February 6th, 2010

Yesterday morning we left WesterlyWinds and continued riding west.  WesterlyWinds never had a chance to see us off because he left for work early in the morning, but he left us a note on the bathroom mirror wishing us well.  We stopped at McDonalds to grab a quick bite and figure out where to go next.  I love how most McDonalds here in the U.S. have wireless internet connection; McDonalds Canada need to get on board with that. 

Attracting attention at McDonalds.  People approach travelers on motorbikes more often than travelers in cars or RV’s. 

We scoped out a spot close by in Organ Mountain National Recreation Area, New Mexico; a campground called Aguirre Spring.  Not sure what to expect, but as always, we hope it’s nice.  Also, chain is making some serious funny noises.  Sounds like it’s gonna snap at any given moment—not good. 

Holy mother of god!  So beautiful…what’s up with the snow?  Oh right, it’s February. 

We ended the day with pork and beans over a toasty campfire.  We ended up paying for this campsite only because one of the volunteer hosts greeted us on our way in.  There was a self serve pay station, but our guilty conscious got the better of us. 

Today brought sunshine and clear skies; perfect riding conditions.  Our goal was to get close to Tombstone, Arizona and camp so that we have a full day the day after to explore.  I’m sure most of you know that Tombstone is where the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral went down; with many Hollywood adaptations depicting these events thereafter.  Should be a good one; I’m so excited.  I even downloaded the movies Wyatt Earp and Tombstone on the iPod so Amanda can share the same level of excitement that I have.

I just can't get enough of this view

Forgot to take a photo on our way in, so we take one on our way out.

Stopped at Wal Mart in Deming, New Mexico to grab a quick bite and oil change on Amanda's bike.

We continued riding along westward to Arizona.  The desert is so vast.  Rarely do we get to see a train in its entirety when in motion.  We saw just that moving along to the right of us as we rode on I-10; it looked like a toy train set.  We had a difficult time finding a campsite at first, but eventually found an ATV/horse trail and rode on it until we felt we wouldn’t be bothered by anyone.  We pitched our tent underneath utility wires, not the greatest thing long term, but I think we’ll be ok for one night.  The tent poles would vibrate to the touch.  We joked that when we wake up the next morning, we’ll have super magnetic powers from the exposure to whatever that’s making the tent poles vibrate.

412 km

Texas; come and gone.

Snow peaked mountains in desert.

Think we’ll get cancer?