Mojave to Madness

    So left the desert yesterday.  Spent last night in Mojave city but that is on the last stretch of rattlesnake country.  I left Owl creek canyon campground a little late in the day and only made it to Mojave.  The folks at the campground invited me for thanksgiving dinner and I was really tempted but thought it wise to move on cause in this weather I can only go so far before I have to stop for a tea or coffee warm up.  I miss that place already.  So quiet, and the stars!  I lost my tent bag in the wind the other night which is too bad but the couple that volunteer to look after the campground gave me a chair bag which works well.   It has been dipping to 22 F  at nights but it doesn't feel like it.  My feet usually get cold sleeping if it gets anywhere near freezing but I don't know if it is the dryness of the desert or what but I have been fine in the tent.  Really enjoying it actually.  I have my coffee brewing in the vestibule in the mornings and enjoy a hot breakfast of oats and apple without leaving my tent.  The folks in the campers were amazed......makes me feel tougher then I am.  They explain it all with the fact that i am Canadian.  :) 
    Stopped and talked with a guy that was doing a three day journey.  He had more stuff then I did if that is possible!  Didn't want to pry to figure out what the heck it was that he had with him........who knows maybe he had a fold up heated cabin or something or maybe he worked off his bike and he carried all his files and what not?  Anyway it was freezing and it was good to talk with someone going thru the same thing.  We were in agreement in the fact that it was freezing, s nowfall on the top of the mountains and all.  Just then another biker skidded into us nearly coming to a stop and he said he was going to run out of gas....he was on his way to see his dad who had just had a heart attack.  He was from florida and also agreed it was freezing....in fact he was so disgusted with the cold that he was questioning our sanity for being such a place.....?!?  Curious fellow. We gave him some $ to help.  Spinning tales I think but hope he gets what he needs none the less.    
The Ride from Mojave into Bakersfield was transitioned by rolling hills.  Reminded me of Montana.  One second you were in the desert and then you climbed and big hill lined with tons of windmills.  Coming down thru these rolling hills you could see for miles out over a valley of fruit land.  There are roads everywhere and people too.  What a change from the desert.  I am up for more too, I know cause the sequoias are coming up.  Crazy land here in California.  
 I am on my way to meet a couch surfer in Tulare.  So that's it for now.  

Barstow, California

      So I made it! California.  Yipee!  The weather really has been co-operating,  I was thinking the other day how I have not had my rain jacket out since I think the first couple days of my trip so wow is all I can say to that.  As I ride up the west side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains its going to be wet.  I am ready for it.  Wet and cold.  But heck I have got this far and been spoiled really so I am ready for it.  

Leaving Havasu was nice.  It was good to get back on the bike again after my 3 day chill out by the lake.  I packed up slow and as the day was bright and not much of a wind I went for a swim in lake Havasu.  Fresh indeed; it opened my eyes for the road ahead.   It wasn't noon till I was on the road and then I stopped in to get something to eat and met Tom, an ex firefighter from new york city. After 9/11 he retired having had seen enough. He was driving a '78 Chevy that he bought in lake havasu for 1500 bucks.  Here that Dad!  This would be the place to come.  Not a spot of rust and wow is that cheap.  Supposedly there are a lot of Canadians who have come down and bought houses in the are.  Lots of deals to be had.  As Tom was looking over my bike he noticed that one of my highway pegs was missing.  It had fallen off when I dropped the bike back near Yuma.  I had it in my tank bag and had the idea that i would get a shop to weld it back on but he said to use a nut and bolt would be better.  We headed over to home depot as thats where he was on his way to anyway.  We found the right nut and bolt that wasn't going to vibrate off......there was a little bit of locking plastic on the nut to make it a sure thing.  Then out to the bike again.  It took a little reaming to get everything lined up but with Toms tools and mine (ratchet came in handy) it was all good.  I was on the road with proper footing.

       Couple miles from the Highway that would take me through the Mojave desert I stopped at the gas station to make sure I was full.  Just as I was going to head off, a man scooted in on his bicycle with a motor!  He was loaded down looking like he had been on the road for some time.  It turned out to be a 44cc motor that had brought him all the way form Montana!  Didn't ask what his destination was but he was out for a while for sure.   Had his bike packed as tall as my motorbike.   He sat down with me and we went over the map for interesting places and good roads to take.  

      So I made it to Barstow that night and because it was in the dark and because it had got dark I found a motel and was happy.  The next morning I sat down with the brush and went at the mats.  I was surprised, it only took about 20 minutes half hour to get it sorted.  All good in the locks department.  :)  OK so next I was on to a campground that i had found on the internet.  Before that I found a little museum and went through the history of the town.  Lots of gold mines, a giant meteorite made of  mostly iron that fell from the sky in the early 70's was amazing to see the raw iron in a rock form.  There were a lot of cars pulling in and out of the parking lot I was at so I went to see what was going on and found out that the water in barstow was bad due to some kind of explosive material.  There is a heavy military presence here and that is all else I could find out but I think it was good timing for me to be there so I picked up a couple gallons.  It is amazing what more I continue to find room for on my bike. 

      The camp site, Owl Creek near Rainbow Basin has a whole lot of fossils and old bones found round here.  Leakey.....who I remember learning about or reading about had come here for years to excavate.  I went for a hike in the dry river bed and it was so quite all you could hear was the wind.  Last night was crazy windy and woke up feeling as though I had been up howling through the air all night in my flying tent.  The wind didn't really settle till early this morning and it was nice to feel the stillness.  It seemed like a good traveling day but I thought I would like to see more of the park and it being so cheap...6 bucks a night I thought it would be a good place to stay a second night.   

       It is thanksgiving here ..almost and this macdonalds I am in is full of shouting crazy kids and adults........ah the holidays.            

    

Havasu Lake City

After 3 nights of camping off-road so to speak I was happy to find a reasonably priced campsite on the lake Havasu.  It is part of the Colorado river and people really love their boats here.  Monster boats that echo with the bass of many horses, miles down the shore.  Last night was Saturday and I could feel the vibrations of the massive motors shaking through me.  Not the most peaceful place but the lake is pretty and there are palm trees.  It seems to be getting more windy as the days go on.  I had to tie my tent to posts before I came into town cause if I wasn't in it it would fly away.  This will be my third night in the same spot and I am loving it.  I realized that besides rainy Memphis I have not stayed more then one night anywhere.  I have been eating not so great and after my bike dropping twice in the same day I managed to get severely dehydrated waiting out on the highway under the desert sun.  I picked up a camel pack just after Oklahoma city realizing that I was not drinking any water.  When I was on the bike i wasn't able to and when I was off the bike that was the last thing on my mind.  Drinking water is not a favorite thing of mine to begin with.  Unless i am sweating it is the last thing i want to do, but with the camel pack its kind of fun.  I think cause the water is body temperature, which is super important when it is not hot and it is so convenient to have that little tube to suck on  The fun part is all relative I suppose: being on a bike you can only do so many things.  I have always thought they were kind of silly but I take it all back.  I have got some real great hydration in cause of this little bag.  
So full moon tonight and I am happy 2 be still.  I was thinking of getting a hair cut today but all is closed on Sunday....hair places anyway.  Heather, you remember telling me to get a brush, cause of all the wind and whatnot flying through my hair?  Well I thought you were wise at the time but I did not get one till yesterday and I have not attempted to go to work on the back of my head.  I have 2 big dreads.....not even sure you can call them that.  I think mats would be more appropriate.  They sure do give me a lot of volume but it is pretty uneven.  I was wondering what a hair salon would charge to brush them out but I am not sure I want to go there.  What I need is some conditioner and I would feel more prepared to get in there.  Anyway, looking at the weather for the week ahead and it is looking cold.  I am going to be ending up at the meditation center Sunday or Monday and right now it is snowing there!! High elevations!!  But there is good news...weather is looking warmer by the time I have to be there.  There is a lot of beautiful parks in that area so I am thinking I will camp out among the sequoia till I have to go further north.  I was really hoping to get to Utah Bryce canyon and the grand canyon but I am here at the wrong time season wise.  Another time.  Maybe spring.  

Would like to get some good hiking in.  I have been pretty much just riding it feels.  Not the best excises.  I've got a real strong neck and some good leg aductors but the rest is waiting for a good yoga class to kick my ass.  Or a hike.  We will see.  Till later:)   

Off Road Camping

So the next three nights were spent at random places off the roadside.  Mom you may want to skip to the next entry here, if you are reading.  Just a thought:)  So the first night was a beautiful spot down the road from an RV spot.  It is a real snow bird hang out here cause it is hot hot hot!!  The first time I have taken off my long johns!  I pulled into the RV joint and was greeted y a kind man riding a golf cart.  He was looking  after the place while the folks were away who owned it.  Said the price for me was 25 bucks!  Same as an RV!  Agreed it was steep an told me to go behind down the road a bit.  As I went to start Lydia up there was no turnover.  I have experienced this before and know it is a wiring deal under the seat but it is a huge deal to get under the seat so I just kept trying.  Usually in a patter of time she will start.  This time no.  It was getting dark and I was thinking well maybe I stay here then.  I hate asking anyone to give me a push.  If they off thats great but I will not ask.  Man on the golf cart offered!  As we headed back to the bike a big RV came in and he had to go collect.  In the meantime I thought I would give it a try myself.  I had seen it done before and thought what the heck so got Lydia rolling and kicked her into first.  Not the first time but the second was a success!!  I felt pretty proud and think man on the golf cart was happy he did not have to break a sweat.  Headed into the desert to find me a spot.  Having lunch the next day at a subway I was accused of riding in on a horse and being dirty!  This guy was a harley rider and he did not approve of my style.  That was a first.  Bikers are notoriously friendly and love hearing other biker stories in my experience, so this guy really threw me off.  Pretty funny now that i look back on it.....I kinda like being dirty so not sure why I took such offence but guess its just not something you want to hear from a stranger.....with such attitude.
The second night was just north of Yuma which is a giant RV town.  Neighborhoods made up of RVs.  I left the town late and headed into the sunset looking for a place to set up.  It is mostly BLM land round here and that means free camping.  I got off the highway and settled into some trees.  Later I was awakened by a tank covered in lights zooming by.  It was not too close but close enough that I could see it and that kinda made me wonder where I was?  Turns out I was on an army proving grounds.
Next morning,  I found a good looking cactus to take a picture of.  I parked Lydia beside it and took a few pictures.  Got back on to head off and as I started to take off I lost my balance and I was over before I knew it.  Lydia was lying at such an angle that I could not move her.  She was not budging.  I had to go to the road to get back up.  No one stopped for a half an hour and then i figured that it might help if I had my helmet.  Ran back for it and within 10 minutes a couple from Edmonton stopped.  He was a little guy and was older but he lifted that bike with no problems.  They offered to stay as I packed the bike up but i insisted that i was alright.  Next thing I knew the bike was down again.  Darn!!  Out to the road I went after trying a few more times to budge the bike.  It turned up that there was a stone under the back tire that I should have thought of checking.....anyway another guy stopped and we got it up and I was on the road again......few.   What a day.     That same morning I headed north on the highway and stopped in to get a date shake.  Middle of the desert and this man was selling Ice cream!  With dates!  Pretty great, pretty pricey.  He filled me in on the army proving grounds and the rest of the area.  Flash floods,  once in a lifetime chance of hunting big horned sheep,  Tarantula wasps, which I still have to look up cause I am not sure I believe the story he told me.  The beautiful and terrible things of nature.  The desert.  That morning as I was drinking my coffee in the proving grounds I saw a grouse, a rabbit, some kind of bird of prey and a giant tarantula!  That was how the Tarantula wasp came up.  It was shy and very slow moving so we got along alright.  I even got close enough to take a picture.  Not too close tho this is with my zoom.  Surprised at such a critter and I now check my shoes, close all bags and tent night.

First night camp, in the morning I climbed the little mountain, or big hill behind.

The third night was along the Colorado river.  Amazing how the river flows through the desert and palm trees have sprouted up along the sides.    Resort type places line the river and charge $25 to get near it.  I am stubborn and will not pay that.  It does not make sense to me to charge a tent the same as a mobile home.  They are catering to the homes and the campsite I would get would be covered in crappy gravel....most uncomfortable.   Anyway I left the palm trees and water and went to higher ground.  There are tons of trails for off-roading.  Although I will admit I was dreaming of the palm tree lined river resort as a pitched my tent in the sandy, rocky tops off the high way.
I was hoping to find a nice lone place along the river to settle in for a few days but it seems to be really populated around here and not easy to find such a place.  O Canada.  

Tucson

Came into Tucson just around sunset and the skyline around the city was pretty amazing!  Lumps and bumps coming up out of the earth all around.  I was to meet a fellow biker gal I met on Couch surfing.  She rode a 400cc enduro painted like a zebra!  Pretty cool girl.  She offered to take me out riding in the dirt but our times did not work out....she works and goes to school.  We talked of riding and the road and she gave me a nice chill space to be.  What a comfy couch too!  Hope to meet up again sometime.    

Patagonia and Nogales

Patagonia is an awsome little alternative town.  Think there are bout 800 people living there.  I entered it and saw the health food store which i think is the only food store (grocery type) in town.  It had been a long time since I had my favorite traveling bread...that heavy rye, nice and compact.  I also got a bag of apples from the valley and the best pesto I have every had!!  Lots of fresh garlic and wow was it good.  I camped at patagonia lake and as I was setting up my tent I saw patties placed around the park.  Horses I thought.....this is horse country after all.  Near dusk I was surprized to see a bunch of cattle roam through mowing down the grasses.   We both kept our distance and all was good.  Figured the park and ranchers had a deal going on.  Turns out that the cattle were runaways from a local pasture and the rancher had not come to get them yet.

Curious

Patagonia 

Not much to say about Nogales.  Like the name.  It is a spanish word for walnut trees.  Had lunch there and stuffed myself silly with beans.  

Tombstone and Bisbee

        These two towns are worlds apart although they are close on the map.  Tombstone is a town stuck back in the 1860's.  There are horse drawn  carriages going up and down the main strip of town and the sounds of guns firing from stores.  You can go in and shoot the gun of your choice.  
     People are dressed in the gear of the 1800's wild west.  Half are wearing it cause they know that is what the town is all about and you can just see them slipping into their jogging pants or whatever else when they get home but the other half are fully there walking the walk and talking the talk.  Not sure if they would have grown up there or have moved there because that is the time they adore and feel themselves most.  A funny Place.
    Bisbee is a hippy town a little further south.  It is built into the side of a mountain and is a beautiful maze of tiny winding streets.  Very mexican feeling.  I rode Lydia up and down the winding streets getting myself lost and each street would end up at a dead end up on the top of the hill the town is built around.  As i explored, there were little gems here and there.  Murals, sculptures, strange vehicles that looked straight out of mad max.  The town was having an art crawl so I just went from gallery to gallery checking out the local art and craft.  My favorite was the Bicycle Brothel.  I am not sure if this guy has a website but it would be worth a look if you are into bikes.....the peddle kind that is.  
     Now this was not an art or craft gallery but a bike store.  I suppose you could argue though, that the fact that he didn't want to sell most of the stuff he had in there; made it  a fine, craft, gallery of bicycles.  He showed me his stuff and wow was it pretty stuff.  Forks that had waves in them and back wheel hub gears.  Fairings of inlaid wood and custom lugs galore.  Made me want to get on a bicycle.  On the topic of bicycles I met this group that was a traveling band.....on bicycles.  They had only their instruments, which were drums, stand up bass, guitar,  and sleeping bags.  Think there was a 24 stuck among them.  
Back to the road,  :)

Mimbres Mountains

So at the suggestion of Jack I headed north from Las Cruces on a secondary highway that passed through some amazing farmland.  Orchards of picctaccio trees and fields of cotton, red chillies and pumpkin.  The smell of the roasting chillies was so sweet..  I am only assuming that is what it was but man was it good.....that reminds me the smell of burning wood I have been smelling is pinon.  It is a kind of pine that grows around here and the scent it gives off while burning, is something i will never forget.   I found myself in the town of Hatch where there are chili festivals.  Red or green that is the question.  I think that most of the green is made with a chicken gravy so I opted for the red, hoping it wasn't to fiery.  I am in Mexican food heaven.  Mmmmmmm is all I can say.  I hear Arizona has a different take on their chili and I am excited to test it out.  From Hatch I continued north till I got to a turn off that was to take me through the Mimbres Mountains.  I was planning on staying in Silver city which is on the other side of these mountains.  As I started in on the road I felt there might be a change of plans.  I had 2 or 3 hours till dark and the road was so wonderfully twisted that i new it might be tight getting in before dark.  Taking the tuns in 2nd and 3rd I was hypnotized by the road.  At one point I got stuck behind a RV and it was nice to slow down and be able to look at the scenery a little bit more.  At one point there was a tight curve on the uphill and 2 little black pigs ran out in front of me.  I wasn't going too fast so it was easy to miss them.  Around 5 o'clock I rode by a sign for National Forest and stopped in for a look around.  Iron Creek is a free camp site that had toilets and all.  I checked out site and it had a pile of wood sitting beside the pit.  This was my decision made for me.  I was staying the night.
     The fire was big and the moon was bright, especially for only being pretty new and it was the coldest night tenting I have ever experienced!  Not sure I slept at all.  When I did get out of the tent all my water was frozen and did not thaw till near 10am.  Those giant ponderosa pines shaded the sun from touching me till near 11!  I would not have traded it for anything tho cause wow what a road, and what a forest too.  Pretty neat how the land goes from flat desert plains to forests that hold bear and wild pig.  
     I got onto the road round noon and made it to silver city where I stopped into a bike shop.  My Clutch cable has been severely boogered as the mechanic called it for quite some time now and I have waited till I am nearly across the country to get it fixed.  I had been traveling with a spare cable thinking I would do it myself but that time never came and I was sick getting my whole body behind pulling that clutch in.  Whew!  What a difference.  Every time I get on the bike now it feels like a new bike:)  From silver city I tried to make it to Tombstone but just got as far as Wilcox and got a room in a motel.  This is a depressed little town.  There were lots of motels but the one I stayed at was the only one open.  Kinda run down little place.  The best hot shower was had here.  The hot water just kept coming.  Ahhhhh.  
All for now.
      

White Sands

    As I travel and meet different people it is so fun how my journey takes shape.  I remember this summer as I was on a canoe trip, a friend I was tripping with, was talking about how, at a certain part in the trip it just flows.  You see a bird cross the river and you take the same direction.  There is no resistance and all the timing just seems right.  I feel it has taken me a good two weeks in order to slow down and get to this point.  
    Now everything is relative and I realize I am on a motorbike so my slow is not going to be a scooter's slow or a bicycle's slow but it is so important to take time and be open to certain places and people.  

Sunrise

Crow?

Sunrise

Yucca

Dancer

    Taking the road south to White Sands was at the suggestion of Luis.  Thank You Luis!  This is a one of a kind place where I you feel you are in a dream.  The way the sand looks and feels is all surreal.  I arrived In white sands Tuesday, ready to camp in the park but the park is shared with the US army and is used as a missile range on certain days and nights.  This was one of those nights and so i was directed to the nearest camp site which was Alamogordo.  I could not find the camp spot I was told of so ended up at a little motel on the neon strip for a friendly price......and no cockroaches!! The next morning I hoped on my bike and headed for the sands.  After paying 3 bucks and spending about 5 hours among the dunes I wanted more and so I was charged another 3 buck for the night of camping. With the fee you were given a pamphlet with info on "unexploded ordnance" this had pictures of Bomblets, detonators, flares, shells and fuses that might be found in the sands and if so should not be touched.  This was a unique camping experiance for me. It was called "Back country camping" so I took what I needed off Lydia the Swamp Beast and hiked about a half mile in to where my dune was located.  There were 9 camp spots and 3 were taken for the night.  Everyone gets there own valley I guess you would call it.  For sunset everyone climbed to the top of the nearest, tallest Dune and we all watched the sun go down on our own white dune.  Then as soon as the sun set I scrambled to my tent cause the tempurture drops super quick right along with the sun.  It was chilly getting to sleep but I awoke nice and warm, not sure if it fell below 0.....think it was maybe 4, or 5.  I got up around 6am and the stars were still bright.  Got out to go to the bathroom and could see light starting in the east.  I headed up to the top of my dune with sleeping bag wrapped around me and sat there waiting.  It was freezing with a wind.....and I dont know if it is normal for it to take nearly an hout for the sun to appear after it starts to get light but that is how long it took.  I thought it was going to pop up at any minute for an hour!!  Funny.  I almost gave up to the freeze but so glad I waited cause when it did come up, what a flaming ball!  Just like looking into a pools reflection.  Changing and shifting.  I watched it till it was about an inch above the mountains and figured that was all my eyes should see.  In an hour it was hot once again and I was packing up from my night on the moon.    

Mountain near Tularosa

Roswell and Lincoln

Made it into Roswell and found a promising looking coffee shop with espresso on the main strip.  As i walked in i was greeted by a few people around a table covered in a rainbow cloth.  There was only one table in the place and the "espresso was the regular drip coffee that all other places had.  All three of them were gathered around the table trying to get the creamer open.  It was a pump bottle and it seemed to be locked shut.  So it was passed around for a third time when one of the owners went to get some pliers.  I eventually figured out we had all been  trying to twist the wrong thing and got it open so we were all able to pump some syrup creeper into our coffee.  What it is with the Americans and their artificial creamer I do not know.  Anyway we sat and talked about other worldly things and I left feeling as though I has just had coffee with a bunch of aliens.

Booting it from Roswell I managed to get to Lincoln, quite by mistake, just before it turned dark.  This town has under a hundred people living in it and was made famous by the county wars of  the 1870's.  Billy the kid was one of outlaws in the wars and the prison or courthouse he escaped from has been restored along with lots of the houses on the strip.  There are no convenience stores or other commercial places just simple adobe houses and horses, goats and chickens.  I was lucky to find a friend here and was able to put up a tent in the back yard overlooking the juniper covered hills.

The Desert

Coming through the top of texas the desert began.   As soon as i entered New Mexico it all started to feel different.  I like it here.  Dry air and a fine smell of some kind of wood that I have never smelt before.   Still crisp at night and in the morning but hot during the day.  I stopped in the town of Clovis for some coffee.  It was 11 and they were just closing up.  The bakery made all their donuts fresh that morning then shut before noon.  I was a curious customer having come all the way from Ontario alone on a bike and so the 70 year old woman who owned the shop gave me  a bag of donuts on the house.  She was dressed to match her creations.....or maybe it went the other way around.....a bright pok-a-doted shirt matched little cookies with brightly colored button candies under the glass.  Not to forget make-up in the same shades.  She ws amazed at the distance I had come and said that she would pray for me and my mother.  Hear that mom!  You have come up in many conversations......and what does your mother think of this?  We are both on a good few peoples prayer lists :)

Old Route 66

This is the town of Mclean.  It was pretty much in ruins.  There was a working gas station and a small strip of main street but could not see anything open.  One of those towns you see the tumbleweeds floating through.  Some great murals among the ruins. 

Couchsurfing!! :)

Entering the wild west there is a lot to be reported.  Fort Smith was the first place where I was a couch surfer (.com)  What a great thing!   Annie and Alyssa are students of the college there.  They also grew up close to town so they had lots of stories of the town, most of which included escaping! :)  There was talk of New York City and Hawaii.   Wherever they land there will be adventures to be had. 

Fort Smith was the gateway to the wild west and it still looks like it, on a grand scale.  A big wide street that you can just imagine horses and buggies barreling through.  

After Fort Smith I rode the i40 to Oklahoma city.  Windy and lots of trucks.  Can't blame the wind for blowing so hard there cause there is nothing to get in its way.  So windy at times it was blowing the snot straight out of my nose!!  For real.  Like a fellow rider said you can see 7 miles straight......the curvature of the earth.  Nothing to get in the way.  Kinda like Saskatchewan in that way. 

 Oklahoma city is a sprawling wide city that is supposedly the largest per square foot in the US.  Not sure if that is right on but it is definitely wide and tall. 

 My second couchsurfing was at a fine and sweet couple living in the north part of the city.  Luis and Kevin Got me in the house and within seconds I had a cup of hot jasmine tea, and a protein drink!  They really understood the traveller life and offered their laundry machines.  Kinda wish now I had taken them up on that but there will be another koa in my future soon I can feel it.  It is so easy to bring 4 t shirts and wear one?  I get a favorite outfit that seems to work and everything else gets ignored.  That is the only thing i packed a little on the heavy side.......clothes.  My Ukulele has not seen too much of the light of day or night but i did wright one little song so maybe there will be others.   

Here my trip heads further south in order to get out of the cold.  Luis suggested going to Las Cruces, there is a white sands national monument that looks pretty amazing.  I will have to post more pics when I go through.   

Two nights ago i got into Amarillo just as it was getting dark and not wanting to venture into the desert in the dark looking for a camp site I got a cheap motel.  Cheapest yet, $30.   There ended up being giant cockroaches about a inch and half at least.......I saw my first in the bathroom and thought shit.....but I can live with it.......until I grabbed a pillow to rest my head on and another ambled out from under.  I say ambled because they did not seem in the best of spirits.  It really took a lot for them to scurry and i dont know what that means but man I started packing up and went back to the office demanding my money back..........no refund............the lady was serious, a tough lady.   After a little yelling I realized she was not going to budge and the bullet proof glass started to make a little more sense.  I stood outside trying to decide what to to do next and  ended up back in the room sleeping curled up at the bottom of the bed in my sleeping bag.  Which brings me to yesterday.  I was up and out at 6am and was on the freezing road till i found Juanita's, a little Mexican tortilla breakfast place.  Yummmmmmm.   Just holding that burrito in my hands was heaven.  I hung out there and waited for the weather to warm.  By the time i got on the road it was beautiful and the riding weather was the best i have had all trip.  I have more to say but my coffee is done and i want to  find a place to stay well before dark tonight.  White Sands here i come!! 

I must say that I am loving the gathering of more daylight hours as I travel west.......like little gifts every time i pass through a time zone.  With the clocks falling back its nice to feel time is on your side. 

 I'll leave you for now, in New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment. 

 Till later.

So left Meenman.......it rained all day yesterday and my tent had a puddle in it when i got back to it.!!  What is it with that tent, i do not know.  Got a new fly for it and the fly was dripping!!??  A real mystery.  I think I will have to put my under ground sheet over......see if that works.  I almost slept in the park washroom but put my foot down and said No! That would unacceptable, although I think I was the only person in the park and the smell was not bad at all.......but still gross.  I went back to my tent and wiped it up as good as I could and the rain lightened up.  The drips stopped for the most part and I got a good nights sleep....10 hours in fact.  Woke up to rain and that makes it hard to get up. 
 Stopped in to get a coffee before I left Memphis and had a chat with some of the locals....store keeper and sheriff i believe.  The sheriff was the 3rd guy to tell me that i needed a gun while traveling through these parts........Turns out the mcdonalds I was at yesterday is the roughest part of town......felt alright to me but it is hard not to let this fear that people have inside.  I know there is truth to it but it is mostly there own macho crap that they are experiencing.  Still finding this fear has rubbed off and is limiting my ability to experience.   Oh well, work with it is all i can do.  Tomorrow I am staying at some folks place in Fort Smith.  Kinda wanting to venture further south........choices choices choices.  :)

Here are some Pecans that I found a rest stop.  They were really tasty and I thought they were small walnuts till I checked my book. Tasted a bit sweeter then a walnut.  Made you work pretty hard to get into them.  I must have looked pretty funny to all the kids running to the vending machine for their chocolate and candies.  Trying to bust them open with my knife.....a mess of shells around me.

So here is a picture of the funny pyramid in the middle of town.  The Mississippi is on the other side.  I like it but supposedly u can't see the sky from the inside?  Not sure if I got that from a reliable source tho.

Here is Lydia down at the Mississippi.  It was just a quick look-see cause it was very wet and late in the day. Nice winding roads in the park with some awesome kudsu......no pictures that turned out but they remind me of Edward Scissorhands, so figurative.  A little more haunting tho.

Wet in memphis.  So I woke up to rain this morning. I am staying at Meeman state park which is a huge park that is only about 20 mins from downtown memphis.  Right on the mississippi.   I went for a hike this morning and felt good to get my legs doing something other then hanging onto the bike.  Giant beech trees and a funny sort of thick vine that looked like cedar.  Hanging all over.  Plenty of crows a caw cawing Got back and it had started to rain and it has not stopped.......... so here i am at the golden arches.!!!!!
  They have free wi fi and it seems to be such a huge part of the culture here that how could i not come for a visit....think it has been ten years since i was in a mickey d's.  I was served by a cute woman behind the counter with 4 gold teeth!  Wonder if mickeys covers that.   The fries are just as i remember.  deliciously salty.  I am loving this down south accent.  Like music.  Lets hope for dry roads tomorrow.   k for know :)

Ok so here i am in memphis TN.  Warm enough to camp so loving that.  I rolled into town and was looking for the downtown when a giant glass pyramid was towering over little down and out brick buildings.  Pretty neat building overlooking the mississippi river.  I thought it was a museum or something but asked and found out that it was used for NBA games up until a while ago and now is not being used.  There are plans for Bass Pro shop to take up shot....whoops .....shop.......  which is real strange.  I have been taking videos everyday explaining the day cause that seems to be my style.  A lot less typing and quicker i thought all around.  But it seems to take for ever to upload if at all.  Too bad.  Gonna keep this short cause i must get out and explore.  Hope to get some videos up soon.  Later