s bike has been experience a wooble right around 70mph. Very disconcerting and dangerous. This wooble did not manifest itself before so our suspicion was it was either related to the panniers or the additional weight on the bike or both. Continue reading High speed wobble
Midland to Alamogordo
Wind and rain characterized the day. First we had wind and gusts from the South as we were crossing West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. We had to lean into the wind, constantly having to correct the steering inputs to stay straight – very tiring. If that wasn’t enough, as the afternoon progressed huge thunderstorms developed, lightning, wind gusts and rain…lots of rain. Continue reading Midland to Alamogordo
Santa Fe, NM
Just a quick update. We are in Santa Fe, NM – getting ready to eat dinner. Yesterday we rode from Midland, TX to Alamogordo, NM. The theme of this trip so far: Chasing the rain. In the last two days we have ridden through rain in the late afternoon forcing us to cancel our camping plans for Cloudcroft, NM. Today we had reservations for a Rancheros De Santa Fe campground. It rained when we arrived but was clearing up so we stayed. Pictures to follow…
The Journey has started
What a difference a day makes. We woke up to bright blue skies with no wind, perfect riding weather. After going through our final checklist of items we were on the road towards Fredericksburg by 9:00. After a brief stop at my parents with a quick snack of fruit and cookies (thanks mom!) we were on the road agin by 11:30 heading north on 87 towards Mason, Brady and then San Angelo.
Continue reading The Journey has started
Rain delay
With a 40% chance of rain forecast for today we decided to take our chances and head out. Yesterday, however was spent on the assumption that we wouldn’t leave until Thursday because of the weather. Moving up our departure date caused the morning to be a whirlwind of activity – between getting our gear and the bikes ready and loaded, the house prepared for an extended leave we were quickly running out of ‘morning’. By the time we were finally winding down it was noon time, just in time for thunder and cloud cover to roll in :-(. Sure enough, within half an hour we had pouring rain with more in the forecast for the area we planned on heading to.
Valve Adjustment Completed
With the missing 8mm wrench in hand I went into the garage after breakfast to finish the valve adjustment on my bike. Hmm, that’s an awfully small wrench and that nut sure looks bigger … sure enough, it doesn’t fit. Huh, WTF, too small!??!?
Preparations Continue
The big task for the day was getting the bikes ready. Although Diane’s bike isn’t scheduled for another oil change for 3k miles we decided to do go ahead and change the oil since that will extend our time on the road so we don’t have to worry about it (6k miles). My bike calls for a valve check/adjustment at 12k miles. Same theory, I only have 10k on the odometer but doing it now will mean I’m good for 6k miles.