My Three Week Motorcycle Tour(disaster)

Wow..it has been a while since I wrote, maybe I have been inspired what with school starting last week? So this last couple of months have been a whirlwind. I was informed that I had to attend a training class at Kirtland AFB, NM which is located in Albuquerque, NM. I thought, what better way to get in a nice long motorcycle trip than by riding to my training class, little did I know that this would end very badly for the motorcycle. So...here's my story....

I left Greenwood bound for Dyess AFB, TX which is in Abeline, TX...Yes, I know this is the long way to get to Albuquerque, I have answered this question a million times. Anyway, I arrived at Dyess and got myself a room for the night, then headed out to find a bite to eat. The next morning I awoke to a spectacular lightning show, not exactly great weather for travel by motorcycle. A quick weather check, and I discovered that it was a small thunderstorm basically hanging over the base. I waited a couple hours and then hit the road bound for Kirtland by way of Roswell, NM. I wanted to see what all the hype is about the Alien stuff out there. I know, it may sound goofy but for some reason I always wanted to visit there. I rolled into Roswell late in the afternoon so most of the Alien tourist shops were closing up however, I did get to check out a few places and most were really cheesy! Here's a couple photos. After a quick look around, I headed out of town on a route to Albuquerque that was recommended by a convienience store clerk...If you are ever in Roswell, NEVER take directions from the guy that works at Allsups Convienience store. You'll get to Alburquerque but it's definately the scenic route.

I ended up taking a route through the mountains which ended up being ok except for the bike not running well. I did get to see Lincoln, NM where Billy the Kid had a big shootout. The town still looks pretty much like it did in the 1800's and is a pretty cool place to stop and look around.

After leaving Lincoln, I rode through Valley of Fires State Park. The weather was starting to get nasty so I didn't get to hang around too long. Basically it is believed that thousands of years ago there were volcanos in the area and I guess it's kind of hard to dispute the idea since all the rock in the area is black volcanic rock.

After leaving Valley of Fires and dodging some thunderstorms, mostly by sitting under an awning at a gas station, I ended up at Smokey Bear Historical Park. It's a neat little park dedicated to none other than Smokey the Bear.

As I mentioned earlier, my motorcycle started giving me trouble about halfway between Roswell and Kirtland. Several times I found myself sitting on the side of the road with a motorcycle that wouldn't run. I have to say, I don't think there is anyplace as quiet as the roadside in the desert. I finally arrived at Kirtland around 10 pm that night and I have never been so happy to be at my destination as I was that night. I promptly put the motorcycle in the shop the next day as soon as class was over.

I got the bike back a few days later and it seemed to be running a lot better. The mechanic told me that it wasn't repaired completely because the dealership didn't have the parts and it would take a couple weeks since they would have to be shipped from England. Guess that's the price you pay for riding a British made motorcycle.

I felt like going for a little ride during the middle weekend of my stay at Kirtland and one of the guys at the Triumph dealership recommended the "Turqouise Trail" its a really scenic ride through the mountains and makes a stop in Madrid, NM which is where the film "Wild Hogs" was shot.

The picture above is of Maggies Diner from the movie. It's just a movie set and wasn't part of Madrid until the movie was shot there.

Fast forward to the end of the week. My training class is over. I'll spare you all the boring details of my school that I had to attend, and I am now preparing for another long ride to Tucson to meet up with my Bros from the 188th for our Annual Training which was going on in Tucson, AZ . AT this year was a little different because we were flying some training missions to better prepare our aircrew and maintenance folks for our upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. We dropped live bombs, shot rockets, and shot live air to ground AGM65 (Mavrick) Missles. I feel sorry for the terrorist that decides to take a shot at one of our airplanes armed with these explosives.

So, my ride from Albuquerque to Tucson was very scenic but very troublesome. Below is a photo of some of the scenery, of course I had to get the bike in the photo, although at this point in the trip I would have gladly pushed it off the nearest cliff after lighting it on fire.

Anyway, back to the story...So, I left Kirtland bound for Tucson, this should have been about a 7 hour ride but turned into a 10 hour nightmare. About two hours after leaving Kirtland, the motorcycle began giving me trouble again and I once again I found myself sitting on the side of the road several times. I finally made it to Tucson and was greeted by the guys from my shop. We went to the restaraunt at the hotel and got some food and then I went to bed. I got up early the next morning and took one of the guys from my shop to the airport and then headed out to locate the local Triumph dealership. I knew they wouldn't be open but wanted to know where the shop was so that I could get the bike in as soon as possible. I found the shop along with a Denneys, where I grabbed some breakfast before making my way back to the hotel. The shop had the bike in and out in one day and I really thought it was repaired this time.

Daniel, one of the guys I work with, rented a motorcycle and we rode up Mt Lemmon. The Triumph was running great and I was convinced that it was finally repaired.

Mt Lemmon is really beautiful and we had a great ride. Below are some more photos from the ride.
This is part of the road we just rode up.

The ski lifts were running so Daniel and I jumped on for a quick ride to the top of the ski runs. It looks like this would be a really fun place to ski.

Of course, no trip to Arizona would be complete without a photo of a huge seguaro cactus!

So, the Triumph ran good the rest of the week in Tucson and on Friday I pointed the front tire East and headed for Arkansas. I was certain that my motorcycle woes were behind me. I had a decision to make when I got to the point where I could either turn North going back to Albuquerque or continue East into Texas. I chose to continue East, I mean, why not, the bike was running good, I was feeling good, if I pushed it up just a little, I could make it to Dallas and have a relatively short ride the next day..or so I thought. I decided that a little music would help me click off some miles so, I stopped and hooked up the Ipod. Armed with a little Van Halen, I was flying down the highway, "Uh, no officer, I had no idea that I-10 had a speed limit in Texas. What's that officer, the speed limit is not 90 mph" Seriously, I didn't get pulled over, but I did look down and catch myself doing 90 once which forced me to turn down the Van Halen...guess I was getting into the music a little too much!

Now for the bad part of the story that you've all been waiting for... I was just coming into Odessa, TX when I noticed a vibration that I hadn't felt in the handlebars before, I took the next exit which dropped me off the interstate at an abandoned truck stop. I turned off the music and the bike sounded funny so I turned it off, took off my helmet and restarted the motor, The motorcycle was making a terrible racket and the engine was knocking. I knew I had something major wrong but I was still out in the middle of nowhere so I made the decision to ride it until it just wouldn't go anymore or until I got to civilization. Unfortunately, the motor gave out before I got to civilization. You haven't lived until you have pushed a motorcycle the better portion of a mile. I pushed the bike to the next exit which had a convienience store and the manager was kind enough to let me leave it there overnight. I called a taxi and he took me to a fabulous, five star hotel, in Odessa, OK actually, he took me to the Best Western which I later found out was in one of the worst parts of town. I got settled in a room and called my dad to see what my options were, we decided that the best thing would be for him to come and rescue me with our trailer. He quickly loaded up and drove to Oklahoma City for the night, meanwhile, I walked to the convienience store next to the motel and had a great dinner of beef jerky and doritos and washed it all down with a coke. If Odessa is on your list of the top 1000 places you want to see before you die, I highly recommend crossing that one off the to do list and moving on. I'm not sure, but I think Odessa may be considered the armpit of Texas. Unfortunately, this was where my trip had to end, My dad and uncle came to my rescue the next day and I finally made it home safe and sound, albeit, in a pickup truck. I will say this, the southwest has some of the most beautiful scenery and I would definately do this trip again sometime on a different bike. Speaking of different bikes, I think I already have my next ride picked out, it's a Victory Cross Roads and is more in line with the style of riding I like to do. I like the sport touring motorcycles but a touring bike is more practical for me. I've owned one other Victory and I really liked it, now I just have to convince Andria!

Victory Cross Roads

I think Andria will probably tell me to stop looking at motorcycles and start looking at house plans! Oh well, doesn't hurt to check out the new bikes coming out for 2010 does it? Well, all this motorcycle talk has made me tired. Hope everyone has a good week!