I did not do a good job of taking notes yesterday which resulted in me leaving a short post. It’s difficult for me to remember everything that happened in a day without stopping to take notes and referring to them later. I was sure to take notes at every stop today.
The storms have passed in the night and what remains looks to be behind me when I first step out for the day. It’s mostly clear out but it’s chilly, temps are in the mid 50’s. Definitely need my jacket to start the day. Looking at the weather radar, I should be clear of rain all day. By the time I’m ready to head out, rain clouds have gathered above me.
I don my jacket, as it’s chilly enough to need it, but forego putting on my rain gear. If I get any rain I don’t think it’ll be enough to warrant spending the time putting my gear on and then taking it off. I do in fact catch a small bit of rain as I leave out from Grants, but it’s minimal and I don’t really get wet. It’s a short 70 run into Albuquerque and by now the sky has cleared and the sun is shining bright.
Traffic picks up a bit as I enter the city but it isn’t too bad so I’m able to move quickly through the city and back into the hills. I make my first stop in the small town of Sedillo for gas and a fresh bottle of water. At this point I’m only about 100 miles away from getting off the interstate and onto two lane highways. The desert landscape soon starts to show more grass and before long I run back into the mesquite covered hills. I also come back to the wind turbines. There’s only a few dozen of them, which may sound like a lot, but this is small compared to some of the other fields I’ve passed through. Though I’m passing through a wind turbine area, the wind remains calm at ground level.
The land starts to flatten out as I near my first turn off in several hundred miles. Santa Rosa is my turn off and I make a quick pit stop to use the restroom. It’s not even lunchtime yet and I’ve already put in almost 200 miles. The temperature has risen to about 70 degrees, which is about the jacket threshold. I decide to keep it on for now, a decision I soon find out was a small mistake.
I’m on two-lane highway leaving Santa Rosa. There’s not much to see out here and the road is very straight which can get very boring on a motorcycle. I soon have to reach into my vest pocket to pull out some sunflower seeds. Munching on sunflower seeds helps to perk me up when I start feeling drowsy on the road, both on the bike or in the truck.
Traffic is rather light on this two-lane highway so I am able to continue to move quickly. Passing cars is quite easy. My next stop is in Fort Sumner, home to Billy the Kid’s gravesite. I didn’t stop in to see it, but I did stop to get my jacket off. I’m getting hot at this point and absolutely have to remove it. It’s lunchtime now but there’s not much in Fort Sumner so I continue on to Clovis. Clovis is a much larger town and is only about 60 miles away.
There’s still very little to see out here, hardly even any cattle. The only signs of man are power lines and mile long trains. In Clovis I decide to stop for lunch, I’m not skipping again. Lunch is at the Oasis, it’s not terribly busy. There’s a small bar area and a stage so I imagine it’ll be a happening place this evening. I get the steak finger basket and eat as much as I can before getting back out on the road.
I’m dangerously low on fuel, so I stop just down the street to fill up. Texico is just about 10 miles down the line and is right on the Texas border. I pull off to the shoulder at the “Welcome to Texas” sign to get a photo. It’s a bit of a tradition for me now, every time I get back into my home state, I stop to take a photo of the welcome sign, if possible of course. My clock also jumps another hour here, I’ve lost an hour but I’m now back on Texas time.
While at lunch I decided to set my sights on Lubbock. I could go farther but there’s not much between Lubbock and Abilene, and Abilene is a bit too far for today. If I can get to Lubbock I’ll still be in good position to get home at a decent time tomorrow. The grassy desert landscape soon gives way to farm and ranch land. I come upon a couple of very large and quite fragrant stockyards. Most of the cattle are black and white, which I assume are dairy cattle coming in for auction.
There’s rain out in front of me as I continue down the road. A large band of dark clouds covers the road before me. The sun disappears as I get into it. To my left is a large black cloud dumping rain upon the earth, and on my right, another large cloud doing the same. I’m covered by clouds but there’s sunlight ahead of me. I never stop to check the radar or suit up in my rain gear, I simply trust that the road will lead me back to the light.
It lasts a good 30 miles, but the road bring me back into the sun. I don’t catch a single drop of rain. The best thing is, the temperature dropped to a comfortable level as I rode into Lubbock.
Dinner is at Bombshells Restaurant. It’s a short ten minute ride out there but I’m heading towards rain. The air holds a dark yellow hue which looks weird to me. I soon figure out that this is dust and dirt kicked up by the winds coming towards me. I still avoid the rain getting into my destination.
Bombshells feels like it’s probably a franchise. It’s a military themed place. There’s helmets hanging by the hostess stand and the beer taps are installed on rockets. The menu items are all named with military type names. There’s a ton of seating and multiple pool tables. An ample amount of TV’s make this the perfect place to spend a Saturday evening in September.
Dinner is their Renegade Pasta, which is good, but a bit bland. Rain falls outside as I eat. I typically have a could of beers with dinner but decide to stay and have another to let the rain pass and roads dry out a bit. By the time I leave, a large storm system has formed directly in front of where I’m heading. I have no clue what I’m about to ride into. A group of Cossacks roll up as I’m getting ready to leave. Normally I would barely even acknowledge a group like the Cossacks, but I want to know what I’m riding into so I ask. They tell me they only caught a few sprinkles coming in. The sun is fading and the sky is dark. The wind has picked up and the flashes of lightning are making me a bit uneasy. The storm is farther off so I don’t get into any rain, but I do continue to catch the wind. Even at a stoplight I fight to keep Laurelin upright.
I haven’t seen any rain since dinner. The lightning and thunder is starting up again so I may see some storms tonight. Hopefully it all moves out by morning. One more rain free day would be great. I’m less than 400 miles from home and will be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night.
