Utah to Vegas to Marfa to Home II

We then drive toward Goodsprings, Nevada where Butch Cassidy is supposedly buried.

To the best of my knowledge a person can't go to the internment site without special permission, but just getting to the town is close enough for me.

And that was it for the first part of this trip. Bev drove home the next day and I rode south passing through Laughlin, Nevada.

Then on Route 66 and stopping for the night in Holbrook, Arizona....but not in a Teepee!

Onward the next day I pass through Magdalena, New Mexico....

And see this sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset, near Valentine, Texas.

'The Prada Store.'

The thing about The Prada Store is, it is in one of those "middle of nowhere" locations... hence the 'art'.

Sadly, the very night the sculpture was finished in 2005, it was vandalized. 

Repaired and wired with an alarm system it was again vandalized in 2014. That time the perp, a local  self described 'artist' (actually a shithead) was caught, tried and convicted.

Currently the Texas DOT is contemplating removal of the art. Again, sad.
(click on the picture to see the shoes and purses inside the store)

Locks on the fence behind the Prada Store.

Then a few miles west of Marfa I run into this....based on the 1956 movie, "Giant" with James Dean.

I finally make it to Marfa.

Marfa is a beautiful (but expensive) town! Lots of interesting architecture and history.

Here are a few pictures around the town.

Some government building.

A bank.

An Episcopalian church.

I break a little part off my kickstand....the tab that makes it easy to deploy. So I sought out a local welder, Buddy, who said he was willing to try and fix it but didn't have the proper equipment for the material it is made of...so instead we just chatted for a good spell...which was VERY enjoyable. One thing he told me about was this scenic route down to Presidio, then to Big Bend National Park, then to Alpine....  about 180 miles.

That ride was one of the highlights of the trip!

The route took me right along the border, here is The Rio Grande

This is from a movie set shot years ago.

(I can't remember the name of the movie..)

More Rio..

An old Mission in Lijatis, Texas.

And then back to my motel in Alpine. Alpine is about 20 miles east of Marfa and lodging is MUCH cheaper there.

I arrive at my motel, and prepare for my night's activities - to try and see the "Marfa Lights".  What is the Marfa lights?  No one really knows....they've been appearing for over 150 years, but when the cowboy asked about them in 1883 he was told by locals that they had been observing the lights since their arrival in the area. Plus the Native Americans had stories about the lights in their lore.

So I rode out to the 'viewing area' about 18 miles from my motel.  The Texas DOT have constructed this area to facilitate people stopping and hoping to view the lights.

So....camp chair, snack, and water in hand I set about watching for the lights.
I did see them about 3 hours later (be patient!). No pictures as they would simply look like a flashlight or something, but they were definitely not like anything I have seen before.

The lights have been described in numerous ways, but most often they seem to appear as 'glowing orbs' several feet off the ground.  And that is essentially what I saw, glowing orbs that blinked on and off and showed up in varied formations.

Ok....Marfa lights checked off my list!

Tomorrow it is time to turn north and start for home.

Utah to Vegas to Marfa to Home. III

So I head north back toward Utah.

Unfortunately I ride the US 285 in Texas which is packed with oil field trucks!

Of course that is GREAT for business but is somewhat bad for the tourist (me) as the semi-truck to car ratio was (scientifically speaking) SCADS of trucks to very few cars and motorcycles... (haha)

I had four locals approach me and tell me emphatically to ride careful.....not the normal, 'be safe' type of warning, but they stressed how dangerous this two lane undivided road is... One of them told me this is the most dangerous road in Texas.

And I was dutifully careful.

Another thing about that area is the ubiquitous "HELP WANTED" signs.  Along with the bustling  bee hive on steroids atmosphere - their economy is booming! 

I was munching on a sandwich in a gas station parking lot and happened to ask a guy standing near a truck beside me, 'what are the jobs that all these people are doing...'?

Before he could answer, his crew boss jumped out of the other side of the truck and trotted around and said to me, "What kind of work are you looking for?"

"No no", I replied, "I just wondering what type of work all these people are doing."

"Ohhh"....he seemed very disappointed that he hadn't found a worker. 

But he then explained the local industry (oil field) was crazy busy.  He then warned me very seriously to 'keep my eyes open and ride very very carefully?" 

When we parted he told me,  "Go with God and be safe".

I did and was.

Back on the road.

I make it to Roswell, New Mexico where I stay overnight.

On the road again I pass the VLA, Very Large Array. 

Farther west I ride to Pie Town, where I felt it was my duty to taste test the pies at the Gatherin Place Cafe.

I picked my pie off the shelf and it was still warm from the oven, the kitchen is on one end of the building, where three magicians....errrr, cooks were busy making pies.

When I finished the lady at the counter said, "You ate the entire thing by yourself, not many people can do that!"

I'm not sure how I feel about that comment....

Fat and happy I continue on to Springerville for an overnight rest, then the next day I ride to Flagstaff where I'll have dinner with former V-Strom buddy, now Super Tenere buddy Howard.

A building in Snowflake, Arizona.

The LDS Temple in Snowflake.

Then...

...and...

Don't forget Winona!

Howard and his wife treat me to a very delicious dinner at a nice Greek place....can't remember the name.

After the tasty meal and great conversation I return to my room and rest for a long next day.

And the next day IS a long one. I make a comfort stop somewhere north of Flagstaff....

Near Lee's Ferry, Arizona.

Annnnd 520 miles later I'm home....

...note the gentle yellow hues that I have delicately festooned my windscreen with.....

It was a super ride. I went mostly intending on seeing the Marfa lights....mission accomplished. I also wanted to see Big Bend National Park, but that will have to wait until the next time.

Marfa is indeed a beautiful town, but if you stay overnight lodge in nearby Alpine to save big bucks.

I re-discovered that Texas is a state chock full of good people! The interactions I had with local folks was interesting and gratifying. Win win.

3169 miles. 

Good times.

Baja IIII (Home)

And just like that we are leaving Baja. It was a very nice trip with much warmer weather than was at home.

I stop and overnight in Hurricane, Utah. I was considering a ride through Zion National Park and wandering home, but I was told that a huge winter storm was going to hit on Monday, so I get up Sunday and head for the barn. The 320 mile ride was fairly pleasant, with temps never getting below 40 degrees.

When I pulled into our circle, our garage door was open and I find out a hot bowl of chili is waiting for me on the table.

(Beverly was watching my 'google tracker' and knew when I was getting close)

So that's it. 

Nearly 4300 miles home to home, 4 states, 2 countries, one whale watching trip, numerous Tecate's and a Ton O Fun!

I got rained on in Death Valley.

Met, broke bread with, and made new friends in Tombstone, Arizona, Guerrero Negro, and San Quintin, Baja.

Enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the Mexican People.

Saw ancient cave drawings.

Snuck into a locked World heritage - Mexican national site for pictures only.. (that story intentionally left out...)

and

Got hit by a rogue wave and very nearly drug into the ocean. (another one intentionally left out...)

The Tenere performed flawlessly, never took a nap, and continues to make her way into my heart.

Good times, good friends, good life!

And just for reference, this is looking out my front door the day after I got home.... (The Monday storm I was told about)
Timing is Everything!

Baja III

We make the short (110 miles) ride from Guerrero Negro to Mulege which is the turn-around point for this ride.

On the way we stop at San Ignacio to see the Mission.

I don't think I'd like that sand chunk hanging over my house...

The Sea of Cortez.

Gustav Eiffel designed the "Church of Santa Barbara" . It was bought disassembled in France, and brought to Santa Rosalia in 1897

!

These two couples were also touring Baja together, we kept running into them at the sights. Once when they we leaving the man with the beard rolled down his window and yelled, "see you at the next place!"

Each time we met it seemed as if we were seeing old friends again.

Attractive churches dot the land.

We rode to Cueva del Raton, where you can see some amazing rock art. This is thought to be one of the most important sites in the world. There are over 1500 drawings in this area. We only were able to visit this one site.

6 miles of dirt round trip, this is one of the best sections, it was very steep for most of the ride.

We finished up a great day of riding , then it was back to Guerrero Negro to spend the night. Tomorrow we'll ride to San Quintin.