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The Continental Divide
Pretty sure this isn't the actual monument, but it was at the gas station so, whatever. Day 2 and still alive! Woo! 538.1 hard miles today. I got a later start this morning leaving Holbrook, AZ mainly because I couldn't move. Everything hurt when I woke up. Luckily, some coffee, aspirin and a hot shower and copies amounts of moaning/swearing got me going and by 6AM the Mothership was heading east again! Arizona was gone quickly but New Mexico took forever. It was so ungodly hot today and there is no shade to be had in that state. Generally I seek out said shade when I take my leg stretching breaks. No dice this morning though. I kept going long past the point where my back and legs were killing me in a vain attempt to find a small shady patch but I finally gave up and got off on a side road. As I came to a stop and shut off the engine, I was struck by the silence. I've read the line "The silence was deafening" in several books but I didn't truly appreciate it until today. While I was standing there by the side of the road, a woman and her dog came by in a pickup truck. She swung into the gravel turnout
After the Storm
Coolest picture ever. Taken just after outrunning the storm. where I was parked to check on me and make sure I wasn't broken down. She was concerned about me, alone out there in the desert and offered me a soda. I thanked her and assured her that I was just resting and that I had plenty of water and Gatorade in my ice chest. She simply waved and drove away. Nice people out on the road. Back home, you could stand next to your broken down car on the side of the road and die of old age before someone would stop to check on you.
Everything's different out on the road though. We watch out for each other. The people you pass on the highway and see at gas stations become your friends for the day, because we're all in this together, at least for today.
I spent my last 200 miles in New Mexico riding through a mean summer storm. It was huge and it seemed that I would never get out from under it. Meanwhile, my fellow motorists were riding my tail, flashing their lights and honking if I wasn't riding fast enough for them. It's only a two lane highway with nowhere to
Stretch Break
This was taken where I was stopped when the lady and her dog came to check on me. stop, so I found myself screaming along at 90-95mph in a driving rain storm complete with thunder and lightning while Rock and Roll blared through my headphones. At one point, AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" came on. It was pretty cool. These are the kind of moments that most people would bemoan but I have to say, that ride through the storm has been the highlight of my trip so far. If I could go back and do it again, I would in a heartbeat. Blood, steel and thunder, that's myb kind of party! Eh, guess you had to be there.
Once we (the Mothership and I are in this together) got past the storm, I stopped to stretch and got a really cool picture of the bike with the storm in the background. So far, that's my favorite picture from the trip. Although the rain had soaked me pretty thoroughly, I was dry as a bone by the time I crossed the border into Texas. 75 more miles and I arrived here in Amarillo for the night.
All in all, very good day. Stay tuned, Oklahoma tomorrow!
See you on the road.
Ride Safe,
Alien
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Linda Davis
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Trip
Looks like you started your adventure already. Yes the people out there are very friendly and help one another. Stay safe and watch out for the other guys.