Phx to Blanco,NM

Blog entry 

We left the valley a little after 6:00 AM headed towards Blanco, NM.  We were able to get out of the valley before it got too hot.  Breakfast was in Cordts Junction and on the road again.  Started to get a bit warm south of Flagstaff but not too bad, traffic has been light so we are making decent time.

North of Flagstaff on Hwy  89 we head into the high desert.  How to describe that portion of 89?  Let's just say no matter what time of year I have been on this stretch of highway is always windy, often hot and sometime rainy.  Today we had 2 of 3 no rain. Lots of wind and rain, got stuck behind a couple of slow moving vehicles with no opportunity to pass.

Stopped in Keyenta for lunch which was a disappointment. The two restaurants there had already closed for the afternoon.  We ended up grabbing a couple of sandwiches at the Cheveron station and pushed on.  Interesting note, as we were eating our sandwiches, another rider came in.  We tried to start a conversation but he was clearly uninterested in chatting.  Then, as we were leaving a couple of sport touring riders turned into my lane nearly cutting me off.  A short way down the road they passed us, then passed a string of vehicles.  A couple miles down the road we see on rider has turned off onto an intersecting highway and is on the side looking for his partner.  About 2 miles further we see the second rider on the side of the road.  I motioned that his buddy was back a ways.  Making a U-turn on that road would not be easy.

Finally into NM at Shiprock our last gas stop for the gas before we stop for the night. Deb's cousins live outside Bloomfield on a cattle farm.  At the end of a long, hot, hard day we had 1/2 mile gravel drive.

Deb's cousins live in a darling little home built by their father with a beautiful stone terraced garden with religious statues in the traditional Spanish Catholic style.  After spending a lovely time sitting outside under a tree enjoying the cool breeze, we were treated to a hearty home cooked meal including vegetables and fresh mint tea from their garden.  More visiting under the starlit sky before falling into bed.

Day 2

Spending the day in Blano with Deb's cousins, sitting outside with a lovely breeze, watching the little yorkie puppies play.  Birds chirping, the sounds of the water wheel going in the background.  So peaceful and quiet.

My Love Hate Relationship With Traveling

First, let me say I love traveling be it by plane, automobile or especially by motorcycle.  Seeing new places, old places, old friends and making new ones, it's all so exciting and fun.  Never do I feel closer to God (Higher Power, Allah, Great Spirit, or whatever you choose) than when I am riding. Seeing nature in an up close and personal way, smelling the smells and feeling the feelings that you don't get in a car or plane.  Then there is the adventure of what is around the next corner, what's not to love, right?

Getting ready, I hate getting ready to travel, do I have everything I need? Am I taking things I don't need? Is there enough room? What's the weather going to be like? All very important especially on a motorcycle and in these days of charges for checked bags or overweight bags.

Then there is the list for the house sitter, packages to ship, laundry to put away, errands to run and a dozen other things.  I need two of me!  Honestly, no matter how much time I have to prepare or how prepared I think I am, I'm totally stressed until I actually throw my leg over the bike or close the car door.

By now you may be wondering, if I have so much to do, why am I sitting here blogging about it? Well, I'm having my last cup of coffee then I am off to tackle all the tasks.  My goal for the day is to have everything done and the bike fully packed with the exception of my cpap so tomorrow morning I have coffee, shower, pack the cpap and go.

Now the coffee is gone and some am I!

Memory Flash Back

Summertime...heat, swimming, no school and the 4th of July.  With the 4th of July quickly approaching, fireworks now legal in Arizona (don't get me started on the logic of THAT) and big white tents are popping up all over the place displaying the latest and greatest pyrotechnic toys.

So what's the flash you ask? The fireworks (no pun intended). As I passed one of those tents today, I had such vivid memories of when I was a kid and we would fireworks off our front porch.  I guess it must have been some time around 1970 when my mother first started selling fireworks for one of her friends.  I can't remember the woman's name but for a couple of years Mom would spend a couple weeks each summer selling fireworks off our front porch. We had the perfect location living on the main road into and out of the our small town.  All the summer and weekend people had to pass right by us on their way into town.

Each morning we would help my mother set up the table with all the different fireworks.  We helped with the sales, I think that is probably where I first learned how to make change. For us kids, it was fun, for my mother I guess it was a blessing to have the extra money.  There are no words to adequately describe those memories.

A few years later, my sister and I sold fireworks for some people we babysat for the rest of the year.  They would bring a small trailer to park in front of our house and my sister and I would take turns working.  When traffic was heavy we would both work together.  This was a very small trailer, you had to step on the wheel to climb over the counter to get in.  One year, they decided on the evening of the 4th to take our trailer stand down to the beach where crowds were gathering for the annual fireworks display.

Ok, so now we have one very small trailer with one way in and one way out with 2 teenage girls as well as 2 teenage boys, located in an area where people are gathering for a celebration and drinking and business is booming.  Drinking, fireworks, maybe you have an idea where I'm going with this.  So the four of us are all working out of this small trailer when suddenly a rocket comes flying into the trailer.  Boy, you never saw four kids jump so fast....lol.

Ah well, this probably doesn't make a bit of sense to anyone other than me and maybe my sister. Just a fireworks flashback.

My Review of Stretch Bike Shorts by All American Comfort®

Originally submitted at OneStopPlus

get your comfort wardrobe in great shape.

• Fabulous stretch fit for comfortable support.
• Smooth silhouette, with no bagging.
• Full elastic waist.
• Soft cotton/spandex knit. Machine wash. Made in USA or imported. 9" inseam.

Women'...

Stretch Bike Shorts by All American Comfort®

Great for the price

By wmnrider from Glendale, AZ on 6/22/2011

4out of 5

Waist: Feels too big
Length: Feels true to length
Pros: Comfortable, Washes Well, Breathable
Cons: Not True to Size
Best Uses: Casual Wear
Describe Yourself: Casual Dresser
Was this a gift?: No

I bought several pairs of these specifically to wear under my mesh motorcycle pants. They work great for this since they a)are long enough not to bunch up in uncomfortable places and b)are lightweight and cool. They should be great for working out, walking and such.

While they fit well in the legs and hips, I found the waist and stomach to be a bit large.

(legalese)