The Ramblings of a Uralogist- A cross country ADVenture on three wheels

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by co_g30

If you're plans include riding near the Denver Metro area this weekend.....myself and some other Uralisti could come out to meet you and perhaps ride along for a bit.....

PM me if this works for you. Otherwise, Safe Riding.....great set of postings and pictures.

Good morning co. I'm sorry that I missed your post as we went through your beautiful state. I'm in NM right now. Heading for Texas in a few hours.


Knecht- More pictures of "the Earthship" houses in a bit.

[madeouttaglass]

Here's the update from New Mexico. I'm in Albuquerque and it feels odd. I just dropped Julie off at the airport. As we wrote in the earlier posts, it was always the plan that she fly home partway through the trip. She was the greatest riding buddy through this. Always smiling, never complaining, and getting me going in the right direction when I screwed up. (Did that twice yesterday. My next report might be from Seattle.) I'm writing this report in the motel lobby as I wait for her flight to actually leave. She just saved my ass as I pulled away from her at the airport. It was a 1/4 mile ride from the motel. The weather is perfect so we didn't bother with helmets on the 25 mph road. As I pulled away from her a cop yelled for me to stop. No glasses= ticket. Julie came up and handed me her reading glasses. Crisis resolved. Now she has no glasses and I have no navigator. Our daughter Becky better be prepared for a long wait for either of us to make it home.
Yesterday we bought her ticket home from our neat little motel in Taos. We figured it would be a leasurely ride down roads marked scenic. Got turned around twice and found ourselves further from Albuquerque than when we started. We ended up doing route 25 to the motel for the flight she is about to get on. The roads we got lost on were nice though.

Our place in Taos. Our swimsuits easily dried overnight on the built in Ural drying rack.



Old Taos. It was a great little town.











The Earthship complex. We rode past it the evening before. In the morning we rode back about 10 miles west to see it. We didn't go inside anything. It was mostly a construction zone with plenty of workers around.











The Rio Grande.

[madeouttaglass]

I'm in Albuquerque and stopped to see an old friend and coworker. He asked to have lunch so I'll spend the time until lunch to go over the bike and catch up here completely.
Yesterday's ride down route 25 was not what this bike was made for. At times we got down to 48 or so on the uphills with a brutal head/ side wind. The rig was stable as hell but my head kept getting smacked on the right side. Thankfully I found a semi going 55 mph about an hour out of Albuquerque and drafted him. I was still a legal distance behind him and it helped tremendously. No more downshifting and about 1/3 throttle Vs. 3/4 or more.

There goes my best friend of about 27 years. The best wife, friend, and riding buddy you could ask for.


The new look of the Desert Rat. Julie took a huge bag of her stuff and mine is stuffed in the sidecar.




Family and friends on other forums know me this way:

Girl at counter taking order: "May I have your name please?"
Me: "Harvey Mushman".
If you don't know who Harvey is, I'll let you google it.

[JCZ]

That shiney new motorcycle of a couple weeks ago is not lookin so shiney and not lookin so new. But it's certainly lookin like you're having a world of fun! I envy you!

By the way, there's a small group of us heading for southwest Colorado (Million Dollar Hwy., Slumgullion Pass, etc.), Four Corners, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon in a month. I've been to all these places before but always just kind of passed through......this time we've got it limited to only a couple hundred miles a day and staying a night in each of the places that we really wanted to check out further. Your ride report thought Utah brings back some fond memories and I can't wait till next month!

[fasterlaster]

Still a fantastic RR, and I'm sure the co-pilot who had to fly back home will send her good karma over the airwaves so you arrive safe and sound. Keep them coming!

[Norm's Dad]

Finally got my butt in gear and joined the Forum. We have been enjoying the trip along with you and Julie via the ride report, pictures and spot locater every day. Great Job! Looking forward to seeing you when you get up to PA. Ride safely.

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by Norm's Dad

Finally got my butt in gear and joined the Forum. We have been enjoying the trip along with you and Julie via the ride report, pictures and spot locater every day. Great Job! Looking forward to seeing you when you get up to PA. Ride safely.

Well, well, look who woke from the dead. Welcome to the asylum. Myra will be so glad you joined.

report coming when I get a room here in Amarillo in a half hour. I'm using the McD internet now.

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by JCZ

That shiney new motorcycle of a couple weeks ago is not lookin so shiney and not lookin so new. But it's certainly lookin like you're having a world of fun! I envy you!

By the way, there's a small group of us heading for southwest Colorado (Million Dollar Hwy., Slumgullion Pass, etc.), Four Corners, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon in a month. I've been to all these places before but always just kind of passed through......this time we've got it limited to only a couple hundred miles a day and staying a night in each of the places that we really wanted to check out further. Your ride report thought Utah brings back some fond memories and I can't wait till next month!

Are you telling me the CVO group would not appreciate it if I joined your group?

I'm sure that any tour that you are a part of is an awesome ride.
Have a ball,
Tom

[madeouttaglass]

Albuquerque to Amarillo today.
First of all, Julie is home safe and sound. She says the puppies went insane for a good bit when she stepped in the house.
I better get the same treatment or little heads will roll.

As I wrote earlier, I visited with an old friend and coworker today. Dave and I worked at the same place in Rochester NY years ago. He transferred to NM about four years ago. I didn't think our paths would ever cross again, but they did. I stuck around until noon and then we had lunch. It was good to see him. I'm glad that the move from the cold northeast has worked for him.
I hit the road at about 1:30 PM or so.

I stopped down the road at this cycle shop.



They had a bunch of cool bikes including these electric cycles.



I borrowed a bit of electrical tape from the shop. Earlier in the trip I'd had two comments on the piston and sickle that weren't flattering. At home I wouldn't give a crap. I'm thousands of miles from home, alone and heading for Texas. I figured I'd just cover it up. Most likely very unnecessary. So far I think so. I've met a few Texans and they are as nice as can be. Lots of thumbs ups at lights too.




My first Route 66 picture stop.



And of course you have to stop and get the T shirt and metal sign for the garage. This was the sign for a Rt.66 shop. It was very nice inside and there were a few foreign customers in there. At this early time I had high hopes for Rt. 66. That would soon change.







Now mind you that this is only the eastern NM part of 66. I looked for it in Alb. but even though it is marked 66, it is all the same commercial businesses that you find in everytown USA. The following pictures were a good number of miles east of Alb. and looked to be fairly recently devastated. I'm guessing 2008 was the death of many of these places. I could have taken countless pictures of empty hotels, motels, diners, repair shops, gas stations,...that looked like it had only been a few years since they were open. Many abandoned motels advertised free Wifi and breakfast for under $30.



I think a few people were living in this place.



There is a different business in this one. Glad to see that there was someone looking out for the old building.



This one was only closed for the afternoon.











I was buzzing down I-40 and saw this sign as I rode by. Along much of I-40 you'll have Rt. 66 next to it as an express road. There is a median on I-40 and in between the I-40 and Rt. 66. Not a problem, I'm on a Ural! I plowed through the rough dirt and turned back on 66. I did a sharp U turn when I got to the right place for the picture.
My family will obviously know why I took these pictures. My dear, departed, best father-in-law you could ever ask for started and successfully ran a business named Quality Beef. He would have liked this except that the herd would have been Black Angus's.







Notice how all the cows are near the fence in the last two shots? They must feed them out of sidecars because they all came running to me as I was taking pictures.

[Patrick46]

Originally Posted by madeouttaglass

Ufffff!!!! That can't smell too good!!! ^^^


Have a great ride home, and be careful out there!!!

[madeouttaglass]

Hi Patrick. I see the Ural Facebook page picked up the story and is using your artwork for the lead picture.

[FLYING EYEBALL]

Awesome Thread!!

Thank you for sharing your ride.

[Dachary]

Originally Posted by madeouttaglass

I see the Ural Facebook page picked up the story and is using your artwork for the lead picture.

Actually, I'm one of the people who saw the RR on the Ural Facebook page, and I've been lurking for a few days. Definitely enjoying the writeup! We did a ride from Boston to Ushuaia on BMW F650GSs - been home for a year and already well into plans for another trip. Unfortunately, we didn't have good luck with the dog-sitters on our Americas trip. So we've bought a Ural Patrol - we pick it up next week! - and we're doing a trip out west in July with the dogs as a test run for a RTW on it.

Definitely enjoying your RR - the pics are great and make me think I've missed a lot by not riding out west! Maybe I can talk the SO into touring around the U.S. before we go gallivanting off around the world

I'm also reassured to read how the Ural is performing for you. I'm sure there are a fair number of us lurking who have gotten here from the Ural FB page - thanks for your great writeups

[Rusty Rocket]

""I borrowed a bit of electrical tape from the shop. Earlier in the trip I'd had two comments on the piston and sickle that weren't flattering.""

funny, but I wondered if you would get through your trip without hearing about that.

[madeouttaglass]

Hi Flying, Dachary, and Rusty. Putting on some miles on Rt.40 and old 66. Got some good pictures of stuff to load in the next day or so. Less natural beauty but more man made stuff.