2025 Republic of Texas Tour – Day Eight

It’s another chilly start to the day. It’s 50 degrees out and overcast. The roads are wet but the rain has stopped. We run a short while in I-25 before turning of onto two lane roads into the hills. Fog has settled into the area and thickens as we head deeper into the hills. Visibility is 100 feet at best and we’re in deer country so it’s slow going. I am soon joined by another biker who follows me for several miles. Eventually the hills fall behind us and the land flattens back out. The fog lifts and the sky brightens but the cloud cover still hangs low.

When we reach I-40 I wave off my latest riding partner and continue on my way. The sky soon darkens again and the fog returns. We’ve gone about 50 miles already and I am starting to worry about gas. I’ve still got half a tank but I have yet to see anything resembling a town or gas station. We’ve still got 130 miles to get to Roswell. Thankfully the next town isn’t far but as we get close the fog thickens again. I’m stuck behind a semi and can’t see the road in front of him. Passing is a very bad idea as I can’t see oncoming cars until they are right in front of us. I ‘m relying heavily on GPS to show me what the road is doing ahead of me.

It takes some time but we finally make it into Vaughn and there is indeed a gas station. I fill up so my worries are put to rest. But the shakes have already set in. It’s going to be a long morning if it doesn’t start heating up. A few miles out I run into a patch of rain. It’s the small stinging type and it’s coming in heavy. It only lasts a mile or two but it slows me down.

There’s nothing out here on this stretch. The land is still flat and when I can see, I see no signs of man. The fog continues to thicken and then lift but the road is incredibly straight, only curving a few times on the way into Roswell. But’s it’s split four lane so I can still move quickly without much concern.

Our first stop of the day is the UFO Museum in Roswell. The sign is being fixed or replaced so I have to park across the street. This is the last of the Republic of Texas tour stops. That’s four out of the five so I can now consider that tour complete. Our next stop is Champion Harley-Davidson. The dealership is a few miles down the road. Roswell is a lot bigger than I remember it being the last time I was here in 2018. The dealership isn’t just Harley-Davidson. They sell Honda’s, Kawasaki’s and Yamaha’s. Dirt bikes and side by sides. The dealership itself is full of alien mannequins, all sitting on bikes through out the showroom. I snag my poker chips, which are of course alien themed and continue on to lunch.

Pepper’s was recommended to me at the dealership. It’s a nice little place with a small bar area. I order a simple taco plate and it arrives within minutes. It’s warmed up since this morning and is a nice 72 degrees in Roswell. I’m starting to lose the shakes.

The cloud cover starts to break shortly after leaving Roswell. Small cracks reveal the blue sky about and I soon see the sunshine for the first time in two days. The cloud cover continues to break up until there are individual clouds in the sky again and plenty of sunshine. The road, however, is still painfully straight and it takes a very long time to reach the Texas border. I’m back in Central Time and instantly lose an hour on the day.

The land has changed from the empty New Mexico brushlands to farmlands. This last for a few good miles before the pumpjacks appear. Just few at first, dotting the landscape. But as the miles fall away their numbers increase and dozens of them can be seen across the landscape.

The next stop for the day is the Denver City Museum. It’s another small town historical museum that doesn’t appear to be open. Not that I want to go in. It’s getting hot now. I’ve still got my jacket on and can’t stow it without taking the time to uncover my bag. I’m fine as long as I’m on the road so uncovering the bag can wait.

The next stop is a short 17 mile ride away in Seagraves, another small town. It’s Main Street Pizza and Hotel Texas. I’m not ready for food so don’t go in for pizza. The hotel offers a discount for tour riders and looks like a nice little place from the photos I’ve seen, but I’m shooting for Odessa as my end point tonight, another 80 miles down the road.

I decide to have dinner at Bottom’s Up Bar & Grill. Overall I’m kind of disappointed. I walk in and the music is far too loud but something I can get over no problem. As I grab a seat at the bar I am asked to turn my vest inside out. I mention that I am not wearing any kind of club patches but it doesn’t matter. I don’t give the bartender any grief as I understand the reasoning behind their rule, but I’m not turning my vest inside out. There’s a hundred stories on this vest and I feel it’s disrespectful not only to myself but to all those who had a part in those stories. I’d rather just take it off and put it in the bike instead of actively hiding it. Again, I don’t make any kind of fuss about it. It’s also the first time I’ve ever been asked to remove or turn my vest inside out.

There’s a strange taste to the beer. It’s not skunky or flat, it’s a flavor I can’t place. I order the sirloin with mashed potatoes and cilantro rice. The steak is good, not the best I’ve had but good. The potatoes are plain and there’s no gravy or anything to put on them. The rice, half cooked might be giving too much credit. A lot of it is crunchy and maybe I’m wrong but rice shouldn’t be crunchy. I finish my meal and my beer and wait to close out. And wait, and wait. It’s a good twenty minutes before any one even looks my way. It’s not terribly busy.

Tomorrow will be a nice day I hope. Our first two stops are within 40 miles. I should be able to go without my jacket or covering my bag. There’s also one stop that I can’t wait to show you, especially those of you fond of a certain beaver. See you tomorrow!