Wish you were here..

I have a 10 day window to try and bag 3 of the SCMA15 Best roads.

I leave and 5 miles into my ride I see this guy on the side of the road, he is out of gas and I happen to have a gallon on the back of my bike! Problem solved, he and I are soon on our separate ways.

I soon mosey into New Mexico where I see two GIANT Ranchers gettin sideways across the four lane highway.... I'm sure there is an interesting story here, but I could not find any answers.

Then into Roswell for the night.

The courthouse in Roswell

Odessa Texas....I think

.

I stop to see the Stonehenge replica in Odessa.

On my way to Camp Wood, Texas to ride the Twisted Sisters I pass a bunch of goats, even at 70 mph I could tell something was wrong with this one....a quick U-turn and a few seconds later I had this guy free to wander again.

Next morning I start on the Twisted Sisters...

After 160 miles of Twisted Sisters.... I head off to Mississippi to ride the Natchez Trace, but first I have to cross the Mighty Mississippi River!

I get an early start on the Natchez, I think I was required to ride about 90 miles, but I ended up enjoying 187 miles.

The Trace checked off I point to Arkansas to ride the Pig Trail, on the way I see this unusual sight...a fixed wing and rotary wing flying side by side....

I get on the Pig Trail and was having a super time when.....

....I passed this guy; he waved and I just wasn't quite sure if he was being friendly or if he needed assistance. I knew I'd feel guilty if I didn't make certain he was ok,  so I turned around and when I got back and asked if he needed help he said 'no he was just being neighborly'.  Don lives right on the Pig Trail and is a super guy.  We had a nice long chat and by the time I left I had made a new friend! I'm so glad I turned around.

(unfortunately, the paper I wrote his contact info on and numerous receipts disappeared from my tank bag - I think they must have blown out at some point on the trip and I didn't notice until I was nearly home)

So now all 3 rides are 'bagged' its time to head for the barn

Minneola, Kansas

Montrose, Colorado

I go through Canon City, Colorado so I just have to ride the Skyline Drive

on the Skyline drive

And true to form once my nose gets pointed toward home I get in a hurry; the last day I leave La Junta, Colorado and ride straight home, 670 miles.

When I get home there is an amazing fruit drink and some steak and eggs waiting for me!!

(and she wonders why I rode that many miles in one day....)

So that's it! 3 more "15 Best" checked off - 4332 miles in 9 days Good times!

States visited on this ride, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas.

Perusing through my pictures.....

I've been riding but not anywhere overnight, plus its been chilly rides, so the camera has been buried under a couple layers of clothing. So to combat boredom I wandered through some pictures I've taken in the past and stuck them here.

2003 first fathers and sons ride

2005 my brother and I ride Bear Tooth pass in November.....(brrr)

Same ride, a bit warmer in Utah

Family trip to California coast, Fenton and I ride and meet the family there

 Same ride, bikes resting

2008 I ride from Utah to Alabama to visit with my daughter and son-in-law for Christmas....but....had to trailer to Mesquite, Nevada to find snowless roads.

Same ride somewhere in Arizona

2009 first Awesome Couples Ride

Yep you guessed it, same ride at Lolo Pass

Couples ride 2010

Same ride in Zions NP

2011

Ride to Baja, Mexico

Same ride at Coco's corner

I need a long ride.....*sigh*

15 Best Roads in America part 1

I've decided to participate in SCMA's 15 Best Roads in America ride this year.

(Southern California Motorcycle Association)

The first four roads I'm going to do are in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

One of those roads is the Geronimo Trail in NM. Master welder Mr. Sanchez here in West Valley City has created a bust of Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce Indians.....I figure that bust would set a good tone for this ride.

On my planned route I will be traveling through Pie Town, New Mexico. I make an invitation on the Tenere forum for other riders to meet me there and enjoy a delicious pie for lunch. 

Mark, aka MAK10 from Idaho joins me for the ride down. Our first photo op is in front of the famous Sinclair building in Elberta, Utah.

Then we stop in Green River, Utah for a tasty bacon burger.

The first road on my list is The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric hwy (Ut128)  from Cisco to Moab, Utah. We check out the 'ghost town' of Cisco.

Then make a photo stop to prove I was there.

After Moab we take a left at the LaSalle Jct and ride over to Norwood, Colorado. The next morning we ride #2 - The San Juan Skyway (Co145) Placerville to Cortez, Colorado.

Then we motor back into Utah where we start #3 Monument Valley - Bluff, Utah to Kayenta, Arizona.

Proving I was there...at Mexican Hat.

Overnighting in Springerville, Arizona we leave the next morning for our lunch date at the Gathering Place in Pie Town, New Mexico.

Mark, Glen, and Garry.

Glen resides in Illinois, Garry Ontario Canada, but they are both wintering in Arizona. They had a LONG ride to meet us for lunch and make it back home.

You are right....there are no pies in this picture......

There you go....

After lunch we split up. Mark rides homeward, north. Garry and Glen ride off into the sunset....west. I ride south to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Rest stop..

In the morning I backtrack to Hatch, NM where ride #4 The Geronimo Trail starts.

And it was a RAINY day....so I didn't get many pics but here is one, Hillsboro was a great little town that I would like to spend more time in.

From Hillsboro I ride to Silver City, NM and finish the ride. Then riding to Pinetop, Arizona I stay for two nights in a comfy condo.....

......which is really nice since I'm soaked from the all day rain. 

Riding home after those two days, I'm again in solid rain to Kayenta, Az, and rain AGAIN on the last day from there to home.

Oh well....it was still a GREAT ride!

2400 miles, 4 of 15 roads completed.....next?

2020 World Vision Challenge

The 2020 World Vision Challenge

Make the World a better looking place

Easy, very inexpensive, rewarding!

The 2020 World Vision Challenge is an easy way for each of us to improve the way the World looks.

How do you participate? Simply do this;
Buy a box of small garbage bags to keep on your bike.
*The small bags fill quickly and are easier to fit in the nearest garbage can.*
When you are on a ride, whether a day ride or on a multi-day trip, resolve that at least once each day you will use a bag and pick up some of the refuse you see on one of your stops. Then put the bag in a proper receptacle, and voila! Just like that YOU have improved the way the world looks!
Each of us doing a little bit will make a huge change in the World!

I've been doing this for a few years now and have used different type of bags, but this is what I have purchased most recently;

They cost $6.00 for two boxes (50 bags).

Thanks for looking at my 'World Challenge' I hope you join in on the effort to make the whole World look better and by so doing improve the look of your part of the World!

Best regards, and safe journeys,
Tombstone

ps. If you participate in my challenge, please come back here and leave a comment...I'd love to hear about it!