What Stands Out, in No Particular Order

Riding into the snow on Willamette Pass
Capitol Reef National Park, in cool weather as opposed to 100+ last time
River Road in Big Bend Ranch State Park
Maverick Road (unpaved) in Big Bend National Park
Coming around a curve to see the Rio Grande Gorge, just south of Taos (made me involuntarily say "Oh, shit.")
Cowboys driving cattle along Highway 26 in Eastern Oregon
Highway 50 in Nevada
Riding with my friends, George and Dale
Chicken fried steak with old friends at Threadgill's
Discovering Del Rio
COPS experience at El Capitan in Gallup
Cabrito asado
Antelope running across the road, attempting to jump a barb wire fence, getting tangled in it momentarily, them bounding away. Near Antelope, OR, of course.

Mas y mas y mas

I mostly used my iPhone to shoot on the trip, but did use my camera when I wanted more control (Hey, who doesn't?) or to use the zoom.  So in chronological order...

Torrey, Utah's School, now a bed and breakfast.

 The streets of Torrey

 I got cured of doing this pretty quickly.

 Glen Canyon, Utah

  Glen Canyon, Utah

Roads of Big Bend National Park

Scenic View stop, River Road, Big Bend Ranch State Park.  I nearly served us up a pooch-screwing.  I led George into a sharp left at the stop and had to immediately gun it to get up the short incline.  This was a challenge for me, Mr. Novice Offroad Rider.

 Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park

 Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park

 Wyoming

Idaho (Wildfire?)

Home

7151 miles. No breakdowns, no close calls. Though yesterday and today I had to stop quickly for deer and antelope, respectively.

No flat tires, and no tickets.

It was a great trip, better than I hoped for. Returning to "normal" life will be a challenge.

Welcome back to the Pacific Northwest, bitch.

The famous Columbia River Gorge winds were especially fierce today, as bad as I've ridden in. Most of the last 80 miles were pretty rough.

Then, about six miles from home, it began to rain. Perfect.

This is my failed attempt to photograph the Gorge in all its fearsome beauty.

Lodging

I've used airbnb.com for lodging at three stops on this trip. It's an online system in which people offer rooms or entire dwellings to travelers. For money of course. I used it in Taos, Moab and Hailey, ID. Each stay was superb. It's like staying with friends of friends. Each of my hosts was interesting and friendly. So much nicer than a motel on an interstate.

Hailey, what a nice place. Just south of Ketchum and Sun Valley. According to my host, it's where the people who work in those places live. Even in winter, the sun shines. I think I will return.

Behold, The Mighty Snake (River)

I crossed said Snake back into Oregon this afternoon. It felt good, but it means I'm that close to the trip's end. It's nice to see lots of green again. But of course, the real green starts west of the Cascades.

As you can see, Oregon's beauty matches anything I've seen on the trip. Those are the Strawberry Mountains in Grant County, eastern Oregon. I'm staying in John Day, one of my favorite places. No tourist scene. Just a nice little town in the middle of a lot of beautiful scenery and fantastic riding. This is where the Oregon BMW rallies are held.

This morning was the first that I felt tired. It wore off as I got into the riding. But nearly 7000 miles takes its toll. Once I get home I'll rest and try to adjust to the idea of returning to work.

I had lunch with my old friend and colleague Jeff Kingsbury in Boise today. We had a great time catching up and commiserating about the life of a CDC field assignee.

I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

In Hailey, ID tonight after a 400+ mile day today. The roads were straighter and the scenery less spectacular but a great day just the same. It started off deceptively sunny in Green River, WY. But I had to pull over after 30 minutes to add a layer. By noon I stripped it back off again.

Every state since California (day2) has been a non-mandatory helmet law state. I simply cannot fathom how someone can ride a motorcycle without all the gear all the time. I admit I'm hardcore about wearing a fully armored riding suit, boots, etc. I would love to ride in a t shirt but I want to keep my skin intact. But no helmets, I mean what the fuck!? One of the steroid pumped Harley riders Dale and I saw in the Texas Hill Country rode without a helmet (of course) and in a t shirt and jeans. Yet he carefully tied a bandana over the lower half of his face. You know, bad guy style. So what's the deal Toughy? Protecting your teeth from bugs?

This shot is from The Craters of the Moon in south central Idaho. It's a huge lava field. Don't think this is a fair representation of the geologic weirdness, but here it is all the same.

I think zombies live here. Or feral children. Or both.

Cisco, UT. The whole "town" was like this.

Twenty Days In

Today was some of the best riding yet. From Moab along the Colorado River, up CO 139 back into Utah and then into spooky beautiful southwestern Wyoming.

I am not tired of riding. I miss my home and Portland just a little. I do not miss work. John Nail, the Tenere rider I met in Albuquerque had sold his home and was just--riding. I find myself envying him.

Of course I've been very fortunate to have had good weather and no mishaps or breakdowns. That's the kind of stuff that sours one on motorcycling rather quickly.

Earthship

These houses are spread around north of Taos. It was early in the trip and I didn't want to pull over. Too bad because they are quite a visual.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

There are also a lot of houses constructed from the remains of old vans and trailers. Hippie weirdos.

Moab

My first impression of the town is that it's a bit of a tourist trap. Busy. More than a few obnoxious people. I'll have my pizza and call it a day. Wash it down with Mormon-approved near beer.

Rode 415 miles today. That included a 50 mile detour due to my difficulty differentiating left from right. But it was a beautiful ride along the Dolores River. So definitely not a waste. Southwestern Colorado is quite nice.

I don't recommend this bit improvisation. It worked from my room to the pizza joint. The one thing I forgot was the gps mount. D'Oh!

Food sleaze

Fast food joints I've eaten at during the trip:
McDonald's - Oakridge, OR
Subway - Van Horn
Whataburger - Harlingen
Dairy Queen - Del Rio and Lamesa
Schlotzsky's - Austin and Albuquerque

And, the topper:
Sonic - Pagosa Springs, CO

Enchanted Circle

On the road in the mountains north of Taos.

Taos Pueblo

The Taos have lived here continuously for over 1000 years. Kinda makes ancestors coming over on the mayflower a bit chickenshit. I know the place is shutter-worn, but that didn't stop me from taking and posting these few shots.

Into New Mexico

After 10 days in Texas I spent my first night in Roswell. There's not a lot to it. The alien tourist kitsch is overdone, to say the least.

My motel, The Western Inn, was nearly as funky as the place in Gallup. Looked like a few of their guests lived there on a somewhat permanent basis. One woman, in particular, looked a lite meth-y. Beware of rooms priced below $50. But no late night law enforcement visits and the Western did provide a bit of photo fuel.

Taos has a Walmart. And an Applebee's.

I wouldn't think that I had the capacity for naïveté at my age. I imagined Taos as an old pueblo/colonial Spanish wonder world. Well, of course it's been affected by mass market commercialism. It's in the United States, after all.

Still, looking forward to exploring the Pueblo and more tomorrow. I need to sleep off my chile relleno.

Total Ironicality

One of the major appeals of the Tenere is Yamaha's wide dealer network. After 5500 miles of mostly fully loaded riding, my rear tire needed replacing. Here's the thing, none of the four Yamaha dealerships I called carried the Metzeler Tourance. The ABQ shop offered me a Bridgestone. But I had a set on a previous bike and didn't care for them.

So I have to buy my tire at the BMW dealer. Wah-Wah-Waaahhhhh. Wide dealer network, my....

As I pulled up to Bobby J's, the Yamaha shop, I see another guy on a Tenere. He'd ridden from Indiana by way of Florida and had almost the exact number of miles on his bike that I did. And-- he was getting a new tire. We had lunch across the street and traded Tenere impressions. He's also a former BMW owner, so we traded those stories, too.

Bobby J's did a great job, switched out the tire and changed the oil in about 90 minutes. Five stars!

Guilty pleasure

IHOP's Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes. Not the food but the source. I try to avoid chains, but they're so good! Just had my third round on the trip. And-I was seated at the exact same booth in Roswell at which I was seated in Reno. Something to be said for consistency.

Reese Reunion

Spent a very nice afternoon with my cousin Tonya and aunts Betty and Billie. Billie asked me how fast I ride. When I told her 75 or 80, she called me dingbat in that special way of hers. Made me smile.

Big Spring, Texas

A uniquely Austin encounter? Perhaps not

Last night I accompanied Dale on his walk with his dog, Cami. As we neared an old acquaintance's house, out he comes with two friends, headed for coffee. I had not seen these guys in over 20 years. I went on an almost ill-fated backpacking trip with two of them, Mark and Larry, in 1986. In the Santa Fe national forest, we had to crawl on hands and knees, with backpacks, across a very rickety bridge. You see, we felt that if we walked on our two feet, our more concentrated body weight would send us crashing through, and into a 70.foot deep arroyo. Once we reached the other side, safe but terrified, Larry said "No one can ever call us pussies."

These were his exact words to me when he saw me for the first time in over 20 years.

Central Texas and Austex

Riding through the Hill Country, wildflowers, Luckenbach, old friends, chicken fried steak, huevos rancheros, white beards, Harley guys struggling to find lost testosterone, Dale commuting on his Vespa.

San Antonio de Bexar

I had a very nice visit with my brother Luis, his wife Chris and their kids. At 10, Sofia is very self-disciplined and responsible. And beautiful! Ben and Joaquin are super-energetic and very sweet.

Luis and I took a nice long walk on the River Walk. It was drizzly, which rehydrated my skin after being in West Texas.

We has takeout from Panchito's, a staple of the San Antonio Quintanillas. Also, a great breakfast at Jim's on Broadway and finally, stunningly good BBQ at Texas Pride. We topped it off with seeing Joe Ely at Sam's, just a few blocks from their house.

I have always loved SA, lately more than Austin. If only the summers weren't so hellish. It will have to stay a winter destination.

I didn't take many photos, having too much fun I guess. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get one of Sofia. : (

Goliad

One of many historic Texas sites that I've not visited previously. In 1836, Santa Anna's troops executes 300+ Texian soldier at Presidio la Bahia. The other shots are the courthouse square

Random McAllen Shots

It's known as The City of Palms.

Some of the homes in the older part of town have been nicely renovated.

And finally, a couple of 17th Street landmarks.

Going even farther back

Up until I was six, my family and lived in staff housing at the South Texas Chest Hospital, where my father was a physician. I took a ride out to Harlingen to see the old place.

It hasn't been a tuberculosis hospital in many years. It's now a mental health/mental retardation facility. (It's Texas. You were expecting political correctness?) I spoke to a young man at the administration office before going over there and actually spoke these words: "Fifty years ago, I lived in that house." Weird to be an old coot boring the young folk.

Our former home and the one across the street are now used as an MR activity center. They're surrounded by chain link fence and a secured gate across the dead end street that separates the two structures.

I didn't want to invade anyone's privacy, or get in trouble. So I got this somewhat lame image of the back side of our state-provided housing.

Holy. Crap.

http://m.themonitor.com/news/bodies-60070-everywhere-palmview.html

This Old House

My father's dream house, we lived there 1966-79. The people who bought it ran it into the ground. My father never saw the place again. He couldn't bear seeing what had been his showplace so mistreated.

There are new owners who have redone the exterior in stucco and added a new front door and gate. It looks good, though the photo doesn't capture it the way I would like.

Cabrito!

It was every bit as delicious as I'd hoped it would be.

More McAllen

The public school that I attended grades one through five, David Crockett Elementary, is now headquarters for the McAllen Independent School District Police. I knew it had been closed and made into administrative offices, but....police?

The photo is the front of the school I attended grades six through eight. If you know me well at all, you know I have no use for religion or parochial education. But I do admit that the time I spent at Our Lady of Sorrows, despite the name, was mostly very good.

Mr. Ocañas, the facilities manager came out through the secured gate to ask what he could help me with. When I explained that I was a former student and parishioner, he very kindly spent some time telling me about the changes and history. It was built so the anglo catholics would have a parish of their own. It's about 95% Mexican and Filipino now. There's a new church---and the school is down to one nun. I guess she has that whole convent to herself. There was a nice Mercedes parked next to it. Maybe that was her signing bonus.

Son, take a good look around.

I can't help it. Springsteen's "Your Hometown" keeps running through my head.

I took a little tour of our homes and schools. Not that it was a haven of safety and security in the early 1970's, but things are a lot tighter at McAllen High School. And I knew that with two or three other high schools, enrollment is much lower. That parking lot was always jammed when I was there. About half full now.

Through the Borderlands and the Oil Patch

Del Rio to McAllen.

Two things are very much more in evidence in South Texas than years ago: the Border Patrol and oil drilling.

The Border Patrol has always had checkpoints on the major roads going north from the border. You'd pull over, the agent would ask "American citizen?" and that was it, unless I was with my father. He'd show his resident alien card and off we'd go. It was usually a step van with a couple of agents. They'd move them up and down the highways from time to time.

Now they've got permanent structures with all kinds of high-tech detection devices. They're not just looking for undocumented non-citizens, but drugs, and weapons of mass destruction. There are several agents. At least two or three talk to those passing through. They had a sniffer dog check out me and the bike yesterday. Poor pooch. I think I saw tears in his eyes as he backed away.

They have these creepy looking trucks that they use to haul detainees. And other vehicles are all over the roads. They cut the brush back from the roadsides so that there are rough dirt tracks on each side. They use their pickups to drag three tractor tires. This is to smooth the dirt so any new foot or tire tracks will be more detectable.

That would be the low tech version.

Drilling company trucks and equipment are everywhere. Every few miles there's a secured gate, usually with a very nice RV parked there. I suppose that's for the round the clock guard.

Then there's that smell. SO2 I believe George said it was. Like natural gas but much stronger. It reminds me of Big Spring where my grandparents lived. There was a refinery and it always smelled that way.

There were also wildflowers along the roads. This shot doesn't do them justice. And butterflies. Millions of butterflies. My bike and gear are encrusted with their viscera. Ugh. Gonna wash the bike in Austin.