Mile 2600. Surprise, Az

I arrived home late yesterday afternoon. I'm not really in the mood to write. Lately, all I have been doing is moping, looking at my bike, and looking at all the pictures I took while on the trip. It'll take me a few days to decompress, but I'll eventually settle in to this non-nomadish lifestyle. I'm sure those of you who have lived on the road for any period of time know of what I speak. It's a bit hard to adjust to life on two feet rather than two wheels. Give me a bit and I'll get y'all the low down, as well as pictures taken by my 4.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot. I've seen 'em and hell, they look real purdy.

I've already met the neighbor and have agreed to spend some time drinking beer and checking out girls. I think he and I are going to get along nicely. We have the same taste in time-killing.

Cheers.

Day 12. Mile 2415. Peyson, az

Just as I sent my last post, a man pulled up in a sidecar hack. In the
hack was a wheelchair. The man was disabled from the waist down. I
checked the bike out and noticed a hand clutch and gear changer. Very
impressive. I'd do the same were I in his place

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2360. Heber, az

Did you know arizona had roads like this? I sure has hell didn't

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2310. Holbook, nm

I have been seeing these dinosaur statues on the side of the road. They
excite the kid in me, which is their intention, I think. A few miles
from here is the dinosaur park. I want to visit it, but that is for
another day. I've got eight hours till sunset and I want to make sure
I'm in 'nix before then. I'm not quite sure when I started keeping a
time frame. That was not my intention when I started out, but then I
began to race things: the sunset, the dying regulator rectifier, and the
afternoon heat. I'm beginning to think that I can never completely
dissociate myself from time and from burdens. Ill come back to that
dinosaur park, and to the petrified wood. I owe it to the inner child
and such.

I'm on the intersection of route 66 and 77. I'm a bit sad to be leaving
the road which has give me succor through almost seven states, but its
time. Certainly, ill return to it to finish the trip to los angeles, but
that is for another day. Right now I'm off to new roads and new sights.

The afternoon heat is starting to yawn. I'm happy for my camelback, but
hope I can manage to escape heat fatigue.

in all of my travels these past few days, I've only passed by one crotch
rocket. I met the second just now. My interceptor is one of the most
comfortable bikes I've ever ridden and its a crotch rocket. I wonder why
there aren't more travelling with me.

I'm done with my water. Gas and go. See you wherever.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2415. Peyson, az

My knees were complaining something awful so I was compelled to stop. I
think the bike needs the rest too. After holbrook, the bike developed a
scary headshake that I think is related to the warped front rotor. I
believe the heat caused the rotor to expand, which compounded the
warpage. Every so often I would feel the bars jerk. To remedy this, I
decided to shave down the front brakes a bit. It seems to have worked as
I have not encountered any headshakes as severe as the ones on 377.

I must apologize to the fine state of new mexico, and possibly missouri,
because they have lost their prettiest state place. I had the sheer luck
of taking arizona route 260 west through the forrested mountains. To my
right I had a massive forest, and to my left I had a view of the entire
forrested mountain range. There was mist and purple and confounding
beauty. It makes me very happy that this kind of natural awesomeness is
only two hours from phoenix.

Speaking of 'nix, I'm told that it is only 90 miles away, which makes
this either my last, or my second to last stop before the end. I am a
bit dissapointed, but my body needs a bit of rest. I beat on it too much
for my own good.

I still desire a seventh gear and highway pegs for my honda, or some
place I can stick my legs so that my knees don't give out after 500 or
so miles
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2293. Arizona border

I've decided to leave 66 for good, or at least for this particular trip.
Since new mexico, 66 has been mostly i40. And while i40 took me through
some stunning new mexico scenery, I'm ready to get off the interstate. A
woman at the tourism borad reccomended 77 to 377 to 89 to 202. Its
supposed to be a very pretty ride. I'm all for beauty.

Speaking of beauty, I've decided that new mexico is my second prettiest
state next to missouri. Granted, the roads are straight, but the
environment really has no contension.

Something smells sweet here in the painted mountains of arizona. I don't
know what it is, but I like it.

Ill stop for gas in holbock, then throw off 66.

Till then
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2230. Continential divide, nm

Yeah

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2193. Grants, nm

I thought for sure I'd get dumped on but I broke free of the dark clouds
that plagued me since alburquerque in grants. The wind blows hard from
the east and even now I can see the clouds moving over grants. I want to
move before they catch me again

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2150. Somewhere, nm

Painted mountains. On the road to grants, nm
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2100. Albuquerque, nm

The clouds hit the mountains like surf

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 12. Mile 2100. Albuquerque

So, I wussed out and decided to leave at 8 and not 7. Hitting arizona
will give me an extra hour anyway. Ill miss a new mexico sunrise, but
ill manage to get home before an arizona sunset, or at least an arizona
rush hour. Those are nasty.

The wind is hard, but I've managed before. Just gotta keep a steady
speed and a cool hand on the bars. If I panic, ill likely lose
traction.

Jon the road again
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 11. Mile 2100. Albuquerque

New mexico's diet continues to wreck havok on my digestive system. The
constant influx of green chile and cheese puts me on the can more than
I'd like. still, the food is delicious and makes my bathroom time more
than palatable. I sampled sopas and found them akin to biscuits, or
indian flat bread. Sure tasted good with honey. My friend kelsey and I
also stopped by the golden paneria. The golden panderia was featured on
the food chanel and has been in many different publications. We found
the owner amiable and quite talkative. I purchased green chile bread
from him and received bischotios for traveling so far.

I'm leaving at 7am tomorrow morn. That'll give me six hours before the
afternoon heat sets in. I expect at least five to hit flagstaf, given my
slow tendencies (if triple digit cruising speeds are considered slow). I
am taking route 66 and that slows me up a bit. But, round these parts,
66 is mostly merged with i40. Any reminants of 66 is left for business
route 40s.

66 in central new mexico wasn't much to see. Again, I find myself trying
to remember the small towns I passed through; moriaty, tijeras,
colonias, santa rosa, and some more. As much as I loved traveling 66, I
have to say its starting to wear on me slightly. 66 is the interstate,
followed by a short break through a small town that has some auto
stores, a few diners, and a bunch of motels, and possibly a museum or
trinket shop. The names of the town change, as well as the names of the
motels, but the model is similar. I don't mean to sound like I'm
complaining, really, I'm not. 66 does, however, become consistant.

The wind is really starting to pick up. The weather channel estimated
40mph. As much as I enjoy my honda vfr750, it has a tendency to attempt
a dorothy in hard winds, luckily the wind is coming in front of me,
which makes me worry about headshake.

I worry too much, but the night before a long ride always makes me
apprehensive. Its like the night before a big game. I'm mapping out my
game plan, how I'm going to take every corner, what I'm going to do if
something goes wrong, if I should stay in flagstaff or not, or how fast
I feel like going. Motorcycling is like that.

I'm tired. See y'all in the morning.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 11. Mile 2100. Albuquerque, nm

The view from my friends back yard. What y'all see is the sandinas, or
the watermelon mountains. When the sun goes down, the mountains turn
bright pink. Its really something to look at.

Today should be relaxing. I plan on eating a lot, as usual.

Breakfast for now.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 10. Mile 2075. Albuquerque, nm

Till thursday

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 10. Mile 2050. Tijerias, nm

Yeah, its like that

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 10. Mile 1890. Ft. Sunmer, nm

I don't know why I've been saying its day 9. We all know its day 10. My
sense of time is really out of whack. It took me about ten miles of
thinking to realize that it is, in fact, tuesday.

The sixty or so miles from clovis to ft. Sunmer were blissfully
uneventful. The landscape was rather unvaried, except for intervals
where mountains appeared on my north. I haven't seen mountains since I
left arizona in january. The yellow grass is giving way to sand patches,
which excites me to no end. Environment variations keep a rider happy.

At one point the grass was white and looked like water instead of land.
That was surreal.

Ft. Sunmer is home to the grave of billy the kid. Meremec is home to the
grave of jesse james. I pass a lot of graves.

Its starting to warm up. I ought to go. Red twinkies are the devil.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 10. Mile 1950. Colonias, nm

I got back on 66 in santa rosa and I'm now headed west on 40 towards
albuquerque. I anticipate arriving before 1pm, which is nice. Ill miss
the worst of the heat.

The road thus far has been gorgeous. Several times I've gasped at the
sheer magnificence of it. I've never seen the kind of rock formations
here, nor have I seen the kind of enirovnment which carpets new mexico.
I could layer superlatives forever, but I need to get moving.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1835. Clovis, nm

New mexico came upon me suddenly and without warning. I had told myself
that I wouldn't stop until I left texas, but I wasn't expecting new
mexico to jump on me. Texas is a blur. I passed through so quickly that
its hard to believe that I was ever in texas. I'm trying to think of all
the towns I burned, dawn, friona, bovina, heather...something (the beef
capitol of the world) and a few towns I can't remember. What I do
remember is deaf smith county, and the hundred mile long stretch of
cattle stench.

I haven't seen 66 for some time. Rather, I'm on 60. I will take it to
84n and rejoin 66 somewhere near santa fe. I am four hours from
aluquerque. My decision to leave early had had profound ramifications. I
might make it to alburquerque before the heat sets in. Its been 60 thus
far. Bad for me. Good for the bike.

The blue green brush of texas faded into the vast yellow green I see
now. Its also becoming sandier.

The end is near. I'm becoming excited, yet dissapointed.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1820. Bovina, tx

Yeah. Those are all cows. This thing stretched a good three city blocks.
All cows. I've never seen the like
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1735. Amarillo, tx

Gas stop. They had no potty, so ill potty stop in 50

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1725. Amarillo,tx

So the diner was cash only and I had no cash. I left everything I had
there and made a mad dash to find an atm machine. There was one over the
tracks. Well, on the way back, this big assed train decided to park its
ass over the crossing. I've been sitting here for ten minutes with my
shit in a diner across town. I'm so furious I think I'm going to hurt
someone
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1720. Amarillo, tx

An amarillo 24hr diner at 630am. My orange juice was served in a metal
bluebird can. The waitress was haggard, but nice and efficiant. She gave
me a bleach-soaked towel to clean the bugs off my faceguard. I have been
sneaking water into my camelback. I hope she refills my glass so I can
do it again.

Breakfast is eggs over easy with bacon and biscuits n gravy. I feel
southern.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 9. Mile 1720. Amarillo, tx

Its 6am and I'm awake. I've been up for about 20 minutes. I'm too sick
to sleep, if that makes any sense. It was less painful to wake up and
get to the day than it was to try to sleep. I didn't sleep too well, and
when I did, I had sick dreams. I'm going to take more advil and hope
they do the job.

To tell you the truth, I don't mind being up so early. I have about five
hours of ride time before the weather becomes extreme. I can make some
good heading in that time and stress the bike's engine and electrical
system a bit less.

I'm all packed. I'm going to get dressed, check out, grab eats, and go.
I think ill keep to i40 for a bit until the sun is out. I'm in no
physical shape to navigate country and rough roads.

Its go time

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1720. Amarillo, tx

Bar bands, baby.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1720. Amarillo, tx

I am again sitting in a dive bar. This is supposedly a gentleman's club,
but the only women I see is the bartender, and the dried up bar floozy.
I'm not too fazed. There's a bar band here which is actually really
good. The tunes are simple and standard country fare, but their voices
are surreal. I'd ask them if they cut a cd, but I doubt it. These are a
bunch of good ol boys who croon together for the hell of it and maybe
some free beer.

A few minutes ago, a couple got up and danced. I recognized it as the
texas three step. I tried to learn while at a country club in wichita,
but failed for lack of a partner. I think I could handle the two step,
but the three step looks a bit more complicated what with the crossovers
and all.

While walking to this place, I was thinking about the sunsets I've seen
while riding. Although I've been on the road for eight days, I've only
seen three riding sunsets. The first was across a bridge and down under
the missouri river. There was a church on the riverbanks and it was tall
in the colours. The second one was across the kansas plains. Sunsets in
kansas don't spark colours. Rather, the horizon seems to grab the sun
and smother it in the green of the kansas paraire. The third was
recently, when I was heading across amarillo. It look as if there was a
fire in the sky. I know that sounds cliche, but that's how it was.

Another couple is dancing. A bit ago, the guy came up to me and shook my
hand. People are really genteel here in texas. Everyone seems genuinely
happy to see me and ask of me as if we were friends or family. I think
that is because of all the guns here. No one can afford to be crotchety
or nasty. I think I will almost be sorry to leave texas. I will need to
come back, just to see austin.

I'm going to stop writing and just listen to the band. Maybe ill write
more before bed.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1720. Amarillo, tx

Hey, the bed was clean and the shower had hot water. That's all that
mattered to me.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1710. Amarillo, texas

No, I didn't order the 72oz steak, but check out my dessert.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1630. Lordknowswhere, tx

I'm sitting here sipping on gatorade because in spite of the fact that I
have a camelback with cold water, I still managed to come down with heat
fatigue. My head is throbbing and I've been very distracted. Elk city,
sayre, erick, and shamrock flew by without my noticing them, which is a
pity because they were all nifty little towns with unoque histories. I'm
really not used to this kind of heat.

Somewhere along the way, the rolling green of kansas and central
oklahoma became the vast yellow plains of western oklahoma and texas.
The dirt here isn't red anymire. Its a sandy yellow. What manages to
grow is quickly burned by the sun. Texas is wide, vast, lonely, and
isolated. The smallest portion of the state, the area in which I am, is
as wide as the state of indiana. Something to think about as I make my
way across.

I'm trying to rest but the flies keep biting me. Its slightly annoying.
I'm thinking of pouring my gatorade in my camelback and then making my
way to amarillo. Its about 80 miles from here. I'm not even sure if I'm
on mountain time, but it is 4pm central. I've been on the road for 8
hours now.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1680. Groom, tx

I have a hard time believing jesus would approve of something so
extravagent

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile something. Somewhere.

Toodles, oklahoma

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1550. Burns flat, ok

Its hot. 100 degrees hot. I lost route 66 again so I pulled off herem in
burns flat. The soil of western oklahoma is a bright red. I've never
seen the like.

Now to ask for directions

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1500. Weatherford, ok

I love my camelback. That needs to be said many times.

I hauled ass up i40 for a bit before getting back on 66 somewhere east
of weatherford. Weatherford was the 150 mile mark so I stopped for gas
and nosh. I bought a candy called cherry mash which was interesting
enough but I wouldn't call it a favorite. I took a picture of it against
the old timey pump. You might have to look sideways, but its all good.

I am the man in black and I intimidate people when I walk.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1440. El reno, ok.

Sids diner, where I got chow. I'm still peeved that I didn't get my
shake.

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1440. El reno, ok

Grub break. I managed to find route 66 in yukon and followed it a ways.
It broke off in el reno, and I stopped by a road side shack. I don't
think the internals have changed in the last sixty or so years. In fact
I think the staff have probably worked here since inception. They
certainly look old and haggered enough.

In traditional townie fashion I didn't get service until I raised a
fuss.

Grubs here. Looks good.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1400. Yukon. Ok

~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1320. Perry, ok

I don't know what I was expecting the transition between kansas to
oklahoma would be like, but there was no real change in the land.
Oklahoma is just like kansas, except with a few more trees and hills.
The wind has made an unwelcome return, but it is blowing east to west
and ill be headed west in just 50 miles. Yeah, I'm 50 from ok city.

My camelback is sumptous. Whenever I'm thirsty I take a few shots from
it. The tube occasionally dips below my jacket, but a brief stop brings
it to foray. I am making really good time. I think I can be in amarillo
by early afternoon. I was thinking of pushing on to alburquerque, but
decided to stay the day and night in amarillo. Give the bike and I a
small rest.

The road has done much to kick my illness away. Maybe it was the cats
afterall.
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 8. Mile 1210. Wichita, ks

I spent the night going through the usual bouts of a fevered state. I
was hot, cold, hot, and sweated.

But now, I'm awake and its go time
~ I write with your life and my own ~

Day 7. Mile 1210. Wichita. Ks. Bedtime

I am ill. At first I thought my cat allergies were acting up, but the
syntonyms are not my usual. My glands in my throat are swollen. I'm
coughing. I'm listless. I'm also heading out on a several hundred mile
trip early tomorrow morning. It'll be rough, but I have my camelback and
will therefore be hydrated.

Today was an easy day. I woke up late. Watched movies all afternoon, saw
a softball game, and then went swimming at night. Few things are better
than a hot tub and a cold beer. Val is now cooking for me again. She
claims to like to spoil her men but I think I've been doing the
spoiling. Its all good.

While at the softball game, I met a group of sig eps. We did the secret
stuff and then discussed our jobs and our future. Its very surreal to
meet guys in the same frat and then act as if you were best friends. I
guess I really am sig ep for life.

Tomorrow's route is unforgiving. 35 south to oklahoma city. One I get
into the vicinity of 44, I hope to get back on route 66 and be in
amarillo before sunset. Ill leave at 8, which will give me 13 hours of
daylight. If my body and my bike holds up things will be well.

The cat demands attention and I must attend to my fluid intake.

~ I write with your life and my own ~